gorge waterfalls 50k 2012 race report

Elowah Falls – the turnaround

Stunning. It really is the only word you can use for the Columbia Gorge. Cascading waterfalls, enchanted forests, mossy green enclaves hushed with a certain magic. Running these trails is its own reward.

So how cool is it that Rainshadow Running has put together a race that allows you to not only enjoy some of the finest trails the Gorge has to offer but to also push yourself up against your own limits. I ran the inaugural race in 2011, but as winter started coming to a close and my own training was going well, I knew that I would have to go back and test myself against the challenging terrain once again.

Luck has brought me the fantastic good fortune of the ultimate training partner – a good friend with the same attitude towards training, a similar pace and now an enthusiastic love for the trails. Even better, Julie is the training plan task master, keeping me on target through the weeks when my laissez faire nature would have me blithely training away in whatever manner I felt like going with that week. We focused on long runs with shorter back to backs during the weeks leading up the race; I peaked with a 70 mile week featuring a 30.25 mile through run on the Wildwood Trail. My weekly mileages ranged from 50 – 60 miles on average, but I also had a cut back week of 25 – 30 miles every 3 weeks, usually from necessity (colds…).

Several weeks out from the race we learned that trail repairs necessitated a course change. The point to point course became an out and back, and the opening miles gained climbing feet as the new course took us up to Devil’s Rest (elevation 2,402) before finally letting us descend. On a scouting mission the week of the race, Julie & I missed our turn off trail and were not able to make it to the top of Devil’s Rest before we ran out of time, but we could tell we were in for some serious pain.

Finally the week of the race arrived. Nature reminded us that for all of our best laid plans, she ultimately is in charge, dumping snow on the course and changing the route once again. Thank goodness.

Me, Julie, Megan & Bunky before the start of the race.

The morning of the race dawned at last. Wade drove Julie & I out to the start, where we quickly found Texas Libby and said our hellos. Word was spreading like wildfire that our race director had a flat tire and had yet to arrive, so we cooled our jets and talked nervously with our friends. The good luck of not having to climb all the way to Devils Rest – twice – was a common theme. Talent scouting was also fun – it was a virtual who’s who of Oregon’s finest ultrarunners.

Before I knew it, we were off and running around Benson Lake.

Jenn Shelton blazed past me like I was standing still. So much for winning. Ha!

After a nice warm up mile, the climbing begins. Up. Up. And even more up. I was ppushing as hard as I dared. After two miles of solid climb, you reach the intersection that signals the top (1,500 feet later), and I began to roll. Hard. So hard that by the time I was nearing the bottom of the Multnomah Falls switchbacks, I knew my quads were in trouble. Oops.

The music came out. My head was giving me all kinds of grief, but I kept it rolling, running by myself up and down the rolling hills, past the Oneota Gorge and Ponytail Falls. Up. Down. Up.

Julie passes under the overhang on the way down to Multnomah Falls on a training run

My fueling plan was fairly basic. I had Gu Peach Tea in my handheld, a PB sandwich for the first two hours, Stinger Chews for the next two, and gels for the final hours of the race. My theory is to start with solid food and gradually get less so as I tire. Seemed to work for this race. I didn’t stop at the first aid station.

Around mile 10 the course gets a little less pretty and hits some scrubby looking forest. I knew I was getting close to the road section, but it was still a shock when Max King came flying by on his way back to the finish.

The road miles seemed longer this year, perhaps because I knew I would soon be returning. At the next aid station, I stopped to get more water and grabbed a little Coke, but mostly because it sounded good. What’s the point of running a race if you aren’t going to stop and enjoy the treats, right?

Another climb to Elowah Falls, and I was at the halfway point in just under three hours.

The return trip back to the last aid station was uneventful. One foot in front of the other type stuff, but I did run out of water. A quick fill up and some chatting with the volunteers, and I was back on the trail, ready to climb.

Climbing the switchbacks at Multnomah Falls at mile 26 of the race with all of the tourists was interesting. I still find it amazing that we were passing folks at all, but it was frustrating to get stuck behind packs of people who seemed unaware that we were rolling up behind them. Still, the climb seemed endless. And it was only beginning.

Coming back up this trail was a trial. My legs were burning. The section from the Larch Mountain Trail to the Wahkeena Trail, which seems so mild coming down, was the cruelest of all. Still, when the final song from Unbreakable came on my playlist, I was crying tears of joy that I could be out to enjoy this day.

Less than a mile to go.

Finally we hit the downhill, but by now my legs were fried. Descending was just as painful, and my legs were so tired that I worried I would trip and fall if I went too fast. But soon I was back on the flats and chugged my way back around Benson Lake to finish what I started 6 hours and 13 minutes before. A PR. Nice.

Of course, that’s when my doubts started.

Was this course truly the 49k James said it was? Several Garmins reported 26.5 miles. Another account put it at 29.3 miles. I fretted about it for a couple of days.

Finally I let it go.

Because really, in the end, it’s about enjoying the day. Pushing your body. Testing your limits. Your splits don’t matter to anyone, only that you put yourself out there and gave it a go. I had a wonderful day on the trail, enjoyed one of the most delicious post race beers ever, and was able to enjoy the company of my friends. What else does a person truly need?