This was the 42nd Annual Crater Lake Rim Run
consisting of 26.2, 13, or 6.7 miles (I have yet to figure out why the odd ball distances besides the marathon). The course, being one of the very few to
actually run inside a National Park, is limited to only 500 runners with pretty
strict cut off times. Being at elevation and reading all the reviews on how
strenuous the hills were, I went into this race knowing I needed to train hard,
and even still, wasn’t sure if I would be sagged since the only other similar
race I've done like this was at half the elevation.
The week or two leading up to race day, I found out there
was a wildfire (or two) that started right near the park. Following the
National Parks page and webcam, I started to get worried. I had just cancelled
Bryce Canyon last month due to a wildfire, and then the race ended up still
happening and not really being impacted. I did not want to cancel this trip and
it be the same result. I quickly found a back up race, Bridge of the Gods that
was set to take place the next day. Perfect. I would wait until the last minute to
register. The director of Crater Lake was basically just waiting for the
National Forest people to give him a yah or nah if the race could even happen because the fire had crept so close, they were closing the road, trails, and there was a possible evacuation notice. The
final decision was to be made Wednesday night. Bridge of the Gods was warning
they were expected to sell out and closing registration online on Tuesday. I
had to make the call, and with the fire closing the road I just new Crater Lake would be cancelled, so I decided to register for Bridge of the Gods. I decided that if worse came to worse,
I would run both. And with a late Thursday night announcement that the Crater Lake Rim Run was on, that was just what happened!
AIRPORT
I arrived into Portland as the flights were the cheapest to
there from Florida. It was a good 4-5 hour drive to Crater Lake, so I gave
myself a few days before race day to make my way down and explore Oregon.
PLANNING YOUR
OREGON TRIP
Did you know that Oregon has 7 Natural Wonders? Check out www.traveloregon.com/7wonders
to see the best suggestions for visiting Oregon. I would have stayed much longer if I had seen this before I purchased my flights. They have complete
itineraries, questions and answers, maps; everything you need to plan your
trip. They will even mail you brochures and maps upon request (and free solar
eclipse glasses!)
Be prepared to have a limited signal on your phone. Oregon has a ton of State Parks and National Forests and there are no towers there. This is your chance to escape the chaos of everyday life and enjoy the outdoors!
OREGON COAST MUST
DO
Planned hikes that I didnt get to do because of the smoke/fog - Saddle Mountain-views from coast, Portland, and Mt Hood; The Astoria Column-vIews down the coast, and Neahkahnie-coastal views
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| FORT STEVENS STATE PARK |
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| CANNON BEACH-HAYSTACK ROCK |
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| MEARES LIGHTHOUSE |
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| OCTOPUS TREE |
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| KIWANDA SAND DUNE |
CRATER LAKE AND
SURROUNDING MUST DO
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| HWY138-TOKETEE WATERFALL |
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| HWY138-WATSON WATERFALL |
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| NATURAL BRIDGE-UNION CREEK |
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| ROGUE GORGE |
ACCOMODATIONS
Union Creek Rogue State Park about 40 minutes from Crater Lake was an awesome camp. The Rogue river runs through this campground, so there are tons of sites on the water. This very spacious campground even allowed for hammocks. The town consisted of a store, restaurant, and ice cream shop, which is the most I had seen driving all day.
Be prepared most State Parks do not have showers, nor running water, there are only vault toilets and no electricity. I ended up bathing and soaking my already tired from hiking legs in the ice cold water at my campsite.
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| UNION CREEK/ROGUE |
COURSE
This was an A to B high elevation, paved course with approximately 1,500 elevation gain that runs the Rim Road from West to East covering about half of the lake. It utilizes shuttles on both
ends, which makes for a very long morning. All races start at the same time and run the same course. They closed one
lane, the furthest away from the lake, for us to run in and kept the rest of
traffic in the other lane. Unfortunately this meant those of us that wanted the
best views for pictures had to keep crossing traffic to get to the rim. You have frequent views of the lake throughout the course, as well as hills, forest, and distant overlooks. Unfortunately I did not spot any wildlife, but there was an influx of butterflies which was pretty cool to see, as every time I got weak, a butterfly would show. Ive always believed that Memaw shows she is with me on this journey every time there is a butterfly so I had a constant reminder of why I was here.
REGISTRATION
The registration fee is pretty normal, but it does not include the $15 National Park entrance fee. This fee is good for 7 days, so you may want to explore before or after the race day.
COMMUNICATION
The website is bare minimal, there is no Facebook or Social Media, there are no email blasts leading up to race, but if you send an email, you will get a response.
SHUTTLES
School buses were utilized for shuttles to Start and from
Finish, which would pick up/drop off at both Mananza Camground and Rim Village
parking lot. You could go to either, but I decided to do the Rim Village because I knew they had a shop up there for afterwards, and I also would be utilizing the North Exit after the race to head to Portland. There were plenty of buses and multiple rounds of pick up/drop off. The shuttle back was extremely long. After all the shuttling, running, and shuttling again, we made the complete route around the park. The website advised Mananza camp allowed for showers afterwards, but I did just fine bathing in the bathroom sink at the Village, since I did not want to backtrack. Parking was a breeze at the Rim Village since it was so early,
but leaving was a mad house with tourists.
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| CRATER LAKE |
START
I arrived early to Start since I was not sure of the exact route/timing. I was on one of the first shuttles which was timed perfectly with the sunrise over Crater Lake.
There were plenty of porta potties without delay.
Gear Trucks were provided with paper bags to put your items
in to be at the Finish.
There was no official line up, pacers, or even timing mat; just a huddle up, explain a few things on a bull horn, and then we were off.
WEATHER
It was a cool morning with a slight breeze and a clear
blue sky with a slight haze. Temps never left the 60s.
HYDRATION STATIONS
Water was provided about every 3 miles. I brought my own
Camelpak knowing this was not going to be enough for me. Sponges were at the top of one hill which was amazing. I brought 3 GUs as I knew no fuel would be provided.
SPECTATORS
The only spectators you will find here are the tourists that
are passing by in their cars. Thankfully none of them seemed to mind the slow down (hey, they got to look at the lake longer too!) There were 2 ‘cheerleaders’ in a van that kept
pacing us, getting out at different stops, and cheering us on. I looked forward
to them at every hill and asked if they secretly had mimosas.
RESULT
I brought my GymBoss pacer and kept it on a generous 1x45
(run a minute, walk 45sec). However, that quickly stopped when there were so
many declines in the first half of the course. I made sure not to waste the
declines and run every one of them. I then used the pacer to motivate me to not
spend too much time walking the inclines. (although sometimes my power walks
are faster than people running the incline). The first couple of declines felt
like they went on for miles. They were so fun, as it felt so effortless to let
gravity take over. However, it still takes effort to not let yourself get carried away wasting energy going too fast. It is a constant balance of
finding that pure neutrality.
The entire first half of the race I felt surprisingly well.
I kept thinking, ‘Wow, most of this elevation is going to be downhill (note, I
usually do not look at or analyze race courses/maps ahead of time; Id rather be surprised). I
was just so completely shocked that the smoke had cleared out enough from the
fires, where I did not smell one bit of it, and the views were still pretty
amazing. I just kept thinking how lucky we were to be there. My pace was a lot faster than I predicted and my breathing was good.
Then all of a sudden, bam, the declines suddenly stopped and it just seemed
like we were going uphill forever.
I had been pacing with a small group of people for a
while. I was leap frogging two girls (not together) almost the entire time.
They were nonstop running even the massive inclines. They looked so calm, light
on their feet, and not a bit of energy being dispersed. I kept thinking what it
must feel like to be able to run so effortlessly uphill like that. I then had a
guy stop and chat with me for a bit complaining on how hard the course was, but
I quickly reminded him of how beautiful it was though and to look at those
girls go. I told him “They are Badass!” and he told me 'its all about the baby
steps going uphill.' I then was with a
guy and girl who were going to tackle this never ending incline ‘one rock at a
time.’ I laughed at them and extended my walk time. I was beat. They then told
me that the last 3 miles (the rest of the course) were completely uphill. I just laughed some more. 'Of course it is!'
I did some backwards walking up the hill to change the muscles and noticed just about everyone was walking uphill. 'This course is insane' I kept saying to myself. I watched a couple of tour groups of bikers come through, them too struggling on the incline. I asked them if running/walking or biking was harder. They all agreed running. It made me feel bad ass. It was at that moment when I decided I was going to be one of those bad ass girls and I took off. I left the guy that was complaining behind; I passed the guy and girl that were letting the rocks tell them to walk; I passed the first bad ass girl and told her she was kicking butt; I then made it to the next bad ass girl who I was with for a while and learned she was doing the FULL marathon! I told her she was bad ass, and she told me she couldn’t believe a Florida girl was running these hills! That was just enough for me to take off some more. This hill was not going to get the best of me! I was not going to take my time and just survive walking it. I was going to tackle it! I was not last (like I thought I would be) and I was actually going to finish this insane course with a respectful time. I was going to push myself to limits I had not explored and get this incline done! I shortened my stride; I kept my head held high; I controlled my breathing; and I enjoyed the scenery. When my legs felt like they would give out I would walk but only a few steps to regain composure and then I went again. My runs were short, sometimes only a few steps, but my walks were even shorter. I just kept repeating it over and over and I finally reached the top and the finish line! I had done it! And it was the most amazing accomplishment!....until I realized I had to keep going to get that '.1' to make this an official half marathon!
I did some backwards walking up the hill to change the muscles and noticed just about everyone was walking uphill. 'This course is insane' I kept saying to myself. I watched a couple of tour groups of bikers come through, them too struggling on the incline. I asked them if running/walking or biking was harder. They all agreed running. It made me feel bad ass. It was at that moment when I decided I was going to be one of those bad ass girls and I took off. I left the guy that was complaining behind; I passed the guy and girl that were letting the rocks tell them to walk; I passed the first bad ass girl and told her she was kicking butt; I then made it to the next bad ass girl who I was with for a while and learned she was doing the FULL marathon! I told her she was bad ass, and she told me she couldn’t believe a Florida girl was running these hills! That was just enough for me to take off some more. This hill was not going to get the best of me! I was not going to take my time and just survive walking it. I was going to tackle it! I was not last (like I thought I would be) and I was actually going to finish this insane course with a respectful time. I was going to push myself to limits I had not explored and get this incline done! I shortened my stride; I kept my head held high; I controlled my breathing; and I enjoyed the scenery. When my legs felt like they would give out I would walk but only a few steps to regain composure and then I went again. My runs were short, sometimes only a few steps, but my walks were even shorter. I just kept repeating it over and over and I finally reached the top and the finish line! I had done it! And it was the most amazing accomplishment!....until I realized I had to keep going to get that '.1' to make this an official half marathon!
FINISH LINE
For some reason this course is 13 miles and not 13.1, so of
course once I finished the race, I kept doing laps around the Finish Area until
I hit the .1.
There was watermelon, bagels, and soda to recoup. The medal,
shirt and bag, which all match each other, was given at the finish and then you
loaded the shuttle back.
SHIRT
The gender specific shirt is a nice tech shirt that's not ruined with sponsor logos all over, but I wish the lake was a better
picture.
The medal is a generic medal with sticker placement. I feel
like they could have stepped up the game just a little bit more on the quality
PHOTOSOnly a handful of photos were available on the website, mostly of the 6.7mile finishers
PHOTOSOnly a handful of photos were available on the website, mostly of the 6.7mile finishers
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This was a very stressful race experience but completely out
of the directors control. Wildfires happen. Who knew that August was actually a
‘wildfire season’ in Oregon though? Not this East Coast girl! The race director
gave many thanks all day long, from the shuttle to start, to the shuttle from
the finish and appreciated our patience with the last minute call to still run. I was surprised at the amount of runners that still showed up even with the very last minute decision and the offering of refund or deferment.
This race is very laid back and not the glitz and glam you may see from other large races. It’s a small town race with big nature views! Being able to run in a National Park is a privilege. A lot of other races claim National Parks, but never step a foot inside the park itself. Being limited in size makes it that much more special and not feel overly touristy. I would highly recommend this race if you are looking for a challenging race with awesome views and are more interested in the experience than the hype. This challenging course will test your true grit. Do you have what it takes? 'Get High on Altitude!'
This race is very laid back and not the glitz and glam you may see from other large races. It’s a small town race with big nature views! Being able to run in a National Park is a privilege. A lot of other races claim National Parks, but never step a foot inside the park itself. Being limited in size makes it that much more special and not feel overly touristy. I would highly recommend this race if you are looking for a challenging race with awesome views and are more interested in the experience than the hype. This challenging course will test your true grit. Do you have what it takes? 'Get High on Altitude!'
13.1-2:42
State 31
HM#76
OREGON TRIP TAKE 2-
Want to read the 2nd Half of Pink Feets Oregon Adventure? CLICK HERE
Pink Feet's half marathon calendar runs from March to February with the final race being the full marathon at The DONNA Marathon! I am on Year 7 of a 10 year mission to complete the 50 states while also running a half marathon a month; all to help spread the word of breast cancer prevention, early detection, and living a healthy lifestyle including running and walking. My goal is to raise $100,000 for breast cancer charities. Current donations are going to The DONNA Marathon whose beneficiaries are The Mayo Clinic and Donna Foundation.
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