The toughest, but most beautiful marathon course! Haulin’ Aspen starts at Shevlin Park in Bend, OR, and loops around on trails and jeep roads in beautiful Ponderosa pine and juniper forest. The race started just 3 years ago – we did the ½ marathon the first year, and I’ve done the full for 2 years now. It makes a great slow training run for Portland, even if it is half up then half down!
The morning started off feeling cold – about 45F after a summer of lows in the 50s, it was chilly! But the forecast high for the day was 81, and in that central Oregon country, it warms up fast once the sun comes up. Reggie dropped me off at the park entrance, for they shuttle drivers from the high school parking lot. I was going to get a bag to put my sweatshirt and pre-race stuff in, but Reg found off-road parking about .3 from the park, up the next hill, so he walked back to get his number and see me off (and take my sweatshirt till closer to when the ½ marathon started).
We met Juan, whom we met last summer, when he was on the Runners World forums, and talked for awhile, but I needed to keep walking to feel more warmed up before the start of the run. Many Marathon Maniacs, with their bright yellow shirts on – they did the marathon at Crater Lake on Saturday, and drove up for Haulin’ Aspen on Sunday. I didn’t see Larry, who we’ve met the last 2 years, but he was there somewhere, for another couple that I passed, I asked about him. We did see him at the finish, he’s amazing!
The morning started off feeling cold – about 45F after a summer of lows in the 50s, it was chilly! But the forecast high for the day was 81, and in that central Oregon country, it warms up fast once the sun comes up. Reggie dropped me off at the park entrance, for they shuttle drivers from the high school parking lot. I was going to get a bag to put my sweatshirt and pre-race stuff in, but Reg found off-road parking about .3 from the park, up the next hill, so he walked back to get his number and see me off (and take my sweatshirt till closer to when the ½ marathon started).
We met Juan, whom we met last summer, when he was on the Runners World forums, and talked for awhile, but I needed to keep walking to feel more warmed up before the start of the run. Many Marathon Maniacs, with their bright yellow shirts on – they did the marathon at Crater Lake on Saturday, and drove up for Haulin’ Aspen on Sunday. I didn’t see Larry, who we’ve met the last 2 years, but he was there somewhere, for another couple that I passed, I asked about him. We did see him at the finish, he’s amazing!
I started out waaaaayyyy at the back of the marathon pack – there were 131 marathoners, lots more people run the ½ -- both courses are hard. I carried my camera with me, just like last year. It is so pretty up there, the camera doesn’t really show it, because we see so much more with our eyes. We see and we hear the birds and chipmunks. We see and we feel the sun and the breezes (and eat the dust when we fall – fortunately I was able to catch myself from falling many times, till just once, more later). And the Ponderosa forest smell – I love it!
The course description from the website:
The marathon has 2500 feet in elevation gain and the half marathon has 1300 feet of elevation gain. The race is entering its 3rd year so we have the course pretty dialed in. All of the elevation gain for both races is in the first half of the race. Both course are fun, scenic and challenging. The well marked course will have mile markers at each aid station.
The marathon has 2500 feet in elevation gain and the half marathon has 1300 feet of elevation gain. The race is entering its 3rd year so we have the course pretty dialed in. All of the elevation gain for both races is in the first half of the race. Both course are fun, scenic and challenging. The well marked course will have mile markers at each aid station.
My plan was to run the first 2.5 miles or so, relatively flat in the park. Then walk the first hill (steep) to where it joined a jeep road. Then 4/2 run/walks after that to mile 14, the highest point on the course. That’s about 3400’ at the park, to almost 6000’ just before mile 14. I’d used the 4/2s on hard, hot long runs before, but even though this was hard, I found the 2 minutes to be too long. I switched to 1:20 for the walk breaks, and stayed with that both up and down. With the camera, I took pics almost every walk break. I’d take them looking ahead on the trail, and often looking back. And whenever I saw something to point the camera at! This year I didn’t hook up with any runner(s) in particular, as I often do, but met lots of new runner friends out there.
There was Bobby, a dentist from MS, who has been to Newberg several times, for he buys his cabinets and equipment from A-Dec. And Lisa, from southern CA, who was running Haulin’ Aspen as her first marathon – preferring trails to the roads at LA Marathon. And Marvin, from Tulsa, who read my Philippians 4:13 shirt, and told me a story about coaching a teen from his Sunday school class to run a ½ marathon. There were Nancy and Kathy, both from Bend, both wearing Peterson Ridge Rumble caps – that’s one I’d like to run/hike someday.
They had water, Heed, Gu, Hammergels, bananas – well-stocked aid stations (and more of them this year), except the last 2 on the up half of the marathon had run out of water, and just had Heed. I don’t usually drink Heed, just not my favorite, but after 3 miles of steep up to mile 14, I even did my Gu and washed it down with Heed. The mile 17 station, did have water, that tasted so good out there!
Going down, winding around the trees and switchbacks on the dusty trail, the theme song from “Little House on the Prairie” got stuck in my head. Remember how at the program start, that Mary then Laura, then Carrie are running down the hill with their arms opened and going back and forth? And how Carrie falls in the long grass and gets up and keeps going? That’s what the downhill trail often felt like. I stumbled several times, but didn’t have a complete fall (thankfully) till just before the mile 24 aid station. Where of course there was an audience! It was a thumb stump, oops! Very dusty landing, but kept the camera safe, that was my goal.
There was a steeper section of downhill before that, where I go very carefully. This year, two mountain bikers were just ahead of me, and I was watching their dust as they sped down that section – that was amazing! My lifeguard skills came into play here, watching them ride and reminding myself of all the different first aid possibilities that I might have to help with. They did it, expertly, though I suspect some soreness from some of those rocky bumps!
Started recognizing the path we were on, back in the park, and knew it was almost over. Wanting to finish, but wanting to stay on the trails, too. Saw Reggie just before the last bend, and came under the finish banner. I knew I had beaten 6 hours (which was what I’d figured it would be) so that downhill second half was faster than I thought! 5:49:49 was the time – 13.4 minutes per mile average. Reg’s ½ time was 2:53:08, and his goal was to beat 3 hours, so he did well, too.
After getting a shower and lunch at Baja Grill, we thought we’d head back to Sisters then take the scenic McKenzie Pass route down from the mountains. We got on the road, then saw the road closure signs still up. It had been closed in March, but we knew that was from the snow. Turns out there was a rock fall just past the pass to keep the road closed. But we still went up to the pass, to the Dee Wright observatory. This is at the top of a huge lava flow, about 8 miles long and ½ mile wide. The Cascades are all volcanic, and it really shows here. There are 10 mountains surrounding the observatory – lots of pictures here, too. Then back to Sisters and the regular highway 20 way home. What a fun day!
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