The Road Less Traveled… Isn't Paved
At the start of the Timberline Half Marathon, a trail run near Mt. Hood, Oregon, there’s the distinct buzz of pre-race excitement. I hear the debate already, regarding the toughness of the course and the number of hills, along with the numerous other possible encounters in a race like this. We put on our chips, line up, and start – and that’s where the similarity between trail running and other races ends.
I'm suddenly off-road, sidestepping rocks and roots, taking hairpin curves on steep switchbacks, navigating sticky mud and deep puddles, all the while concentrating on not spraining an ankle. An hour in, my quads feel like lead and my lungs are on fire; there've been a few hills with the powdery kind of dirt that's hard to get much traction on. Somewhere around the halfway point, I inhale something as I feel a web across my face. I suspect I've swallowed a spider.
This adventure is one of many I've had out on Oregon's trails. There are a surprising number of trail races in the Pacific Northwest and it appears that these, as well as many other off-road events, are growing in popularity. One major race promoter is Trey Garman, vice president of TEAM Unlimited/Xterra. His trail series has its roots, he says, in the off-road triathlon - which began as one event in 1996. It grew to three more competitions the following year, to seven the next and to 20 the year after that.
"Overall we have 150 Xterra events in 15 countries and 32 U.S. states," Garman says. Of those, 50 are trail runs and 100 are off-road triathlons, with 60 competitions in 32 states and another 40 worldwide. Starting the trail series four years ago was an effort by Xterra to get more people interested in a "healthy, active, outdoors lifestyle," according to Garman. It worked. The series took off, growing from 15 races the first year to 50 nationwide. Now athletes come from all over the country to compete in Bend, Oregon at the Xterra Trail Run Nationals: an off-road half marathon also known as an "Xduro."
"These are adventure runs," Garman says, adding that competitors put in a lot of training to run 13 miles well while also trying not to turn an ankle. "Off-road halves can parallel road marathons in difficulty."
Despite the abundance of off-road races, only recently have some been sanctioned by the national governing body of running sports - USA Track & Field (USATF) - according to Richard Bolt, team leader for the Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team. Bolt has helped cultivate support for the sport by securing a title sponsorship from La Sportiva for the Oregon Mountain Running Series to provide structure, coordination, and education for mountain, ultra and trail (MUT) running.
"Two years ago, there were no programs in place for MUT racing in Oregon," Bolt
says. Having served in the same capacity in New England, Bolt helped to organize a mountain race series in the Northwest. "People like the immersion in nature that trail running provides," he says. "It's a whole different reward compared to road running."
Mandy Giblin, who was the third place female finisher in the Timberline Half Marathon and a former international athlete, says trail running gives her a sense of freedom she doesn't get from other races. "I like the non-competitive nature of trail races," she says. "After experiencing all the pressures and nervous energy associated with elite racing, it's nice to just get out there and run for yourself."
Jennifer Teppo, two-time Hagg Lake 25K trail champion, shares this sentiment. She adds via email: "People need a place to go to relax, away from the constant pressure to go, go, go."
Two weeks after the Timberline Half Marathon, I take in the relaxed exhilaration of the Xterra Trail Run Nationals. The course winds among sagebrush and pine, then sweeps down along the Deschutes River. It's not as technical as some, but it's challenging enough. Max King, a member of the 2008 USA World Cross-Country Team and second place finisher at the World Mountain Running Championship beats out fellow competitors Ben Bruce and Ryan Bak to win in 1:08:01; while in the women's race Susannah Beck and Kami Semick battle to a close finish in 1:23:07 and 1:23:26, respectively. Other top contenders include Joseph Gray and Rich Skorczewski on the men's side and Lisa Nye, Katie Caba, and Lisa Goldsmith on the women's side.
The oldest competitor, John Keston, is an 83-year-old masters world record holder. He finished with a time of 2:19:16, saying of the cheering crowd: "I was elated by the way I was greeted when I came across the line." At the awards ceremony, the 80+ Trail Champion and former opera singer serenaded the crowd with a few lines in Italian. It was a perfect end to an incredible event - and in the world of running trails, the experience is everything.
this month's magazine
Sweet Agony
The agony and ecstasy of the chase.
The Road Less Traveled… Isn't Paved
Maybe it's about time you got out of your comfort zone and tried an XTERRA trail run.
Let it Snow!
Check out these hot, er, cold spots for winter fun!
Rock 'n' Roll Runner
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