Date 4/8/17	Avg Temps f. 64 high 38 low (variable)	Gain/Loss in ft 12,000/12,000	Furthest Aid 9 miles	Highest Elev. ~1500 ft	Time Limit 17 hours
Start 6am	Surface Rocky trail, smooth trail, pavement	Course Record Rui Ueda (9:09.37) Jodee Adams-Moore (10:27.58)	Sunrise/set 6:39am 7:54pm	Longest Climb ~1500 ft over 3 miles	Hashtags #Gorge100k

 

Quick Summary: Out and back course along the Columbia River Gorge, passing waterfalls along the way over varying terrain including rocky trails, smooth single track and some pavement. Two sizable climbs, several intermediate climbs and lots of rolling ups and downs.  

 

Race Details

Surface

Some rocky sections, some smooth, some paved, and generally rolling to hilly elevation changes, with the longest climb at the beginning and the end of the race.

Detailed course description:

1. The race starts out with a quick flat section of about ¾ of a mile, then climbs 1500 feet up paved and unpaved switchbacks over the for the nearly the next 2.5 miles.
2. A 2.5 mile descent of about 1300 feet is then followed by rolling hills for the first 20 miles, including technical and rocky terrain at times, and including another 500 foot climb over about 1.5 miles around mile 15.5.
3. From 20-26.5 miles, there are two climbs of about 500 feet over a mile each, followed by a 730 foot descent from mile 26.5 until the turnaround at 31. Some of these miles are on the Pacific Crest Trail, which includes some sections of smoother trail.
4. Turnaround after 50k and repeat the same course backwards.

 

Crew access

Crew access at 5 locations on the course – Yeon (miles 13 & 49), Cascade Locks (miles 22 & 40), and Wyeth – the turn-around and halfway point. No crew access at No Name.

Crew instructions/directions: Driving directions

Drop bags: Drop bag access at six of the seven aid stations (all aid stations, but not the first time through No-Name at mile 6). Bag drop-off at the starting line race morning.

 

Elevation

Total gain/loss: 12,000/12,000

Total climbs:

2x 1500’ climbs (at miles 0.8 and 50.5)

6x 500’ climbs (at miles 15.5, 21, 25.5, 31, 45, 42)

Lots of rolling ups and downs of 100-200 feet

 

Aid stations

Total aid stations: 7

Furthest distance apart: 9 miles

Locations:

No Name – mile 6 & 56
Yeon – mile 13 & 49  
Cascade Locks – mile 22 & 40
Wyeth – mile 31, the turn-around and halfway point

What’s available: All fully stocked (with the exception of No Name the first time through at mile 6 which will be water and electrolyte only) with water, electrolyte drink, gels, fresh fruit, peanut butter and jelly wraps, chips, candy, and first aid supplies.  

 

Pacers

None

 

Qualifying Races

Western States – Golden Ticket Race, must complete the race in the time limit of 17 hours

UTMB

 

Race reports

Race recap by Dana Notman

Race recap by Ryan Delany

Race recap by David Li

 

Lessons Learned from Race Reports

-Save something for the second half – lots of people go out too fast and have a really slow slog back to the finish line

-The course is continuously rolling and therefore exhausting over time

-Lots of rocky sections, so tough on the ankles, and lots of moss covered rocky sections, so quite slippery

-Weather is very volatile so there’s almost no telling what kind of weather you’ll get

-Knowing you’ll likely be slow on the way back, aid stations feel like they get further and further away. 9 miles is a long time if you’re going slow, so keep that in mind with regards to what you carry between each one.

 

Strava activities and GPX files

https://www.strava.com/activities/132815893/overview

https://www.strava.com/activities/125495388/overview

https://www.strava.com/activities/275657814/overview

 

Photos/Videos

Ginger Runner 100k Race Video

Project Talaria’s 2014 Gorge Watefalls video

Paul Nelson’s Gorge Waterfalls Preview Video

Logistics

Packet pickup

Bib pick-up takes place the morning of the race, from 4:30-6:00 am.  

 

Transportation

Portland, OR is the closest airport.  Seatac (Seattle) is the next closest, and is approximately a 3 hour drive to Portland.  

 

Race start and cutoff times

4:30-5:55 am: Race check-in/bib pick-up
6:00 am: Race starts
2:25 pm: cut-off at Wyeth, mile 31
4:45 pm: cut-off at Cascade Locks, mile 40.5
7:15 pm: cut-off at Yeon, mile 49.3
9:15 pm: cut-off at No Name, mile 56.5
11:00 pm: finish line cut-off

 

Race Website

http://www.rainshadowrunning.com/gorge-waterfalls-100k.html

 

Registration

Usually opens around October and is a lottery.

 

Location

Columbia River Gorge, OR, starting at Benson State Recreation Area in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area.

 

Driving Directions/Carpool

The 100k starts and finishes at Benson State Recreation Area in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (about 13 miles East of Troutdale, OR at Exit 30 on I-84). Click here for road map and driving directions. Note that Exit 30 is only accessible for eastbound traffic, which means that westbound traffic has to go past Exit 30 to Exit 22 and then get back on the interstate heading east to get to Exit 30.

Carpooling is recommended for the race due to limited parking and additional information can be found on Rainshadow Running’s website.

 

Accommodations

Troutdale, OR, and Cascade Locks, OR are the two closest options for hotels and restaurants, with Portland being about a 45 minute drive away.  The closest camping is located at Ainsworth State Park.