Orcas Island 100 Mile Race Info

Date

2/8/2019

Location

Orcas Island, WA

Moran State Park

Avg Temps f.

48/36

Gain/Loss in ft

~26,000/26,000

ft/mile gain

260

Highest Elev.

2398ft

Start

8:00am

Surface

Trail, small amount of road

Time Limit

36 hours

Sunrise/set

7:32am/5:22pm

Furthest Aid

5.8 miles

Lessons Learned from Race Reports

Race reports note a fair amount of runnable sections, at least on the first time through, with the exception of the Powerline climb, which brings you to Mt. Constitution. Many notes about the climb being a major grind and mentally tough, especially knowing you have to do it 3 more times.
Regarding the climb up to Mt. Constitution, one runner noted the first lap is about 50-80% runnable, 70% hiking by the 3rd lap, and all hiking by the 4th lap
Always easy to go out too fast, but that makes loop courses all the more difficult, especially mentally, with major slowdowns loop after loop
Lots of changes in body temps with how the weather can be at the top and bottom of climbs, so have some layers on you, as well as in drop bags/at aid stations for changes of clothing
With how many hours of darkness there are at this time of the year, have a great headlamp that’s super bright with plenty of backup batteries
With how long some of the climbs are, it’s best not to wonder when they’ll be over and just be pleasantly surprised when they are
The weather will likely vary a lot over the course of the race – have lots of clothing options and a change of clothes for each loop
Expect the second half to take longer simply because it’s in the dark
Lots of race reports talk about the first loop feeling way easier and faster than expected, but then it gets way harder after that
Laps 3 and 4 are all about how fast your slow pace is as you manage the same climbs but in the dark

Elevation

Total gain/loss: ~26,000/26,000

Ft/mile gain: 260

Total climbs: Four major per loop ranging from 800-1500 feet for each climb

Course Map / Elevation profile

Aid stations

Total aid stations: 5 per 25.2 mile loop

Furthest distance apart: 5.8 miles

Locations: Miles 4.7, 10, 14.1, 19.9, and 25.2 of each loop (25.2 is also start/finish); Bold indicates crew accessible

What’s available: Water, assorted GU (gels) + GU Brew, chips, fresh fruit, chocolate, pb & j sandwiches (and tortillas), soda, hot water, hot soup/broth, and a wide variety of other ultra fare

Crew access

Access Locations: Cascade and Camp Moran, available at Mt Constitution during the runner’s last lap.

Crew instructions/directions: Crews are limited to one vehicle per runner. There is no crew access at Mt. Pickett or Mountain Lake. Crews may only provide aid to their runners at the designated aid stations; any help or assistance outside of the designated aid stations may result in disqualification of your runner.