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Hagg Lake Trail Run
2001 Race Report
What a day we had at Hagg Lake! Many of you have thanked us for the
weather and as race directors we'd love to take credit for this but we
are afraid to set this precedent. This would mean that in future years
we'd get blamed for the rain. The good weather brought out day of race
registrants in droves. We picked up about 50, mostly 25K, runners on
Saturday morning. This necessitated a rush trip to WinCo for more food
but we were happy to have you.
So it didn't rain as advertised but I think we can all agree that we
did deliver on the mud. The course is pretty
'interesting'. Interesting is a euphemism for surprisingly tough for a
mostly flat course. I know we didn't give you any mile markers and
the one sign at halfway was only approximate. Next year we'll provide
more mileage information. You may not believe the signs when you read
them though. I know there are places on the course where you'd swear
Sain creek was just a quick sprint away - just to find yet another bay
you had to wind your way around. We hope you at least enjoyed the last
1/4 mile. It's neat to get past boat ramp C and then see the Sain
shelter up ahead.
Before the race we stated that 3 hours would be a good time for 25K
and 6 hours would be good for the 50K. If good describes those times
then I don't know what words to use for the race winners. It was
impressive. Bob Shorrock was the first runner in for the 25K running
1:37:31. The first woman in was Jenny Teppo who ran a 2:04:36. I
understand that Jenny doesn't consider herself to be a trail
runner. We'd like to be so good in our off sport.
In the 50K James Kerby won the overall title with a 3:45:36. James ran
a smart race, he didn't lead the whole way but he led when it
mattered. He backed off a little the first lap and didn't move into
the lead until the last three miles. James commented the course was
quite runnable but he had a little trouble with the sharp turns at the
bottom of the hills. High speed, mud and turning - not a good
combination. The woman's 50K was won by Charity Lisherness in
5:24:03. Charity had a great smile as she crossed the line and she's
the only winner who I managed to get a shot of.
Montrail was
generous enough to donate two pairs of running shoes to our race. We
are going to do something a little different with these gifts. Robyn
Hess, you may have come in last in the 25K but you stuck with it and
completed the course. For that you pick up a pair of Montrail
shoes. Joanne Ross you grab the honors and the shoes for the 50K
race. At 7 hours and 50 minutes I know you worked harder than a lot of
the runners out there. No, we are not doing this again so don't think
about seeing how long you can stay on the course!
As you must know by now, this run is the kickoff event for the
Oregon Trail Ultramarathon Race Series. We hope you enjoyed the
advertisements we placed out on the course. About the only negative I
heard about the signs is that one of the 50K runners commented that he
wasn't sure anymore if he was halfway through a race or only 1/12th of
the way through the series. The signs probably made him tougher.
Did we have great volunteers or what! A lot of people have sent in
feedback
and I've heard many comments about how friendly and helpful
the volunteers were. I know we roped a bunch of our friends into doing
this and many of you have never volunteered at a race before but you
seem to have done everything right. A sincere thanks for being
there. We would also like to give a special thanks to our primary sponsor
Beaverton Christian Church. They gave us a van to use, cooking
supplies, paid for mailings, on and on.
This is the first time for you runners out on this course and it is also
the first time for your three new race directors. Directing a race has
been quite an experience. You probably don't want to know how many
hours before the start we got the final permit for the Sain Creek
shelter. Still it was pretty rewarding to see everyone out on the course
pushing hard to get a good time.
We look forward to seeing everyone at other races this year.
McDonald Forest
is the next run up in the Trail Series and we'll be there.
ORRC has the usual full schedule of quality races for 2001. Now, if we
can just change the name of the club to Oregon Trail Runners Club...
See you on the trails,
Randy Christian, Scott Diamond and Rick Klocke
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