HAULIN ASPEN MARATHON

What a great adventure.  We decided to ride to run with our motorcycles to Bend, OR for the Haulin Aspen Trail Marathon.  The ride there and back was as much of the fun as the marathon was.  Yes I know for you non runners the idea of a marathon being fun is probably crazy, but they really are fun.

Coffee break in Leavenworth, WA

We decided to minimize the amount of time traveling on Interstates and instead stuck to some of the more rural state routes instead.  This was much more enjoyable, but added a pretty significant amount of time to the journey.  We made a stop in Leavenworth for coffee.  Must fuel my caffeine addiction you know.  This little German town is very picturesque.  Next stop Yakima for dinner with some fellow motorcycle instructors.  On the way there we rode through the Yakima Canyon.  The scenery was incredible and the road was the ideal motorcyle road.  One curve after another with great visibility and excellent pavement.  There was a guy on a sport bike that was having trouble keeping up with me (I’m sure we were hovering around the speed limit )He must have felt pretty amazed to have been so challenged by a guy on a full dress touring motorcycle.  Just goes to prove that it isn’t always the bike, but the skill of the rider that will prevail.

We were going to spend the first night in The Dalles Oregon.  However there was some sort of classic car show going on and the only available room was so scary looking that I figured I would rather sleep on the ground.  We decided to continue south till we found something better.  So at about 1am we rolled into Madras.  We rode through a lightning storm to get there, but we had a clean room to sleep in.

Smith Rock

Day 2 we rode down to Smith Rock.  A rock climbers paradise.  It was as scenic as some of the more far away places I have been such as Zion Canyon.  Very cool!  We rolled into Bend, Oregon or the town of a thousand round a bouts.  Seriously what is the love affair with the traffic round a bout.  They were everywhere.  Bend is a beautiful city.  I could make a trip out of just going there and checking out all there is to see there.  But this trip we were there to run and what a run it would be.

Casual start with only 128 runners

As we were lining up to start the race at 7am I realized I had forgotten to stretch.  I had been there near the start for an hour trying to stay warm and totally forgot to stretch.  Just as I was thinking I should have stretched they announced that the race would start in 15 seconds.  Stretching is over rated anyway isn’t it.  The first couple of miles is on a gravel road, which served the purpose of spreading everybody out before we got to the more narrow trails.  The pine forests made for a ever changing scenic run that was completely different from anywhere I have run before.  The first half of the course heads up 2500 feet with most of that elvation gained between miles 12 and 14.  I had no choice but to walk these hills.  Even walking them wore me down.  But the reward was that just after mile 14 we were on our way down.  It would be all down hill on single track trails the rest of the way.

The Hills

Looking up one of the endless hills

Some of the technical trails

At times the trail was very technical requiring me to be very careful of my footing.  Something I wasn’t always successful at.  I almost fell three times after tripping on rocks or roots.  One of these falls I nearly took out another runner as I stumbled into him.  The trail zig zagged back and forth keeping me from really stretching out my stride.  Between the elevation gain and the technical nature of the course this was the slowest one so far for me.

Winners of the best aid station

Another cool aspect of this course was the support.  The aid stations were staffed by members of the cross country team from the local high school.  They had a contest for the best aid station voted on by the racers.  The winning aid station team would get a paid trip to a running camp.  There were various costumes and great attitudes.  The winning team was a group of girls in sparkly dresses that would sing and cheer on the runners as they went through the aid station.

Ice cold creek!

The finish line was right next to a very cold creek.  Many racers myself included took a cold soak to ease the pain.  The water was so cold that I think it hurt worse then the muscle pain.  Lots of good food and beer at the finish.  The organizers did a fabulous job!  I would definately run this one again.

Lava tube

After the race we rode down to the Lava tubes.  This mile long cave is huge, and cold.  Amazing how hard it is to walk a mile after running 26.2.

The ride home was a marathon in itself.  500 miles in one day on a motorcycle after running a marathon the day before is very tiring!

Next race is next Sunday.  The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Marathon. This will give me my first Maniac star.  Over two miles of this course will be in an old train tunnel where it will be pitch black.  Flashlights required.

Here are a few more photos of the event. (click for larger view)