2010 Orcas Island Report

While you're waiting for the Sun Mountain Report... here's my report on Orcas which was published in Ultrarunning Magazine

I'm going to let the runners tell the story of the 5th annual Orcas Island 50k: Matt Hart, our 2008 winner, in his first race after being injured for seemingly forever starts the tale "As the "gun" went off Yassine [Dibboun] pulled ahead and the adrenaline of not having raced for over a year and a half pushed me to the front. In the first 30 minutes Yassine slowly pulled away and my place in the lead pack faded. I was seeing numbers on my heart rate monitor I haven't seen in years." Dibboun furthers the story adding: "I started off feeling really good. Mile two or three a huge Great Horned Owl flew down right in front of me and perched on a tree right above the trail. It turned his head around 180 degrees and gave me a stare with his big eyes. I actually got a little scared and yelled just out of instinct. I was probably ahead of the others by a couple hundred yards. Eventually, we started hitting some tough climbs and Alex [Henry] and Dan [Olmstead] caught up to me. The three of us ran together until mile 10 or so. "

Last year's winner Ellie Greenwood fills us in on more of the action from the first third of the race: "I was in the front 6 or 7 so runners and the pace felt good but I was worried that I was just so excited that I would go out too fast. It felt great right away to be running on soft, spongy, snow free trails so I spent at least the first hour with a stupid grin on my face just from enjoying the spring like run. As I looped back to Camp Moran for the first aid station at just over [11] miles I was feeling strong. I was totally stoked, if a little suprised, to see Matt Hart and Chris Downie heading back out of the aid station and thus probably only 4 or so minutes ahead of me. Wow - either I had gone out way too fast or those mind numbing treadmill runs were paying off! I also didn't see Shawna so I knew I had got at least a bit of a lead on her. I never spend long at aid stations as I hate to stop on the run so I quickly downed some Coke, grabbed a handful of chips and was back out on the course." Shawna Wilskey, third last year, adds: "Ellie went out way fast, not really my thing, I am more of a 'see how I feel runner' most of the time, so consequently, I never saw her in the race. The beginning was rough for some reason for me this time. I struggled hard for 8 miles or so. My legs got tight and sore right away, so I ran convinced I would never run another 50k again, convinced I was going to pull my entry in the 100 milers I have entered this year, etc. etc. I had really done a number on myself mentally by the end of the first 8 miles. Ultra runners all know the drill… Soon it got sunny, warm, I was at the first marvelous aid station and all of that went away only to bring sheer enjoyment for the next 4 hours!"

Back up at the front of the race, Alex Henry share's his thoughts: "My race plan was to stay with the leaders until the top of the powerline climb, and then use that sustained downhill/flat section to create a gap before the Constitution climb. When I found myself pulling away on the climb itself, that was the first time that I started to think I had a realistic shot at winning the thing. I walked on every steep section of trail. I was really relieved early in the race when I saw Yassine and Dan hiking the steep sections too. Greenwood chimes in with: "[The] course is pretty variable - there are definitely some killer climbs but I have to admit they seemed more managebale this year than last, probably because last year I was in 3rd place until near the end so I was pushing literally every step of the race. The Power Line Trail climb has got to be the worst - just steep pitches and although the runner ahead of you might not look far ahead you can just never seem to catch anyone." And Dibboun contributes these details of what turned out to have been a key part of the men's race: "Going up [the Power Line Trail] I noticed that Alex and Dan were starting to pull away...especially Alex. I finally made the summit and was able to catch up with Dan O. Dan and I ran together for a couple more miles until we came to a junction that went right or left but no marking....ugh...we picked a way and ... then after a while we saw people running at us! Oh boy...wrong way...again! We ended up going like three or four miles out of our way when it was all said and done. We were given the choice to feel sorry for ourselves and to be a little angry, or we could accept it and enjoy the absolute beauty of the park and the weather. We chose the latter of the two." This sequence of events is where the men's race was won, Henry pulled ahead on the longest, steepest climb of the race and then a couple miles later at the fork in the trail at Mountian Lake he knew(from thorough studying of the course map and description prior to the race) which way to go despite the missing course markers.

Unfortunately it wasn't just 2nd and 3rd place men who got off course at the vandalized junction, Greenwood adds "So all was going great and I was happily running along with one other guy when we came upon an innocent enough looking junction... There was no marking and I paused for only a millisecond to shout ' I guess we go right?', 'Guess so' he shouted back and on we carried." She didn't find out she had gone the wrong(shorter) way around the lake until miles and couple thousand feet of elevation gain later and had this to say about how she approached the rest of the run "I resolved that even though I was now out of the race I didn't want people to think I was a quitter and I wanted to post a fast time so people would think that I would have won if only I had stayed on course. And of course I had a tiny glimmer of hope that I had gone the right way and the others had gone the wrong way (it would be worth mentioning at this point that I am the eternal optimist!)" A couple other of the top male runners also went the wrong way here or lost time trying to decide which way to go. Thankfully when Orcas veterans Eric Barnes and Steve Stoyles came to the junction they knew which way to go and were thoughtful enough to block off the incorrect direction and put an arrow in the dirt so we didn't lose anymore runners.

Alex Henry, who held on to win in just his second ultra, and later apologized for not thinking to stop and mark the correct direction says" I was definitely worried about being caught [from behind] until I ran into Yassine and Dan right after the bridge at the [opposite] end of the lake. Once I realized they had gone the wrong way, I was pretty sure I just had to keep it under control in order to win. However, this was a bittersweet feeling, because I would much rather have had them right at my heels than get an easy win.

Shawna Wilskey, who also got the win desipte having a seesaw battle with Ellen Parker(2nd) and Tia Gabalita(3rd), had this to say about her comeptition "at one point both ladies went by me like I was tied to a tree!" and about Greenwod and the race in general "what happened to her was unfortunate, as she was very fast that day, and deserved to win. For me, this race is where the 2010 ultrarunning season begins even though I don’t take down time in the winter. This is just such a stand out event, that it is the beginning of the spirit of the season."

And speaking of spirit, Matt Hart, who couldn't quite catch Chris Downie(2nd) held off probably the deepest field yet for third place, sums up the post race party (which included live music, lots of food made from scratch, 3 kegs, nuuntinis, bonfires, etc.) and the whole weekend in general real well with "I am an old man and haven't stayed up that late laughing in a long long time."

2010 Sun Mountain Preliminary Results

The following results are just preliminary, most likely there will be changes! Also unfortunately some of the top runners in both the 50k and 25k lost time, ran extra distance and in a couple cases got so off course they were not able to get an official finish-- this was entirely my fault not theirs and unfortunately it skews the results. Also it is possible a few of 50 mile and 50km finishers missed the small loop that went up the Moose Trail, through the Sun Mountain Lodge parking lot and along the ridge on the Kraule Trail, inadvertantly giving them a 3.7 mile shortcut. This too was my fault. I should have had a bigger sign and or a course marshall at such a key intersection.

Any runner that for any reason is unhappy or unsatisfied with this race because of these errors on my part are welcome and encouraged to ask me for a full refund or complimentary entry in a future Rainshadow Running race. james@rainshadowrunning.com or 509 846 5019

25k

2:07:58 Jodee Adams-Moore Mt. Vernon WA
2:09:51 Kevin Reinkensmeyer Fircrest WA 39
2:10:06 Brendan Trimboli Seattle WA 22
2:10:32 Phil Marlatt portland OR 25
2:22:23 Jason Ireland Langley WA 37
2:22:40 Sara DeRuyck seattle WA 41
2:23:28 Casey Bates Seattle WA 28
2:23:52 Jason Oliver Penticton BC 28
2:27:09 keri fezzey Coupeville WA 36
2:28:10 Katie Mulholland Seattle WA 27
2:28:30 Andrew Lingbloom Edmonds WA 22
2:34:52 Abigail Marlatt portland OR 28
2:42:09 Kelli Gauthier Bellingham WA 38
2:45:01 Kaarin Kelly Winthrop WA 32
2:45:22 Sophia Walker Seattle WA 29
2:45:33 Yitka Winn Seattle WA 22
2:45:48 Jennifer Lachowiec Bremerton WA 24
2:46:26 BJ Cassell Bellingham WA 28
2:46:46 Kristin Ohm-Pedersen North Vancouver 24
2:47:36 Candice Burt Whidbey Island WA
2:48:06 Nick Brewe
2:49:28 Sally Marcellus Delta BC 56
2:50:42 Seth Layman Langley WA 35
2:50:52 Lacy Tipton Bellingham WA 28
2:51:49 michael o'grady white rock BC 61
2:54:05 joe schrum Tacoma WA 41
2:54:44 Kristen Nelson Penticton BC 29
2:56:20 Sherry Gallant BELLINGHAM WA 49
2:56:40 J. Joseph Weaver Winthrop WA 37
2:57:14 heidi bard twisp WA 36
2:57:27 David Swoish Spokane WA 26
2:59:07 Fred Hveding Anchorage AK 36
2:59:55 Cindy Peterson Mercer Island WA 54
2:59:58 Joe Jensen Winthrop WA
3:06:22 Rachael Jamison Olympia WA 34
3:16:15 David Painter Richland WA 56
3:16:28 Megan Schmidt Winthrop WA 36
3:16:35 Elisa Burrows Seattle WA 24
3:16:41 Kate Compton Seattle WA 25
3:18:43 Phylis Ying
3:22:49 Thomas Leitner WALLA WALLA WA 44
3:23:32 Merilee Wilmore Seattle WA 27
3:24:21 tim graham mercer island WA 51
3:27:58 Nick Kerstetter Wenatchee WA 22
3:30:17 Bryon Trott Bellevue WA 51
3:30:45 Larry Varin
3:30:46 Cheyann Larsen Kennewick WA 20
3:31:01 Jamie Keizer Snoqualmie WA 34
3:31:18 Neil Prisbe Belleville IL 31
3:31:22 David Ellinger Crystal Lake IL 54
3:33:15 Mary Riehl Yakima WA 42
3:33:15 Kim Scacco-Morton Yakima WA 41
3:33:15 Kate Soldano
3:35:00 Kelly Bolinger Seattle WA 37
3:45:47 james voiland Port Townsend WA 61
3:50:57 Laura Houston Seattle WA 55
3:50:57 frances o'grady white rock BC 62
3:52:01 Nicholas Murphy clinton WA 42
3:55:01 Eric Purpus Seattle WA 30
3:55:38 Pamela Taylor Redmond WA 24
4:05:41 Genissa Sygitowicz Bellingham WA 32
4:22:30 Jim Szumilla Olympia WA
4:22:31 Justin Kerstetter Wilbur WA 29
5:39:58 Chris Allan Seattle WA 52


50k

4:24:18 119 Bill Huggins Seattle WA 40
4:26:37 112 Craig Dickson Olympia WA 43
4:27:55 110 Dave Cleveland Penticton BC 36
4:33:31 111 Joe Creighton Seattle WA 30
4:43:34 104 Susannah Beck Olga WA 41
4:53:54 127 Mike Modica Seattle WA 30
5:05:43 108 Matt Campbell Mount Vernon WA 26
5:08:16 122 Robert Lang Delta BC 54
5:09:21 141 Kyle McCoy Seattle WA 31
5:19:03 109 Stacey Cleveland Penticton BC 31
5:23:50 124 Sara Malcolm Seattle WA 26
5:28:51 113 Katie Galdabini Seattle WA 38
5:30:36 140 Eva Lust-Wright Yakima WA 40
5:34:10 107 Pablo Cabrera Mount Vernon WA 33
5:42:20 129 Patrick Niemeyer Seattle WA 34
5:45:01 106 Cindy Bigglestone Newcastle WA 35
5:49:18 101 Heather Anderson Bellingham WA 28
5:53:01 120 Jon Karlen Port Orchard WA 51
5:58:58 135 Thomas Thompson Bellevue WA 41
6:03:10 126 Michael McNeill Richland WA 28
6:05:15 125 Andy Martin Normandy Park WA 56
6:09:56 121 Richard Knowles Haines OR 61
6:12:25 215 Francie Hankins Spokane WA 45
6:14:50 131 Becky Pederson Bellingham WA 26
6:17:05 116 Barry Hopkins Vernon BC 56
6:23:30 128 Dave Molenaar Olympia WA 49
6:26:10 102 Deanna Ashby Spokane WA 39
6:35:50 137 Jason Vaughan oroville WA 39
6:44:05 138 Simon Windell Seattle WA 25
6:58:30 Wild Bill Voiland Richaland WA 62
7:03:45 132 Rivers Plowden Oak Harbor WA 27
7:24:20 117 Jason Houser Ridgefield WA 34
?:??:?? 103 Kai Bauer Seattle WA 36


50m

7:27:00 208 Jacek Doniec Burnaby BC 33
7:46:30 223 Jon Robinson Seattle WA 31
7:52:35 211 Daniel Gallant Bellingham WA 50
8:06:12 234 Dan Kuperberg Winthrop WA 46
8:08:46 212 Patrick Garcia Denver CO 26
8:37:58 232 Shawna Wilskey Burlington WA 38
8:39:30 226 Alex Swenson Vashon WA 46
8:46:40 205 Zeb Breuckman Bremerton WA 22
8:51:25 220 Dan Paquette Seattle WA 34
9:03:50 227 Joseph Tompkins Mt. Vernon WA 39
9:05:10 229 Brandon Weber Seattle WA 29
9:16:45 201 Lorie Alexander Vernon BC 51
9:16:45 206 Jeannie Debari Glacier WA 54
9:21:15 204 Robert Bondurant Chimacum WA 37
9:24:04 ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ??
9:27:35 202 Dan Baier Renton WA 35
9:32:45 213 Jonathan Gunderson Denver CO 25
9:53:44 233 Josh Owen Beaverton OR 31
9:56:10 209 Randy Duncan Victoria BC 48
9:56:10 214 Kelly Hambelton Maple Falls WA 32
9:57:45 222 Herb Reeves Olympia WA 58
10:18:50 203 Linda Barton Everett WA 32
10:26:45 221 Alex Rea Bellevue WA 37
11:05:04 225 Alecia Smith Sequim WA 37
11:06:45 207 Megan Dell Albuquerque NM 37
11:06:45 224 Kris Ryding Tumwater WA 47
12:07:30 210 Scott Flett Seattle WA 62
12:51:40 219 Janice Moyer Wellpinit WA 53