Peterson Ridge Rumble 30K - Sisters, OR

My first official trail race...

Have you ever gotten so excited about something that you actually jumped up and down, licked your lips and flapped your hands while saying "ohhh, ohhh", much like a little kid might do on Christmas morning? Can you picture yourself doing that as an adult? I couldn't believe it, but I actually did that yesterday. Not very manly, is it? It's never happened to me before. I know, I know, how embarrassing, right? I felt like I was watching someone else but then I realized that it was me doing it! I started laughing even harder. Too funny.

Why was I so darned excited? Well, it's pretty simple. I had entered to run my very first trail race, the Peterson Ridge Rumble in lovely Sisters, OR (pop. 1,450), and here I was, having just gotten out of my car to walk over to the starting line at the back of the Sisters Middle School. The weather was trail running perfect: a balmy 55F with a light breeze and sunny skies. Then the realization hit me that I was going to start my trail running odyssey, right here and right now. I think that my reaction was a combination of pent-up excitement and nervous energy looking for an outlet. Hand flapping is a good way to look like a dork, cool-off oneself and generally express giddy excitement..all at the same time. It's a pretty handy maneuver but I don't recommend doing it often. You'll get some odd looks, especially when you're a guy.

Here's the deal: I've never run a trail race even though I pretty much run exclusively on the trails at Cougar, Squak, Tiger, Rattlesnake, and Taylor Mountains in the Issaquah Alps. For the Peterson Ridge Rumble, I had decided to run the 30K option. So this was my first trail race and my first time ever running 18.5 miles (even in training)! It was going to be a big day for me.

But first things first. Just to get there I had to make that oh so looong 350-mile drive from Bellevue down to Bend. Fortunately, I was able to break it up into two parts and drive down to my parent's house in Milwaukie and stay Friday night. I had a pleasant time, as usual, and awoke on Saturday eager to get down to central Oregon. I drove down I-5 to Salem and then cut east on the N. Santiam Highway (Hwy 22) past Detroit Lake, past Suttle Lake, through Sisters and then on into lovely Bend (pop. 85,000)...which has grown like crazy since I was last there. I was amazed how much growth has occurred. Heck, I remember going skiing in Bend when there was a population of only 19,000. Talk about growth! Anyway, I was planning to stay with my childhood friend Matt Garcia, his wife Debbie, their young daughter Zoe and their energetic lab Roxy. What I didn't know was that they were in the process of packing-up their belongings for a move the following weekend just across town to their new house. Talk about bad timing for a visit - sorry guys! Thankfully, they were very gracious hosts and we had a great time catching-up. It was really good to see them after so much time. I think I last saw them at their wedding nearly a decade ago!

[On to the locale.] Sisters - located just to the northwest of Bend - sits at an elevation of 3,100 feet. It is situated in western Deschutes County, just east of the Cascade Mountains in central Oregon and is perched on the edge of the 1.6 million acre Deschutes National Forest. Once a lumber town, it still has an 1880's Old West vibe with lots of working cattle ranches, rivers for fly fishing and white water rafting, the Three Sisters Wilderness Area for nordic skiing and snowshoeing and hiking, and high-end vacation homes spread amongst the planned golf resorts of Black Butte Ranch to the west and Eagle Crest to the east. Basically is a sportsman's paradise and it's a down to earth town with friendly locals and absolutely stunning natural scenery in the high desert country. The Sisters-Redmond-Bend area is one of my top favorite places on the planet. I can easily see myself living there someday.

[Fast forward back to the start of the race.] The race is an out-and-back run that starts/finishes at the Sisters Middle School. The starting area was filled with nearly 100 people intending to run the 60K and another 135 people intending to run the 30K. That's 240 eager trail runners clamoring to get going. Despite the numbers, it didn't feel crowded and the low-key vibe made it seem more like a big gathering getting together for a long training run. There were some notable Northwest ultramarathoners in the race, like Kami Semick, Andy Jones-Wilkins, Bev Anderson-Abbs, Jeff Riley and Rod Bien, among others. Heck, the RD is Sean Meissner so you know that this is going to be a tough trail race. Some folks had dogs and one guy even had two dogs (Huskies perhaps?) which he had tied to his waist so that they would pull him along. Smart!

After the starting gun went off, we all trundled down a dirt trail (looked like a wash-out) that quickly narrowed forcing us to run no more than two abreast until it widened again about 1/2 mile later where we encountered a long, straight dirt and gravel road (NF-4606). After another mile or so we crossed a small bridge and then bisected 3 Creeks Lake Rd where we continued to run straight on NF-4606 for another mile until we came to a turn-off into the forest onto a smooth, flat trail that meandered through Ponderosa Pine and Manzanita. After about another mile or so the trail met up and paralleled a stream (really cold water) that helped to cool the air and keep the dust under control. After moving through Aid Station #1/#5 we ran across Peterson Ridge Rd and finally up into the hills, where we started to gain some elevation. The terrain was getting more interesting and, by this point, the field had really spread out and I was able to run at a good clip without having to dodge slow pokes.

Aid Station #2/#4 is at the base of a long hill that leads up to the turnaround points for both the 30K and 60K (which are different). After making the turnaround and plowing back down the hill I did a little liquid refueling and was off. For some reason, at about mile 14, I had an instant and serious GI issue crop up. Let's just say that I lost about 15 minutes of time hunched over in the thorny bushes behind a large rock outcropping of volcanic lava rock (very sharp stuff!). After, er, dealing with my distress and rehydrating myself, I took off down the trail with a renewed sense of energy and excitement. As I headed down the trail I noticed the complete lack of flying bugs so I was able to run with my mouth hanging open, looking kind of slack jawed. It helped me suck in the copious quantities of much-needed air at the elevated altitude.

When I reached NF-4606 again I met up with Meredith Sorensen who lives in Portland. Meredith is a New Jersey transplant who has a freakish passion for waste management (go figure). As we motored along she explained that she works for CES and is helping to coordinate composting, recycling, and overall waste reduction efforts at the Portland Airport while she gets her masters in public administration from PSU. Her two buddies were also running in the race but were somewhere behind her. As we struggled down the long straight road I worked hard to keep her mind focused on just reaching the finish line by blathering about whatever subjects came to mind: furry dogs, ultimate frisbee, traveling in SE Asia, the nuances of batch beer, solar powered lighting systems. By helping to keep her mind off the last portion of the run I was able to do the same for myself. It worked.

As we came back across the starting line we crossed Edgington Rd. and then into the Sisters Middle School parking lot. The finish line happens to be on the stadium track...on the opposite side from where you enter. Yikes, that's about 325 yards of further running and just when you thought it was over! To get there, you have to run past the BBQs and food tables spread with delectable nourishment, the other runners who've already finished and are relaxing on the field and the the kids playing energetically with dogs. It's a real test of mental toughness, I tell ya. Thankfully, once I entered the chute and crossed the finish line I was able to start walking and cooling down. I was rewarded with a nice pair of free D-feet socks and then a tasty hamburger (or was it three?). There was a masseuse providing free services too. While I was taking a cold shower apparently Sean conducted a random prize drawing that well received. At that point, it was time for me to get back on the road for the long drive home.

Big kudos go to Sean for putting on a wonderful race with such a great atmosphere. I had heard that his race was a real winner and wasn't disappointed. Everyone was super friendly, from the runners to the race coordinators to the helpful volunteers at the aid stations. Having the option of using the showers at the Middle School after a long run proved to be a stroke of genius. Most importantly the course is a nice early season tune-up (not too steep or flat or dusty, you get the picture). I'll definitely be adding this one to my annual race list. It was totally memorable and really fun. Woohoo!

The Bend Bulletin wrote a nice article about this year's race. Check it out.