Run the Rock 50M Race Recap – Smith Rock State Park – Terrebonne, OR – 11/9/19
Feature Image Photo by Trevor Lyden
The moment I stepped out of my car at Skull Hollow Campground I was overcome with the beautiful smell of desert sweet grass, and as I glanced to the east I saw the beginnings of an indescribable sunrise and knew that today was indeed going to be a good day. My journey as of late has been an interesting one, with life in a state of change and back trotting on the path to creation…like the Universe itself, we delight in creation. So this day was a simple opportunity to create an experience for myself in the heart of the Central Oregon Desert.
The Run the Rock 50M may be Northwest Desert running at it’s finest! While the PNW is largely known for its lush green forests, wet weather, and the craggy Cascade Mountains, little homage or attention is paid to just how spectacular the desert terrain just to the east of the Cascades can be. Rainshadowed by the Cascades, the PNW deserts are known for their sunshine, blue skies and amazing mountain views. And while most of the land is flat plateaus, there is evidence of ancient volcanic activity which makes for some spectacular Geology, and Smith Rock is about as spectacular as it gets.
The day started with perfect temperatures, a bit of chill in the air but the promise of abundant sunshine, blue skies and temperatures running up to 60 degrees. The best part about running in the desert is the wonderful dry air, which just seems to make breathing a dream (although it can catch you off guard and dehydrate the shit out of you…more on that later!). The race started just before sunrise so some brief headlamp running would be required. We went off at 6AM sharp. I chose to go pretty minimal on the day, only carrying 2 water bottles and a few Gu Blocks…no need for a hydration vest today.
What immediately struck me about the course was how damn buttery the trails were (not a ton of rocks) and how ABSOLUTELY AWESOME the smell of this place was. True story, the entire course smelled like sage, juniper and sweet grass and this was pretty much a slice of heaven for the entire race. The course begins with a modest climb over the first 3 miles, one of those smooth gentle climbs that lets you run but makes you work just a bit. We hit the first aid station just shy of 3 miles as we topped off the climb and it was time to open up. The next segment of the course was some rolling ridgeline running. As you wound around the rocks and hilltops you kept catching an absolutely epic sunrise to the east, and then as you looked west you could see a never ending chain of Cascade Volcanoes basking in the morning alpenglow. From south to north, you could see all the way from Mount Bachelor, the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson and finally Mount Hood all taking in the glory of the morning light. I couldn’t get enough of the views! Luckily I’d get to see them all again in the full light of day as this was a double loop 50M course.
After some solid ridgeline running, we made the only real steep downhill descent of the race coming down into Smith Rock State Park, dropping about 1,500′ in the course of 2.5 miles. The trails remained buttery and smooth and I felt light as the air and just kept dancing with nature. Around Mile 7, you hit the low spot on the course and begin to run along the Crooked River in the heart of Smith Rock State Park. Again, the smell of sage and sweet grass is spectacular as you run along the babbling river and by sheer walls of rock.
The course then rolls along the river for the next 4-5 miles and has some great sexy single track and open running where you can get some speed on. I really enjoyed this section running along the river and running by the amazing rock formations of the park.
The only real climb (which you do twice) is coming up from the river and back up to the ridgeline. It was super runnable and so I just kinda scooted up it on loop 1, hovering around 10-11 min miles which is haulin’ butt for climbing. I came through Aid 3 feeling great at Mile 17 and rolled through the next 9 miles back to the start. I came through Loop 1 in 3:55 for 26.2 miles which is pretty swell.
After 26 miles things were feeling a big more tired, so I had to throttle back on the 2nd loop, especially on the climbs which turned into power hiking. I climbed back to the next aid station 3 miles from the start of loop 2 and mowed down some tater tots and quesadilla (the tater tots were THE SHIT by the way).
So loop 2 went pretty much as loop 1, except a bit slower on the climbs. It had gotten pretty warm as the sun peaked and I was sweating quite a lot and guzzling water. I had moments of quick cramps that went away. Note to self, running in the desert definitely dries you out. I still loved the smell of sweet grass and appreciated the amazing views a 2nd time.
I ran by my lonesome most of Loop 2, no one to pass and no one to pass me. It was looking pretty sketchy if I was going break 9 hours or not. As I shuffled into the finish area I tripped on a rock and went flying. However, no fall, I managed to surge and keep moving and I made a final fast push to crack the 9 hour mark by a mere 10 seconds. Quite a nice finish for 50 miles on trails and 8th place overall. Boom!
I was supposed to run the 50k the next day…but I decided 50 miles was good enough and took Sunday to make a reasonably paced drive back home to Tacoma. I stopped and took in a lot of mountain views so that was a win (see pictures below).
Summary: this was an amazing race, with awesome views and buttery trails. I will be back.
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