Staying Cupless...

Each year we have limited the number of disposable cups on the course by insisting that runners carry at least one water bottle over the 50k distance.  Still, to provide runners with a gulp of EFS drink, or cola we have had to have some cups on the course.  Until last year we avoided all cups.

Last year UltrAspire provided each runner a reusable cup purchased by the race.  This year I hope you will return with your cup from 2013.  If you want anything to drink outside of what you would like to put in your water bottle, then you will need to carry your own cup.

This thing is awesome!  The UltraCups are a phthalate free, BPA free and PVC free 6oz cup that racers can carry for their aid station drinking needs.  Completely foldable to stick in a small shorts pocket, and also are equipped with a loop to clip on somewhere with a carabiner or cord.  They retail at $6.00.  

If you are in need of a cup for the 2014 race, UltrAspire will sell the cups for $3 each at the pre-race packet pick up as well as check in on race morning.  

Hopefully most of you will be psyched with this option.  I assume there will be some racers unhappy with breaking the tradition of the aid station tables lined with pre-filled cups of cola and electrolyte drink, but think of the reduced waste!  If you use a disposable cup at each of our five aid stations and say half of the field also does the same thing that is 1,000 (400 field size /2 = 200 runners x 5 aid stations) cups going straight in the garbage.  Even if recycled it is still added waste.  Now each of you will have your own cup to carry not only at the Chuckanut 50k, but to every race you attend.  Start a new trend!  It is a small way, but a great step towards reducing your waste.

Speed, Endurance & Luck Prize Money

To keep things interesting Phil at the Seven Hills Running Shop has come up with some creative disbursement of the $500 cash prize he put together!  Check it out:

SPEED

$100 first man and first woman to the top of Cleator Road.  Runner must be the first to check in to the #3 aid station and runner must finish the race.  

ENDURANCE

$100 for the finisher with the most Chuckanut finishes. -- I hope everyone was honest on their entry forms!!! 

LUCK

$100 for the lucky runner that finishes 77th.

$100 for the lucky runner that finishes 177th.

RACE PRIZE to Top Male and Top Female

The Chuckanut 50k has found a sister race half way around the world - literally!  Winners of the 2014 Chuckanut 50k will receive the following for the Matroosberg Trail Challenge this October in Cape Town South Africa! 

PRIZE INCLUDES:

Transport from and to Cape Town airport,

Free entry into any race in the Matroosberg Trail Challenge,

Two nights accommodation (food and lodging) on race weekend (different location).

Two nights accommodation before or after event with a top Cape Town runner,

Additional travel and airline tickets are not included

In return the Chuckanut 50k will offer the following to 2014 Matroosberg Trail Challenge winners for the 2015 Chuckanut 50k.  

Transport from and to Seattle International Airport.

Free entry with t-shirt to the 2015 Chuckanut 50k

Two nights accommodation (food and lodging) the night before and the night after the race.

Two nights accommodation before or after event with a Seattle based runner.

Additional travel and airline tickets are not included.

Please see below for further information about the Matroosberg Trail Challenge.  Please note that airfare is not included in either prize package.

The Matroosberg Trail Challenge is a SCENIC, FUN & TOUGH event set in the Matroosberg Private Nature Reserve, two and a half hours from Cape Town, South Africa. The Matroosberg range is the second highest in the Western Cape, and offers Skyrunners an unforgettable high altitude running experience! 

Our vision is to create a festival of running and the MTC is the perfect platform to achieve that. Consisting of three trail running events, the main attraction is the 37km SkyMarathon®, which was sanctioned and hosted for the first time in 2013. It tested both elite and novice runners alike and took trail running in the Western Cape to another level. 

In order to qualify as a Skymarathon®, the race route needs to meet the International Skyrunning Federation (ISF) requirements of being between 30km and 42km and achieve an elevation gain of 2 200m on mountainous 4x4 trails and rocky single track. These criteria insure a route that has lung-burning climbs, testing terrain and incredible scenery. MTC has all this in abundance as well as meeting all official criteria.

As SASA’s second sanctioned skyrunning race, the event was Southern Africa’s first Skymarathon®, helping pioneer the way for South Africa’s first national skyrunning circuit.

The MTC route will take runners up to the 2 249m Matroosberg Peak, the second highest peak in the Western Cape. Runners will overlook the Bokkeveld, Ceres, Droë Hoek, Koue Bokkeveld, and the Ceres Karoo, with views of the Witzenberg, Cedarberg and Du Toitskloof Mountains.

October weather in the Western Cape often brings surprises, and the chance of cold weather and possibly snow could surprise some competitors.

Registered Runners can win Training Aids

Race registration opened and filled in one day!!  

Our friends at Pro-Tec Athletics are super excited about the kick off of the Chuckanut 50k and want to help ensure your healthy training to arrive in Fairhaven on March 15 raring to go!  To sign up for one of the great prizes being given away all you have to do is * click the link below * LIKE the Pro-Tec Athletics Facebook page and * enter your email address.  

Pro-Tec Athletics Giveaway

YOU CAN WIN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

Ice-Up Portable Ice Massager

HotCold Therapy Wrap

The Y Roller

Registration opens tomorrow!

Once again UltraSignUp will host the registration for the Chuckanut 50k.  Thanks to some research and updates by owner Mark Giligan UltraSignUp has added the use of 3 new servers.  This addition enables the site to manage more traffic and is key for us as it allows the Chuckanut 50k registration to return to the standard first come first serve entry.  Please recognize that this is still a new system and while we hope there are absolutely no glitches we recognize that there is a possibility.  If you have any hiccups (especially with your credit card processing) please first check with your bank and 9 times out of 10 that is the problem.  if you have other issues you can contact UltraSignUp through their Contact page.  

** Race Director note: I am in a class all day on Friday and will not be able to respond to emails until that evening.  I really appreciate you patience. **

We will register 400 runners and put the remainder on a wait list.

Registration will open at 8am PST on January 3.

In previous years at least 50 people have made it off the wait list into the race, so do not fret if you do not get one of the allotted slots.  

Thank you for your enthusiasm and support of the Chuckanut 50k.  All of our Runners and Volunteers make this race so special each year.  

We look forward to watching the registration list fill tomorrow morning!  

Chuckanut 50k 2014 Race Date!

2014 is the 22nd running of this classic trail running event.   The Chuckanut 50k race weekend is typically the 3rd weekend in March, and even though we previously announced a later date we have decided to keep it the 3rd weekend!  

Mark your calendars for March 15, 2014!

Race registration will open Friday, January 3, 2014 on UltraSignUp.com .

We will do our best to maintain the 3rd weekend in March for future events. 

Amazing Awards: Millbrook Clayworks

In the chaos of the 20th Anniversary (the 2012 race) a kind man walked up to me and asked if there was anything he could do. In a split second I took in that he was on his bike, I needed the supplement of coffee picked up from Tony's and I had my car keys in my right jacket pocket. I handed him my car keys, asked him to pick up six pump pots of coffee from Tony's on the corner of 10th and Harris, then shook his hand and introduced myself. Turns out I just met the creativity behind this year's (2013) awards. It is awesome when you meet those people that you know you can trust right off the bat.

We reconnected this past fall and started putting together the plan and order for this year's awards. I love the idea of local art and Todd's studio in Port Hadlock definitely fits the bill. His love of sport (to ride his bike to the race site and volunteer for the majority of the afternoon) told me he would be able to make something that resonated with our finishers.

I was extremely thankful with the beautiful products he delivered the day before the race and I think the age groupers and overall winners were also pleased... I hope!

Thank you Todd for your beautiful work and gift to the Chuckanut 50k.

UltraRunning Magazine article

Chuckanut 50k- RD's perspective
21st running, March 16, 2013
RD Krissy Moehl
coRD Heather Anderson

A 3:30am alarm is early no matter who you are, but on race morning for a race director it is likely you are either still up from the night before or lying there waiting to get the day started. This year it was the later for me and when the alarm went off I first listened for the pitter patter of rain outside. None. Thankful. Driving the Uhaul up I5 on race morning is the quiet headspace I look forward to in preparation for the day ahead.

Upon arrival at our new start/finish location at 6th & Harris in Fairhaven I was greeted by the lights of my parents' RV. Ma had spent the night and was already bustling about getting her kitchen ready for the runners. From the time I jump out of the Uhaul the day unfolds, twists and turns much like the trail does for the runners once we send them under way. There is a plan, a hope and intended execution, but things come up and it is how we deal with those differences that determines what the end of the day will look like. This year's new coRD Heather Anderson jumped right into the mix and rolled with the day like an old pro. We had fun getting out on the course to cheer the runners through Aid #1 and then hustling back to the finish area to get things set up. Our big initiative at the Chuckanut 50k for many years has been to reduce the amount of waste created by our event. With the help of UltrAspire's new collapsible, reusable cups each runner carried their own cup for water, cola or EFS electrolyte drink. The aid stations did not have cups lined up on the tables, instead volunteers stood at the ready with pouring pitchers.

Finish line set up was rushed along a bit as the lead guys were pushing the pace. The Radio Club was letting us know updates of where the lead runners were and my phone was full of text messages ensuring we knew their status. The awesome team of volunteers turned the soggy parking lot at 6th & Harris into a welcoming finish line. BuDu Racing in charge of the timing set up an arch to identify the spot. Patagonia, Flora Health, Fairhaven Runners, Clif Bar and Nikwax created a welcoming area right after with shelter and products to check out. This was completed by my parents' RV ready with hot soup from the local Book Fare Cafe, coffee from Tony's Cafe and bread from the Bellingham Great Harvest. Furthering our reduced waste initiative each runner was asked to bring their own mug/bowl for their coffee and soup. The plan worked well and we saw an awesome collection of people's kitchenware wandering around the finish area. We hired a 30'x30' tent to be set up providing shelter and heat, but there was still something missing. Eight bales of straw did the trick to tie the whole finish scene together and help sop up the puddles (for a bit) and block against the mud created by the rain that started just as the first finishers made their way across the line.

The runners' results this year were inspiring start to finish. The lead men pushed each other all day as the photos indicate and it was only in the final miles that David Laney pulled away from Max King and slipped under Geoff Roes's 2011 course record. Local Bellingham favorite Jodee Adams-Moore, familiar with the course and how to run it fast after chasing Ellie Greenwood last year ran out front of a strong women's field and lowered the women's record by an impressive eight minutes. (side note: 13 years ago when I first participated in the Chuckanut 50k no woman had run faster than 5 hours. Now women are creeping in on the 4 hour mark!) Thanks to the support of Patagonia, Patagonia Footwear, Flora Health, First Endurance, Clif Bar, Ultrarunning Magazine, Pro-Tec and Fairhaven Runners the Chuckanut 50k was able to give away a $4000 prize purse. Additionally USATF named this year's Chuckanut 50k the PNW Regional Championship, meaning local registered runners partook in their $1700 prize purse.

All day the parking lot continued to fill with muddy, smiling Chuckanut finishers and volunteers swarming about taking good care to keep them warm. Our incredible medical team rose to the occasion for a few underdressed, near hypo-thermic runners, and we were thankful this was the extent of their need that day.  Most of our age groupers seemed surprised with their top performances and the addition of Millbrook Clayworks clay pints were the cherished take home. Runners and volunteers both were spoiled with countless prizes of gear and product from our supportive list of sponsors and supporters.

The day wrapped up with the parking lot clearing out, tents collapsing and everyone helping. Our sweeps worked the longest hours ensuring the trails were clear of any accidental trash (surely no one would drop a wrapper intentionally!) and our determined final finishers. With everyone safely off the course and with a warm cup of soup in their bellies we picked up the final pieces and locked the gates. The Uhaul packed, ready for clean up the next day, we joined the crew at Big Fat Fish Company for stories from the day and more eats.

My BIG thanks to all of the enthusiastic people that make this event so special each year.  There is a lot of love and energy that goes into pulling together any event and I feel the energy that surrounds the Chuckanut 50k is extra special.

Course Conditions & Markings

​The race course is in great shape!  As of Sunday March 10, dry and virtually no mud.  Of course that is relative to PNW trails, but the parks department has done amazing trail improvements to help with water flow and drainage.  Rain is predicted for the next couple of days, so come prepared for anything.

Please be aware of all of the course changes for this year's race.  The Course Map is your best reference.​  

The course is marked with ORANGE ribbons, directional arrows, and the famous Doug McKeever humor signs to encourage you along the way.  There are white ribbons hung for the wrong direction.​

Thanks to my Strava app on my phone, I confirmed that this year's course is 31.5 miles.​

USATF Prize Money

It is now confirmed that the Chuckanut 50k will be the Pacific NW Regional USATF Championship race.  With that comes a prize purse from USATF.  This is in addition to the Chuckanut 50k prize purse that was announced this weekend.  

To be eligible runners must be current  Western Washington USATF members before the race starts.  PNW USATF representative Eric Sach will have signups at packet pickup Friday night and at race check in on Saturday morning.  If you are a current member then you will need to bring your USATF card to be checked off.

To be clear, this will be for only the Western WA USATF members and will be awarded separately.

Open Men and Women

1st  $200

2nd  $150

3rd  $125

Masters Men and Women 

1st  $150

2nd  $125

3rd  $100

PRIZE MONEY!!

In addition to the amazing product donations that our sponsors and supporters have made to the Chuckanut 50k year after year, this year our SPONSORS have raised the bar.  Patagonia, Udo's Oil, First Endurance, Clif Bar, Patagonia Footwear, Ultrarunning Magazine, Fairhaven Runners and Pro-Tec have each donated cash summing up to $4000!!! I'm very excited about this evolution to the event.  In 10 years of race directing the race has only requested product from sponsors.  This year it was an ask to support the prize purse and every dollar donated from the sponsors has been pooled to create this sizable purse for an early season 50k.  THANK YOU to our Sponsors for making this special addition to the race!!  This year's purse comes with an interesting twist.  The course record ($250 per gender) bonus will be pulled from the prize purse.  Sooooo, if a course record is set the subsequent prizes will be adjusted.  See below.

Prize Purse breakdown:​

AS IS

Open Men and Women

1st  $800

2nd  $400

3rd  $200

Masters Men and Women 

1st  $400

2nd $200

WITH NEW CR

Open Men and Women

1st  $750 + $250 CR Bonus = $1,000

2nd  $350

3rd  $150

Masters Men and Women 

1st  $350

​2nd $150

TOTAL $4,000

TOTAL $4,000

I realize this is a bit tricky with the new course adjustments.  Course records will be based on current fastest times for the Chuckanut 50k race (even though it is an altered course).  Times to beat: Geoff Roes 3:41:52 and Ellie Greenwood's 4:09:28.​  Also, there is no double dipping.  If a Master's win's the race that person will receive the first place open money and the next Master's runner will receive the 1st place Master's money.