Trail work

Just over a week ago the Chuckanut 50k trails were littered with downed trees.  On the $2 Trail alone there were 5 trees that stopped me in my tracks to climb over and get going again.  As of Saturday the trails are cleared/passable.  There was a huge tree down on the South Lost Lake trail that Cascade Mountain Runners Dan and Kevin were able to limb and clear to make passable.  The Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition made short order of the trails on the ridge.  Washington Trail Association were out in force March 8 and Larrabee State park organized crews to clear $2 and Chinscraper (aka Black Diamond).  Incredible like-minded people working to keep the trails usable for all.

The ridge is slippery and technical as always, but the trees are clear reducing your number of obstacles.  Fingers crossed for zero winds this week.

Huge Thanks to all of the hands that rallied to clear Chuckanut Mountain of the downfallen trees.  Chuckanut 50k runners are ever thankful.

South Lost Lake Trail Before

South Lost Lake Trail after

USAT&F members can win $$$

Following is the prize money list for the Western WA USATF members who place at the Chuckanut 50k.

Western Washginton USAT&F would like to encourage memberships, noting that the main benefit for most runners is the amazing sport accident insurance!

You must be a registered USAT&F member BEFORE the start of the Chuckanut 50k to earn the following prize money.

REGISTER HERE

Open Men and Women

1st  $200

2nd  $150

3rd  $125

Masters Men and Women 

1st  $150

2nd  $125

3rd  $100

Pre-RACE… packet pickup, Film Fest

We are looking forward to the gathering of Chuckanut 50k runners, volunteers and spectators in just one weeks time!  All race details can be found on our DETAILS page… following are a few of the highlights.

Friday March 14: Packet Pickup will be hosted at the Chrysalis Inn in their Kulshan room.  You can pick up your bib numbers and visit with our Sponsors and Supporters starting at 5pm.  We will be there till 8pm.

If you would like to collect your bib and shirt (if ordered) earlier in the week please stop by Fairhaven Runners.  Bibs will be available for pickup there Tuesday March 11, 10am thru Friday March 14, at 3pm.  Sponsor goodies will only be available at the Chrysalis Inn packet pickup and at the finish line.

Also on Friday March 14 for your evening entertainment Rainshadow Running is putting on The Trail Running Film Festival.

Fairhaven is one of my favorite little towns in all of my travels and the local businesses are amazing in their support of the Chuckanut 50k.  Be sure to take some time to explore this great little downtown and community!

Saturday March 15: Packet Pickup will be available at Start line near the corner of 6th & Harris from 6:30-7:45am.  RACE START is 8AM.

All runners must CHECK-IN on race morning regardless of when/where you picked up your BIB #.

Come Prepared… Packing List

The Pacific NW continues to challenge Chuckanut 50k runners & volunteers with its varying weather.  It is part of the mystic of this event and really what makes for the best race stories in the weeks and months following.  We would like to encourage everyone to come prepared for all weather and created the following list to help you with your race day packing.

Weather:

The current forecast for Saturday March 15 predicts a high of 52degrees with a 20% chance of rain.  Friday has a 40% chance of rain and Sunday is 70%.  The ridge is always a bit cooler and exposed to wind.  Running with a light jacket is highly recommenWhether you are from the PNW or not, everyone knows that the weather is fickle and is not dependable.  Please come prepared for all conditions.

Please bring:

Your race bib#.  DO NOT FORGET TO CHECK IN RACE MORNING!

Bowls, Mugs and Spoons

UltraCup or waterbottle or hydration pack

Post race warm, dry clothes: Beanie, gloves, rain jacket, down jacket, fleece layer, pants, socks, water proof shoes or warm boots

Nice extras: wet wipes, favorite post run snacks

We will have:

First Endurance Ultragen Recovery mix - bring a water bottle to mix

Hot Soup from the BookFare Cafe

Bread from Great Harvest (some Gluten Free options)

Coffee from Tony's Coffee

Water, cola and typical aid station fare

Post Race Festivities & Prizes

At the Finish Line we will celebrate your finish and host an awards ceremony for age group and overall winners.  Thanks to our Sponsors and Supporters we have a $4500 prize purse, an amazing list of prizes and random giveaways so please stick around.  

Collect your cash! - Our Prize Purse and awards are a great start to the racing season.  Be sure to collect yours before leaving!

You must pick up your prizes at the finish line.  We will not mail prizes this year.

The race course closes at 4pm.  Following clean up, the race staff looks forward to joining everyone at Boundary Bay Brewery.  This is a non-hosted gathering and a great opportunity to get our of the weather, enjoy good food, beer and stories from the day.

Finish Line Massage

Theron Eirish will once again set up at the finish line to aid in your speedy recovery.  This is a donation based service and I hope each of you will recognize the value of post race massage.  If you do find yourself on the table, plan to tip this team generously.

Inspiration

It's all around us.  I tend to find mine in people.  Too recently one of the more inspiring people in my life passed away in a climbing accident in the mountains.  It is possible that many Chuckanut 50k runners know Chad Kellogg.  Much more known in the climbing world, his only race result on UltraSignUp.com is the 2011 Chuckanut 50k.  He loved to run, loved to push himself and loved to find more each time he went to the mountains.  A humble being that was also one of the most motivated, driven and enduring people I have known.  He made unreal sacrifices to spend the most time possible training for and being in the mountains.  This man lived it and loved it.

His life was celebrated on Saturday and I am extremely thankful I was able to be there to celebrate his life with such an amazing group of climbers, friends and family.  Funerals are for the living and super helpful in the healing process and trying to understand each for themselves the loss of a close friend.

I want to continue to celebrate Chad.  Such that Chuckanut is the focus of most of my energy these days I think that the runners of the Chuckanut 50k can make a positive impact by donating to the climbing fund established to inspire others to get out and enjoy the mountains as he did.

The American Alpine Club makes it easy with the contribution page on their website.  https://americanalpineclub.org/donate/contribution  

Additionally, Runner Girl Races, LLC will match any donations made on race weekend up to $500, (maybe $1000 if I can swing it) but I hope we can blow that number out of the water.  There will be a bucket for your contributions... $1, $20, or whatever change you have in your car's ash tray think about helping me channel some energy to this great memory.

The Trail Running Film Festival presented by Rainshadow Running

www.trailfilmfest.com

An evening of the latest and greatest full length and short films showcasing the challenges, beauty and community inherent in the world of trail running. From world class filmmakers to the best works made by weekend warriors The Trail Running Film Festival takes the audience on a virtual run through forests, up mountains, beyond emotional obstacles and across the finish line. With live music from The Pine Hearts it's a night filled with friends and fun.

Coming to Bellingham's Mt Baker Theatre on Friday March 14th!   
BUY TICKETS HERE: http://www.trailfilmfest.com/p/buy-tickets_24.html 
FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/events/235066919997782/

Sponsored by 
Bellingham Trail Running Series http://www.bellinghamtrail.com 

Chuckanut 50k http://chuckanut50krace.com/

Trail Run Crazy: http://www.trailruncrazy.com/
 

Two and half hours of fun and inspiring trail running films and videos of various lengths and on a variety of subjects. And The Pine Hearts will be performing before, during the intermission and afterwards so plan on arriving early and staying after the films to make a whole night of it and hang out with your running buddies and make new friends! There will be beer and other concessions for sale. The doors will open at 5pm and the first film starts 6pm. There will be approximately a 30 minute intermission and the last film will end around 9pm. Afterwards the Pine Hearts will either keep the party going!

The Lineup of Films for the 2014 Northwest Tour
2013 Rainshadow Running Highlights Video 

2014 Orcas Island Race Video
Never Before Seen Footage from the Upcoming Barkley Film
The Dipsea Documentary
Finding Traction Extended Trailer
Roll Out! 
Running the Edge: The Colorado Trail

Full descriptions of the films/videos can be found on the fest's website: www.trailfilmfest.com

Help spread the word!!!
This being a brand new project, Rainshadow Running www.rainshadowrunning.com would love your help in getting the word out.  
"Like" the film fest on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Trail-Running-Film-Fest/181708985366138  
Follow on Twitter: @trailrunfilm  
And you can always forward this message to all your buddies. 

Zero Waste is the Goal

Trail running is awesome for its simplicity.  The goal of the Chuckanut 50k is to create a great atmosphere for runners while capturing the essence of why we spend time in the mountains.  For me, it is the ability to be self-sustained and under the power of my own two feet to arrive at some of the most beautiful places on earth.  Lucky Us!

We put together the necessary bits to create a supported race atmosphere yet are constantly working against consumptive routines the best we can.  To continue our efforts started in 2013, we look forward to providing hot soup from The Book Fare Cafe, bread from Great Harvest and coffee from Tony's Coffee.  The altered bit?  

In your own bowls and mugs.

Please remember to bring a mug, spoon and bowl to enjoy the post race eats!

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.