I was looking for a small event to run sometime between JFK and Bandera and was pleasantly surprised to discover that a local (and extremely active) running event management group Eclectic Edge Events was hosting a 50K with 5 (!) other shorter options at Mt. Pisgah. The course was hilly and very muddy. We ran 4 loops around the park, with 2 of the laps taking us close to the top of the hill, one nearly to the top and the last loop up and over. This was probably not quite as the hilliest 50K in Oregon, McDonald Forest, but was muddier than the muddiest 50K in Oregon, Hagg Lake 50K. My goal was to get in a long run at a good (but not race) effort. I also wanted to do a good job of nutrition and hydration. Everything went well, I won the race in 4:34 (out of maybe 20 entrants) and didn’t take too long to recover and get back into training. Pam Smith, from JFK 50mi and who will also be running the Bandera 100K with us in a week, won the women’s race. Ultras are much different to organize than road races, and I thought the folks at Eclectic Edge did a great job. The following photos from the race are from Michael Lebowitz, who did a great job of capturing the event.
