In order to help inform those running this event and, perhaps, entice others to join in the fun here is a course description and teaser!
P2P100 Course Beta - Miles 0 to 31:
Your pre-race meeting setting, campground for the night and the start of the P2P100: The Williams, OR Grange.
Not even a mile in, runners will pass by the Williams Country Store and Fire Station (on the other side of the street) on East Fork Road.
After three miles on East Fork Rd and another three miles on BLM's Rock Creek Rd runners are finally presented with their first single track and steeper trail tread. A look at the typical climb up Grayback Mountain (named after what a tick looks like after it has eaten).
Farther up the slopes of Grayback/Sugarloaf Mountains. Looking back down towards Williams and the start line.
The top of the first climb, mile 14 on the course. The top of Sugarloaf Mountain, the shoulder of it's larger neighbor Grayback.
Windy Gap, mile 14.5.
Trail sign at the intersection with the O'Brien Creek Trail. Mile 15.
Looking down into the O'Brien drainage. Runners will descend down through here.
The headwaters of O'Brien Creek. Mile 16.
Boardwalk on the Lower O'Brien Creek Trail. Mile 18.
Rural Carberry Creek Road. Descending towards Applegate Lake. Mile 24.
Seattle Bar. Mile 31. First Crew Access Point. Along the shores of Applegate Lake and the Applegate River.
Read this account by Eugene, Oregon's Lewis Taylor after his scouting run along this portion of trail.
Trail Work on Lower O'Brien Creek Trail:
We're doing our best to rid the downfall and brush from the trails!
Before
After
What trail?
Oh, there it is!!!
P2P100 Course Beta - Miles 83 to 102:
Wagner Gap Aid Station location. Mile 83.
Mile 85. Where we leave Forest Service Rd 22 and start up the Wagner Butte Trail. Today's crew (l to r) Shahid Ali (P2P entrant), Aaron Brian (pacer for Tim Olson), Tim Olson (P2P entrant) & Josh Brimhall (P2P shuttle driver and possible P2P pacer)
Typical running on the lower Wagner Butte Trail.
The Sheep Creek Slide. A natural landslide that occurred in 1983. Mile 86.
Working up through the switch-backs. Mile 88.
Looking across the Siskiyou Crest of southern Oregon from Wagner's slopes.
Looking down at Ashland and the finish from the top of Wagner Butte. Clouds were coming in this day! Mile 89.5.
Descending on the out-and-back from Wagner. Just awesome!!!
Descending on the Wagner Glade Trail. It's steeper than it looks!
The Glades for which the trail is named.
Running under the big trees! Almost to the 2060 Rd Aid Station. Mile 93.5.
Running on the 2060 Road (part of the Lithia Loop Trail Marathon course in reverse for four and half miles) towards Hitt Rd. Great, smooth downhill running!
Running down Hitt Road.
Ashland, Oregon as seen from Hitt Road.
Your last mile is on pavement. Steep, steep, quad-jarring pavement. But we still love you!
Mile 102. Pioneer Hall. Your Finish Line in Lithia Park. Your buckle awaits!
What about miles 32 to 82? Those are coming! Stay tuned in a week or so.
In the meantime read Stephan Willow's (P2P entrant) Scouting Report for the entire course.
12 comments:
Nice work on the trails, Ian! You have already taken care of the biggest needs. The rest is all downhill from here! Clyde
Looks amazing Ian, can't wait.
Wow, thanks to all of your "pruning," the trail looks like a freeway now. Great beta and photos. Looks like a challenging course.
Nice pics. Nice write up. Nice work amigo.
skaggs
it's so sunny, is this heaven Ian?
hk
All that beautiful environment just keeps me motivated for my runs. One day, I'll get my body to the point that it can handle mileage. Not yet, but soon.
p.s. I hope you had someone that knows how to use that chainsaw *grin*
is it mandatory not to wear a shirt for this run? ;o)
thanks for the report
It looks...fun?
It looks like a fun course. Cant wait to get out there.
One concern I have though is that 2 different people have emailed me telling that the course probably will not be well marked. Having never been to Oregon (outside Portland Airport) and coming out solo (no pacer or crew) this worries me a bit.
I want to have a horrible finishing time because I suck and not because I wandered around Oregon for a few days lost. =)
Thanks for posting these! Makes my brain wrap around the course a little more easily.
Thanks for all you put in to this! Regarding Evan's comment- there are very remote sections on infrequently traveled single-track and forest service roads. I'd never seen 90% of the course before. But even I didn't get lost. I did prepare well- I studied the maps, read on-line course beta, etc and carried parts of the "Applegate and West Ashland Ranger District" map, which I'd recommend to anyone. The flagging and glow-sticks were great, even in the dark, as long as you were looking for them.
Nicely done in the layout, by the way in the corner of the picture where the chain saw cut the tree down, was that blood, or exposed opening camera?
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