2012 S.O.F.A Manana

 Tomorrow, Saturday the 21st trail runners will rejoice on the lower Rogue River Trail south of Graves Creek for the annual Southern Oregon Fat A$$.  Now it is customary that this event be detailed as a 50k trail run but the beauty of the RRT is that anyone can run the out and back as far as their heart or rather feet and legs desire.  

From the FB event page;

The plan is to leave Graves creek about 9AM on Saturday, January 21st and run out-n-
back for a total of about 50k. Remember, out-n-back means you can cut
it short or make it long. Invite anyone you think might want to join us. I hope to see you there!

This is a self-supported run so carry what you’ll need. We cross countless streams, but partake at your own risk. Do I need to mention rain and poison oak?

The SOFA started out as a way to celebrate birthdays, but anymore, it’s a way to spend time on a beautiful trail with great people.

From the north, take the Wolf Creek exit #76 to the Graves Creek
trailhead. I think it's about 9 more miles.

From the South, take the Merlin exit #61 and do the same. You'll go
about 20 more miles to the trailhead.




Can't wait to see all of you out there, rain or shine!  

Here's our post from '10.   

Southern Oregon Screening of Unbreakable

I know many of you have been asking just when will Southern Oregonians get a chance to watch the newly released "Unbreakable, The Western States 100" on the big screen amongst your fellow trail ultra running cohorts.   Ask no more, because the date is set.    

AWTA will be hosting the event on February 10. Two showings, 6pm and 8pm in the Meese Auditorium at SOU. $10 gets you the movie and an SOB Draft Beer courtesy of Tom Hammond, our friend at SOB! 

You'll need to show some ID for the beer if nature has been good to you. Tickets to the movie will be available to purchase at Rogue Valley Runners starting Wednesday. We'd suggest you purchase early since seating is limited.

There will be a Q & A after each showing with one of the featured runners, where you can ask him, among many other things, why he is wearing what he is wearing in the picture above.    

Don't forget, This is a fundraiser for the Ashland Watershed Trails Plan and it'll be a really good time.  And I mean even if you've seen it once another viewing reminds you of the good ideas you forgot, to notice those ideas you somehow missed the first time, gives you another perspective, and ultimately helps you to APPLY those ideas.    

Pine to Palm Registration Now Open

Registration for the 2012 Pine to Palm 100 Mile Endurance Run is officially open.  We only have 300 spots, so you'd better start thinking about it now!

For those of you that missed the announcement that the race will serve as the only 100 miler in the Oregon Trail Series please check it out below.

Pine To Palm 100 Mile Endurance Run has been added to the 2012 OTS schedule.  With the earlier announcement of the addition of Flagline 50K, there are nine races in the series for 2012.  In its third year, Hal Koerner’s Pine to Palm 100 Mile Endurance Run (P2P) is Oregon’s only 100 miler.

P2P is a remote and rugged classic point to point course traversing the Siskiyou Mountain Range in Southern Oregon. Starting in Williams, OR, the course winds its way east to Ashland, OR on a mixture of single track trail, dirt road, with less than four miles of pavement. The course boasts over 20,000 ft of climb and 20,000 ft of loss with three epic climbs to 7,000 ft and fantastic views of Mt Shasta and Mt McLaughlin.  A point to point 100 miler is a tall order to organize and execute, and the OTS RD’s along with the Rogue Valley community, are fully behind Hal and his race.  We hope you are too. Changes to the course are likely but more single track needs to be built in order for this to happen.  If all goes according to the master plan, many of the gravel road sections will be replaced by single track on the PCT in time for the 2012 race.  Stay tuned for details.  Registration opens on Jan 1 at UltraSignup.


Additionally, we will be moving forward with our initiative to include 20 plus additional miles of single-track to this years event.  We will be offering training/trail work weekends during the month of August as well.  Please check bag on this blog for more updates on all the offering.  

Happy New Year everyone!  

Pole Postition

 
Over the years our End of the Year/Holiday Party has taken us some amazing places. It has also involved a number of equally unique individuals, all of whom have made RVR a special place we like to call, "work." 

Looking back, we've hit the bowling alley only to realize that most of us can't even bowl our own weight.  With the addition of Timothy Olson,  a Wisconsin native, our team score has improved substantially as he informed us bowling was a school sport back home. 

We then ran circles at the indoor go -kart track a couple years back only to watch as our stable business carried on where, I guess, indoor go karts in a motor-centric town like Medford couldn't.   What I'm trying to say is they went out of business.   If squint your eyes it almost looks like any 5k in the valley.   

Last year we hosted our own dodge ball party and shrunk the court about two hundred percent adding injury to insult.  Yeah that's right, injury to insult.  I will say however the dodge balls we picked up were top notch, and made out of real rhino skin, so you know they're good. 

2011 seemed to have us stymied until we decided to call on an inner passion that had lain dormant all these years. It was right under our nose all along and fit in with the bosses open door policy.  Something he so sorely needs to work on for 2012.

In pictures, here is a taste of what you're allowed to see.

Complete with bibs and technical socks!

There's a reason the ladies don't wear jeans.

Wicked dance moves.

Yes, Leland did arrive with those shorts!

Graceful Jeff

Not the first time we've looked this worn out.

Big thanks to the gals at The Pole Dance Fitness.   Happy Holidays Y'all!

RVR inagural USATF XC Club Championships

This past weekend, Rogue Valley Runners fielded it's first open women's team for the 2011 USATF Club XC Championships.

The USATF National Club Cross Country Championships featured top clubs from across the United States, More than 100 clubs and 1,100 competitors vied for honor and bragging rights at Jefferson Park Golf Course in the Emerald City, Seattle. 

Mercy and Bree Ray, Tara Crempley, Maggie Donovan, Victoria Mayfield and Jenn Shelton ran the 6km grass course finishing just outside the leaders but closer to the port o potties.  In all seriousness, the team traveled some 500 miles to compete in one of the most competitive open fields in the country and represented the valley proper.  

Mercy hangs tough with a, perennial favorite, Club Northwest runner

Tara Crempley placed second for the team with a fast 23:08

A few gentlemen also represented Southern Oregon, Bob Julian Jr and Matt Thomas ran for prestigious, Bowerman Athletic Club in the Master's Men category and in Matt's words,

"My club, Bowerman Athletic Club, ran A and B teams. Our A team finished fourth, missing 3rd by 1 point. Had they tied for 3rd they would have won the tie breaker. In fact if you scored six deep or seven deep or eight deep BAC would have finished 2nd place. Our B team, for which I ran in the fourth position, finished 10th overall out of 21 teams which shows the depth of the BAC mend 40+ team."

Matt charges to a 36:43 on the 10k course!

The Coach in action.

Full results can be found here.

NXN

For those of you that caught the NCAA XC Championships this morning then you know what it takes for those young men and women to compete at such a high level.   The majority of the men's field finished under 31 minutes for a 10k and the women ran 20 minutes for 6k.

But before any of them ever though of racing at nationals they busted it out at events like the NXN regional in Boise during their formative years.  

Their website describes the competition as, eight regional championships qualify both teams and individuals into one race for all the marbles over the whoop-dee-doos and hay bales at Portland Meadows.  But everyone now knows that it rivals the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships as the de facto HS race in the country. 

As couple of  South Medford runners headed to the meet under the auspices of the Panther Track Club to garner some valuable racing and came out with some great times.   

Camden Stemple ran 17:40 a week after qualifying for the state meet in Eugene and only a couple hours prior to that the family was heading an aid station at Lithia Loop.  Lela Stemple also got to battle it out with a 20:57 in this super competitive field and gained some invaluable experience that will certainly pay off in the years to come, I just know it.   

I commend both of these young runners for their determination and effort.  It seems like yesterday that they walked into the store, no more than 5 feet in stature, grinning from their Friday runs up and around the trails in Ashland. 

Results and a few Pics are Up!

Well you'll be able tell from the pics below that the event was not an easy one despite the ridiculously fast times up front.

Max King breaks his own course record by almost 10 minutes and Megun Lund Lizotte comes up just short on the women's side.   Check everything  here.

Mile 13, Max seconds in front of Ryan Bak  

Eric Poole feeling optimistic

Erik hangs with John Tribbia over the top.

The Stacies!  Not like in training eh ladies? 

It would get better.  

Perhaps a look of indecision from Karl Pryor.

Clayton, Jen and Annie pause to fuel the furnace. 

More snowy scene from mile 15.7