The Beach of Clams

Although we had heard stories of dreary weather descending upon runners in 2008, a large band of Rogue Valley Runners traveled west to the Northern California Coast to test their luck at the Trinidad to Clam Beach Run. The race began in the 60s in Humboldt County, CA as a 8.75 mile winter training race for track and field athletes attending Humboldt State University and continues today alluring over a thousand participants between the 3 races (3 mile, 5 3/4 mile, 8 3/4 mile).

At high noon, runners began scampering along the windy, undulating paved roads on their way to Clam Beach. At mile 3 the race enters the smallest incorporated city in California, Trinidad, and begets beautiful views of the misty and rugged coastline. From there, the course weaves down to the beach where race volunteers help runners cross the Little River. At last, after 2 brutal miles of sand and beach, runners find their way to a festive finish.

In the 5 and 3/4 mile Todd Ragsdale and Joe Griffin finished one two with respective times of 34:22 and 34:27. They were hagled mercilessly at the finish for not competing in the 8 and 3/4 mile race, but Todd laughed all the way home with his $25 earnings for the victory.



The bulk of the Rogue Valley residents were entered in the 8 and 3/4 miler with students representing both Crater and Ashland High. It was a fierce battle all day and when the fog cleared Bob Julian had claimed top RVR resident with a 5th place finish and a time of 49:18. Hal Koerner finished one place back in 49:58 and Ryland Karlovich from AHS follow in the top ten with a 50:04 showing. RVR teammate John Leuthold worked hard for his 11th place finish in 51:36 and placed 2nd in the Masters division behind the aforementioned Bob Julian. On the ladies side, another AHS runner, Seena Frantz finished with a solid 4th place 59:53 and Carly Varner bolted across the beach to finish in 1:09:45.



Hal tries to real in Bob.





The Crater girls ford the not so mighty Little River.



We thought we'd better preserve the wonderful weather.

The Rogue Valley Runners 2009 Race Schedule: Tar N' Trail, Pompadour Half Marathon, and the Lithia Loop Trail Marathon

Here are they are! Three great races in 2009 brought to you by Rogue Valley Runners.

The first race of 2009 is the Second Annual Tar N' Trail 6 Mile Run. Race day is March 14th at 9am near The Plaza in downtown Ashland, Oregon (same place as last year). The course is the same as well.

Entries for the TNT can be picked up at RVR or printed from the image below and mailed to Rogue Valley Runners.


The second race of 2009 is the Pompadour Half Marathon. Don't let your Pear Blossom training go to waste!

Recover from Pear and a month later (May 30th at North Mountain Park) try your skills along the roads on Ashland's east side. We'll have entries available as soon as we get our final approval letters. Here's a preview of the course.


The third race of 2009 will be the setting for the 2009 and 2010 USA Track and Field National Trail Marathon Championships.

The Second Annual Lithia Loop Trail Marathon will take place on November 7th. Interested runners can register now at Active.com.
The course will stay the same, except for some added single track in the second half of the race (just before the White Rabbit Aid Station) in order to get you a better taste of the dirt.


We hope to see you there!

S.O.F.A. and Recent Marathons

SOFA 50 KILOMETER TRAIL RUN
The Group assembled at the start of the SOFA 50 Kilometer Trail Run.

Looking down the Wild and Scenic Rogue River from Graves Creek.

This year's Southern Oregon Fat Ass (SOFA) 50 Kilometer Trail Run was marked by beautiful weather and a myriad of "bonks." The annual gathering of runners, orchestrated by unofficial race director Tim Turk, along the Wild and Scenic Rogue River took place this past weekend. The after-holdiay tradition started at the Graves Creek Trailhead then traversed the Lower Rogue River Trail through the gorge for fifteen miles and returned the same way. Twenty-eight runners showed up to participate. Runners from the Rogue Valley and as far away as Eugene took part in this non-race event. Some of the runners included:

Erik Skaggs, Hal Koerner, Dan Olmstead, Todd Braje, Kurt Eisele, Eric Poole, John Price, Darcy Kleiman, Chris Rennaker, Tim Olson, Aaron Brian, Lewis Taylor, Meghan Arbogast, Craig Thornley, Nathan Blaine, Ken Ward, Dennis Gamroth, Chip Collins, Annie Crispino-Taylor, John Liebeskind, Mel Bailey, Sander Nelson, Tim Turk, Ben Benjamin, Kyle Skaggs

"The Train" of runners heads out from Graves Creek and a good day of running.

REDDING MARATHON
The setting for the Redding Marathon.
Two weeks ago several runners from the Rogue Valley traveled south for the Redding Marathon. We'd like to acknowledge their hard work and finishes.

2 JC Callans 41 M Eagle Point 02:54:45
26 Becky Hacker 38 F Ashland 03:26:40
41 Robert S. Hodge 48 M Grants Pass 03:40:33
42 Vic Harris 51 M Grants Pass 03:40:33
48 Tom Bell 39 M Medford 03:47:54
55 Aaron Ramirez 31 M Medford 03:53:36
63 Jim Fety 59 M Rogue River 04:01:39
67 Michael Sotos 33 M Ashland 04:05:25
89 Jeffery Proulx 40 M Ashland 04:26:39
107 Steve Lorenz 45 M Medford 04:43:34
135 Israel Mathewson 35 M Talent 05:17:55

MIAMI MARATHON
Meanwhile, across the country, on the opposite coast, Ashland resident Karolina Wyszynska wins the award for traveling the furthest this month for a marathon. She completed the Miami Marathon in 4:19:42.

Ashland Ultrarunning Stars Make Print

Rogue Valley Runner and New Balance sponsored Kyle Skaggs was voted second in the "2008 Ultrarunner of the Year" voting.

The Rogue Valley's MailTribune covered the recent Ultrarunner of the Year voting. They interviewed the five Ashland'ers who garnered votes; Kyle and Erik Skaggs, Hal Koerner, Jenn Shelton and Tony Krupicka. To read the full article click here.

S.O.F.A

Come out and enjoy the SOFA.

It just so happens that a lot of Oregon ultrarunners celebrate birthdays on the same weekend. Tim Turk, Craig Thornley, Jeff Riley, Marcus Mayfield, Clayton Gillette and Hal Koerner are all celebrating on the same weekend. The plan is to run the Wild and Scenic Rogue River trail. We'll leave Graves Creek about 9AM on Saturday, January 24th and run out-n-back for a total of 50k. Remember, out-n-back means you can cut it short or make it long. Last year we had a record turnout as well as record times! I hope to see you there! We'll have hot soup at the finish courtesy of the SOBs.

This is a self-supported run that crosses countless streams that many of us have drunk from for years without incident. Do I need to mention rain, after all this is Oregon, right? Oh yeah, poison oak, and dead bears too.

From the north, take the Wolf Creek exit #76 to the Graves Creek trailhead.

From the South, take the Merlin exit #61 and do the same.

Give me a call or email if you have questions,

Tim Turk
541-264-0262
ultrarunning@gmail.com

The Frostbite Returns!

The typical dense, freezing fog that hangs low in the valleys this time of year in southern Oregon gave runners a perfectly timed reprieve. A cold, but sunny morning greeted the entrants of this year's Frostbite Returns 10K and 5K races. The courses, that run on the rural roads on the outskirts of Talent, OR, are far from forgiving. Only the first mile (and last) of the out and back routes can be construed as flat. The bulk of the ten kilometer course undulates like the ocean in a tempest; leaving most runners gasping for the frozen air that surrounds them.
J.J. Moses (in yellow) strides across the last quarter mile, catching air as he goes, to win the 10K.

In the men's 10K race, J.J. Moses took the lead from the start and never looked back. J.J. galloped away from both the nearest 10K and 5K runners with ease winning in 34:15. Elliot Jantzer ran with the chase group until the turnaround and then blazed back to finish second overall in 36:04. A tight trio of runners followed suit consisting of Eric Poole, Chris Rennaker and Ian Torrence. At the finish line Rennaker and Torrence fought, with teeth gnashing, for a third place tie in 37:40. Poole finished fifth three seconds behind. Jeremy Eisen was sixth in 38:52 and Joe Griffin brought in seventh in 39:40.

In the women's 10K race Dorsey Dobry was crowned the ladies' winner in 42:18. Maggie Donovan followed in 43:37. Laura Raber was third woman in the 10K, across in 53:59. Kierra Huggins finished fourth in 44:28.

Battling a head cold, John Leuthold started conservatively and worked his way through the pack to win the 5K race in 18:18. With this being John's first win of 2009; inquiring minds want to know if he will continue on to break his "ten wins in a year streak?" Guy Hawkason ran hard to stay in stride with Leuthold. Guy finished second in 18:20. Todd Ragsdale, returning to the racing circuit since injuring his knee in November, took third in 18:23.
John Leuthold (5K winner), Todd Raggsdale and Chris Redfeldt celebrate after a well run 5K.

In the women's 5K, Suzanne Ray took the win in 21:12. Jane Podolski finished second in 22:17. Melanie Neilitz rounded out the top three in 22:59. A special kudos to RVR Thursday Night Ladies Group Run leader Maria Clementi who finished the 5K in 23:39.

Congratulations to race director Krista Peterson for a job well done and to the rest of the Southern Oregon Runners' volunteers that helped the 160+ runners cover the course. Full results will be posted here soon.
A Good Group Assembled. (Standing left to right; Torrence, Eisen, Leuthold, Moses, Scott, Lela and Camden Stemple. Kneeling l to r; Brian, Poole. Lying; Rennaker.

Ultrarunner of the Year

The results are in! The annual voting for Ultrarunner of the Year has wrapped up and half of the staff here at Rogue Valley Runners have found their way onto the lists.

Ultrarunning Magazine holds the voting at the end of each calendar year. Using a panel of twenty anonymous voters spread across North America all results from 2008 are complied, analyzed, scrutinized and voted upon. Ultrarunner of the Year and Performance of the Year are considered in both an open category and age group category (over 50).


After the votes were tallied, Rogue Valley Runner employee Kyle Skaggs found himself in the runner-up position for Ultrarunner of the Year (missing first by a mere three votes) and first in the Performance of the Year category. Kyle's win and course record at Colorado's Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run pushed him to the top in both categories.


New store employee Tony Krupicka found himself sitting at number four in the voting for Ultrarunner of the Year. Tony's wins at Moab's Red Hot 50K (tie with Kyle), Zane Grey 50 Miler, American River 50 Miler (also received points for Performance of the Year) and Dogwood 50K (three way tie with Kyle) threw votes his way.


Rogue Valley Runners' owner Hal Koerner found himself poised at number seven for Ultrarunner of the Year. Hal's big wins at the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run and at the Dick Collins Fire Trails 50 Mile Run scored points with the judges.


Missing the top ten for Ultrarunner of the Year by one spot, RVR employee Erik Skaggs still came away with a fifth place showing in the Performance of the Year category. Erik's win and course record at the Quad Dipsea put him there.


We'd also like to congratulate fellow Ashlander and running partner, Jenn Shelton for receiving votes for both Ultrarunner of the Year and Performance of the Year on the women's side.

On a personal note, we are disappointed to see that Central Point's Neil Olsen's Where's Waldo USA Track and Field National 100 Kilometer Trail Championship win and course record was neglected by all the voters.

Check out the full results and write-up here while the other fifty percent of us here at RVR try and catch-up!

Running in the New Year

Local Rogue Valley Runners John Leuthold (Phoenix, OR) and Joe Griffin (Central Point, OR) decided that running would be a good way to see the New Year in. They traveled north to Eugene for the 2009 First Run. Both John and Joe would run their first ten kilometer road race on Wednesday night (starting just before midnight) and their second 10K race Thursday morning. Somewhere in between, we trust, they fit in a good New Year's toast.

Leuthold won the New Year's Eve 10K in 36:51. This was John's tenth race win in 2008. Griffin finished third in 39:07. The next morning, in a faster, more invigorated crowd, Leuthold, running almost a minute faster than the night before, finished third in 35:58. Griffin finished sixth in 40:30. Full results for both races can be found here. Nice work gentlemen.

Local Channel 16 News was on the scene too. See John Leuthold interviewed after his New Year's Eve win. Select the video titled "First Run of the New Year" located on the left side bar.

What RVR accomplished in 2008...

Let's start with the top 2008 accomplishments for each of Rogue Valley Runners' employees:


Ixel Sanchez, 22
3/1/08 3000 meters @ the Artie Sullivan Invite, Southern Oregon University, 1st overall in 10:56.7
3/16/08 Shamrock'n Half Marathon, Sacramento, CA, 1:29:10.3, that time qualified her for the NAIA Championships
9/28/08 XTERRA National Trail Running Championships, 21K, Bend, OR, 1:33:31, 1st in 20-24 age division


Chris Rennaker, 32
1/19/08 Southern Oregon Fat Ass (SOFA) 50K, Galice, OR, 4:56, 1st Ultra finish
9/6/08 McKenzie River 50K, McKenzie Bridge, OR, 4:08:50, 11th, 50K personal record
10/11/08 Dick Collins Fire Trails 50 Mile, Oakland, CA, 7:39:33, 6th overall, 1st 50 miler


Darcy Kleiman, 31
Take It Outside Fitness Instructor
7/12/08 Siskiyou Outback 50K, Ashland, OR, 6:02:12, her 2nd Ultra finish
11/8/08 Lithia Loop Trail Marathon, Ashland, OR, 3:53:26, marathon personal record


Kyle Skaggs, 23
5/17/08 Jemez Mountain 50 Mile Trail Race, Los Alamos, NM, 8:08:15, 1st overall
7/11/08 Hardrock 100 Mile Endurance Run, Silverton, CO, 23:23:30, 1st, course record. See the infamous finish here.
12/6/08 The North Face Challenge 50 Mile Run, San Francisco, CA, 7:02:39, 4th overall


Erik Skaggs, 26
8/7/08 Ashland Hill Climb, Ashland, OR, 1:53:01, 1st overall
7/12/08 Siskiyou Outback 50K, Ashland, OR, 2nd
11/ /08 Quad Dipsea 27 Mile Trail Race, San Francisco, CA, 3:52:16, 1st, course record. See Erik dance on the Dipsea stairs here.


Ian Torrence, 36
7/18/08 Tahoe Rim Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run, Spooner Lake, NV, 21:53:10, 4th overall
9/6/08 McKenzie River 50K, McKenzie Bridge, OR, 3:44:48, 2nd overall
11/18/08 JFK 50 Mile Run, Boonsboro, MD, 6:34:57, 8th overall


Hal Koerner, 32
1/13/08 Redding Marathon, Redding, CA, 2:35:51, 1st overall, course record
9/13/08 Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run, Wrightwood, CA, 18:29:26, 1st overall
10/11/08 Dick Collins Fire Trails 50 Mile Run, Oakland, CA, 6:43:42, 1st overall

RVR also worked together as a Team at times. Team Rogue Valley Runners had several successful apperances in 2008.


8/27/08-9/3/08 Gortex Transrockies Run, a six stage race across Colorado, Max King and Erik Skaggs put together a victory as Team Nike/Rogue Valley Runners.


9/21/08 Northwest Mountain Running Championships, a steep, six-mile course on the slopes of Mt. Hood, OR, Team RVR won the team scored event. (Kyle and Erik Skaggs, Max King, Joe Gray, Ian Torrence)


11/15/08 Rogue Valley Relay Challenge, a 100 kilometer relay race across southern Oregon, Team RVR won in 5:42:51 and set a new course record. (Erik and Kyle Skaggs, Trevor Palmer, John Leuthold, Hal Koerner)

And, yes, even we went head to head, mano y mano, and more accurately, brother against brother...check that out here.

We hope your 2008 was as fruitful as ours. Here's looking forward to 2009! Happy Holidays everyone!

Rennaker's on the Cover!

Congratulations to Rogue Valley Runners' store employee Chris Rennaker for making it onto the cover of the 2009 TrailRunner Magazine's Race Issue. The photo was taken during 2008's running of the Dick Collins' Fire Trails 50 Mile Run. Chris finished the ultra in 7:39:33 in sixth place. Inside the issue is a follow-up story on the Fire Trails race with more pictures of the race's eventual winner, Rogue Valley Runners' store owner, Hal Koerner. Pick up this issue at RVR now!

A Huge Racing Weekend

Let's start on the Northern California coast. A week after Erik Skaggs blistered the course at the Quad Dipsea, several Rogue Valley Runners returned to the scene of the crime to attack yet another course run in the same area. The North Face Challenge is a 50-mile trail race that criss-crosses the steep hills and coastline just north of San Francisco. The race sold out as the best trail/ultra runners in the world converged on the race in hopes of winning part of the $30,000 prize purse, the largest ever in US ultrarunning history.

Kyle Skaggs dances through the rocks at The North Face Challenge. (photo by Jean Pommier)

RVR owner Hal Koerner and RVR employee Kyle Skaggs, battled up front all day long. In the end Kyle would finish fourth, about a minute behind third place (just missing prize money) and thirteen minutes off the leader, Matt Carpenter of Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon fame. Kyle finished in 7:02:39, eight minutes faster than Carpenter's time last year on the same course. Hal pushed hard early and came into issues late in the race, but still finished in 7:51:44, a respectable eleventh place finish.

Ashlander Jenn Shelton paced her good friend Susannah Beck (from Eugene) for the last twenty miles of the race. Beck finished second in the women's race.

In the 50 Kilometer edition, Ashland's Carly Varner would finish a strong 33rd out of 131 finishers in 6 hours and 38 minutes.

Full North Face race results can be found here.

Just to the east of the business in Marin County another big northern California event was happening. The California International Marathon was taking place. Phoenix's John Leuthold decided to throw his hat back into the marathon arena. He did so with bravado. Clocking a 2:42:15 John ran his fastest marathon ever and came away with second in his age group.

John Leuthold,with obvious post-marathon residual suffering, poses after his marathon finish.

Full CIM results can be found here.

Across the big Pacific Ocean, Bend's Max King, who won the recent Southern Oregon Runners Turkey Trot, was also battling for prestige and prize money. Hawaii was the setting for the inaugural XTERRA Trail Running World Championships. Having won the XTERRA Trail Running National Championships earlier this year in Bend, Oregon, Max was obliged to give the world championships a shot. The 21-kilometer course climbed 3,000 feet; not a fast course. Max was able to hold a six-minute per mile pace on the rugged trails, out distance second place by three minutes and win in a time of 1:18:23. Max collected $2,000 for his efforts and a great Hawaiian vacation.

Photos and results from the XTERRA event can be found here.

It's Official!

We found out this morning that Ashland, Oregon and the Lithia Loop Trail Marathon has become the setting for the 2009 and 2010 USA Track and Field National Trail Marathon Championships!

Mark your calendars now! On November 7th, 2009 we'll all be running with the best in the sport for bragging rights, a gold medal and a chance for prize money. Stay tuned for more information on the entry process and race details.

Erik Skaggs Settles a Score

Sometimes winning is just not enough.

After winning the 2007 edition of the Quad Dipsea, a 28.4-mile trail race that takes place in the Marin Headlands just north of San Francisco, Ashland, Oregon resident and Rogue Valley Runners employee Erik Skaggs still wasn't satisfied. You see, there was still one thing that bothered him: he had missed the course record by 30 seconds. Bound to rectify the situation, Erik set out in 2008 with one of his main running goals being vindication at the 2008 Quad Dipsea.

A study in effort. Skaggs lays it down.

With an impressive "stick-to-itness" that only manifests itself when you want something bad enough, Erik worked hard and focused his energies. Low and behold his work paid off! Erik not only became a repeat Champion at the Quad Dipsea, but he also eclipsed a course record that has stood for 16 years (held by infamous northern California runner Carl Anderson). Finishing in 3:52:16, only 13 seconds ahead of Anderson's record, Erik has cemented himself in the annals of ultrarunning history. The second place runner finished 23 minutes behind him!

Cresting one of the many climbs on the Quad Dipsea course.

Erik Skaggs passing through an aid station.

Ashlander Jenn Shelton also started the 2008 Quad Dipsea. Jenn dropped at the half way mark, while in the lead. Why? She was heard mumbling something like, "There was no way I was going to turn around and run up those darn steps again!"

Jenn Shelton found that half of the Quad Dipsea was good enough this day.

More photos can be found here. A short article can be found at the Marin Independent Journal.

2008 Oregon Mountain Running Series Wrap-Up

The final scoring for the 2008 La Sportiva/USA Track and Field Oregon Mountain Running Series have been tallied. The series revolved around four mountain running races in the state of Oregon; two of which took place in southern Oregon. The races were as follows (including race's date, distance and number of total finishers):

Applegate Lake, the setting for the Granite Man Mtn. Run.
June 7 - Granite Man Mountain Run - 10 miles (75 finishers)

Mount Ashland, from Ashland, OR.
August 2 - Mt. Ashland Hillclimb Run - 13 miles (178 finishers)

Mount Bachelor
August 30 - Sunrise to Summit - 3 miles (138 finishers)

Mt. Hood
September 21 - NW Mountain Running Championships - 6 miles (71 finishers)

Runners scored points based on their time as a percentage of the winner's overall time. The runners' top three times were used in calculating their overall points (300 points being the maximum score). In order to be eligible for the scoring runners had to be a registered member of USA Track and Field.

Here's a list of the series top runners from 2008. Look closely, you may recognize some southern Oregon runners.

Name ------ Age --- Age Group - Sex - TOTAL POINTS
Richard Bolt 38 0 - 39 (Open) M 289.51 (4 races)
Ian Torrence 35 0 - 39 (Open) M 275.71 (4 races)
Lisa Nye 39 0 - 39 (Open) F 170.14 (2 races)
Aaron Coe 25 0 - 39 (Open) M 169.31 (2 races)
Joe Gray 24 0 - 39 (Open) M 100.00 (1 race)
Max King 28 0 - 39 (Open) M 99.92 (1 race)
Tyler Walsh 18 0 - 39 (Open) M 90.79 (1 race)
Hal Koerner 32 0 - 39 (Open) M 89.71 (1 race)
Scott Jurek 34 0 - 39 (Open) M 89.47 (1 race)
Bob Jullian 40 40 - 49 M 88.79 (1 race)
Torrey Lindbo 35 0 - 39 (Open) M 81.96 (1 race)
Dean Giblin 43 40 - 49 M 80.05 (1 race)
David Jordan 40 40 - 49 M 79.20 (1 race)

Head over to Richard Bolt's USATF Mountain, Ultra & Trail Blog for more information on the 2008 series and for what's to come in 2009.

Rogue Valley Challenge

This past weekend a hardy crew of Rogue Valley Runners hit the roads for the Rogue Valley Challenge. The "Challenge" is essentially a 100K relay event that tours some of the beautiful back roads found in the Rogue Valley. The RVR team was comprised of five individuals (Trevor Palmer, John Leuthold, Hal Koerner, and the brothers Skaggs) who each ran four legs ranging in distance from 2.4 to 4.1 miles. Team RVR managed to finish in 5:42.51 establishing a solid standard for the new 100K course. Full results can be found at the Southern Oregon Runners website and additional photos shot by Andy Atkinson can be found here.

Javelina Jundred 100 Mile Trail Run

Not all stories end up the way you wish them to, but you learn from them and try again.

Talent's Todd Ragsdale and Central Point's Neil Olsen stepped into a realm of running that they had never experienced before. The two travelled to the desert southwest for the Javelina Jundred 100 Mile Trail Run. Set in the mountains northeast of Phoenix, Arizona, the course rolls along a path that passes through classic Sonoran Desert environs. Saguaro cactus, cholla, prickly pear and mesquite trees surround the runners as they wind their way around the multiple loop course. Todd and Neil both battled knee issues and mid-80 degree heat all day. Neither completed the 100 mile distance, but did, however, finish the 100 kilometer run. They came away with lessons learned and hard taught memories. They will, no doubt, be back soon to try the 100-mile distance once again.

Todd Ragsdale, dressed-up for the 100-miler's Halloween motif.

Neil Olsen, running in the desert's morning light.