A Southern Oregon Beer Mile

**Warning** Some the images below are graphic. It's advised that you do not try the following activity at home alone.

The official rules can be found on The Beer Mile website. We won't go into the specifics. All that can be said is that you drink a can of beer before each of the four laps you run. Sounds simple enough doesn't it? But as many folks found out last night, it's not easy to keep it all down. Not easy at all!

Roughly 40 folks started the August Beer Mile in Ashland, OR. Most finished. So how did folks fare? There were three unofficial, official finishers under seven minutes. Hal Koerner in 6:50.7, Todd Ragsdale in 6:55.0 and Erik Skaggs in 6:57.0. Rob Cain and Heidi Bosworth recorded the slowest, but still respectible time of 16:38. Thanks to all those who put aside their vices, egos and doubts to participate this year. Nice work eveyone! On to "some" photos...

Our Beer Mile Logo. Look for it coming to a theater near you.

Leland and Renn get their groove on pre-race. Costumes are encouraged.

Tim and Aaron pose pre-race.

The first beer is always the easiest.

Maria and Heidi drink up. A hand on the forehead was a position often assumed for this event.

The contenders down their tasty beverages.

Worse than running the event is the clean-up after all the carnage. They were ready! Thanks!

Ragsdale puts it down! Has he done this before?

More than drinking was done. Bree Ray sprints to finish her mile. Looks as if most of her beer ran down the front?

The lead pack on lap one. Are those spikes Hal?

The chase pack.

Torrence loses his on the fourth lap. Penalty lap assessed.

That'll be a penalty lap for you too, Jenn. Does anyone have a mop?

Ixel likes the foam and won the women's race (no time recorded though). Heidi still has her hand on her forehead!

Your 2009 Beer Mile Champion. Hal Koerner, 6:50.7

The Faces of Agony.

It's simple. It's just you, the track and your beverage. Don't miss out next time. Right?

Mount Ashland Hill Climb: The Year of the Smoke and Heat

The Bull Gap Trail, three miles to go.

As the temperatures climbed into the triple digits in Medford and the thunderheads built on the horizon, the competition on Mt. Ashland mimicked the weather and got just as hot and serious. A sell-out crowd gathered at The Plaza in downtown Ashland, OR for the 32nd Annual Mt. Ashland Hill Climb.

Traveling down from the state to our north Joe Gray entered onto the picture with some serious credentials. He's the US's 2009 Mountain Running Champion and boasts PR's of 14:15 in the 5K, a 1:07 for the half-marathon and a sub 30-minute 10K.

This excited last year's Mt. Ashland Hill Climb winner, Rogue Valley Runner's Erik Skaggs. He welcomed the competition with open arms noting that he's always looking forward to being pushed to new limits. Also in the picture were the ever fast cross-country skiers from Bend, 2006's Hill Climb winner RVR's owner, Hal Koerner and last year's runner-up in the ladies race, Jenn Shelton.

Smoke from fires to the north and soaring temperatures made this year's Hill Climb one of the hardest ever. 191 intrepid souls pushed through the humid conditions to the summit this year, most likely the highest number of finishers ever.

When the dust settled and the final, steep scree slope was clear of runners Joe Gray had found his way to the top first in a blazing time of 1:47:29. Erik Skaggs followed in 1:51:30. Hal Koerner finished fourth in 1:59:17. Ashland's Tim Olson and RVR'er Ian Torrence both finished in the top ten in 6th and 8th places respectively.

In the women's race, Bend's Stephanie Howe lead the way in 2:13:17. RVR'er Jenn Shelton finished second for a second year in a row in 2:25:28, almost five minutes faster than last year. Talent's Amy Smith, RVR'er Darcy Kleiman, Eagle Point's Jennifer Callans and Ashland's Lisa Norvell also finished in the top ten in the ladies race.

The race was a great success. Congratulations to Race Director Torsten Heycke and all the other wonderful volunteers that staffed the aid stations, "summit party finish area" and drove runners safely down from the summit. The Mt. Ashland Hill Climb was the third of five races included in the Oregon Mountain Running Series.

Here are some photos taken by our Mountain, Ultra & Trail (MUT) Running Coordinator for USATF Oregon, Richard Bolt.

Mt. Ashland Hill Climb's Race Director Torsten Heycke.

Suprise of the day! Ashland newcomer Tim Olson runs a 2:04:46!

Lady's winner, Bend's Stephanie Howe.

Runner's await the "GO!" word.

Mike Sotos.

Skaggs enjoys his post-race beverage.

Adam Seibert, Skaggs, Joe Gray and JC Callans run a little pre-race warm-up.

RVR'er Todd Ragsdale loves to be done!

So fast, even the camera can't catch him. Joe Gray, your 2009 Mt. Ashland Hill Climb winner.

Jeremy Eisen.

Jenn Shelton.

Hal gives the thumbs up.

Greg Mueller.

David Jordan.

Chad Wikander.

Bob Julian.

Aaron Brian leads "the train."

Born to Run!

Here's the press from the Mailtribune written by Daniel Newberry. Nice work everyone!

Andy Atkinson's mile 1.5 and summit photos can be found here.

Pacific Crest Trail and White River 50 Mile Trail Races

A couple of trail ultramarathons took place last weekend; let's discuss. Up north, near Mt. Hood, the Pacific Crest Trail 50 Mile Ultramarathon went off. Among the 126 finishers were three of our favorites:

Clyde Aker, 10:00:47
Annie Crispino-Taylor, 10:29:45
Ben Benjamin, 11:01:11

Annie Crispino-Taylor hits the trail.

Yreka's Clyde Aker.

Ben Benjamin looking good.

Further north, in the state of Washington, the National Trail 50 Mile USA Track and Field Championships took place. Set at the foot of Mt, Rainier this course has it all: riverside running, breathtaking views and pulse racing climbs. TheWhite River 50 Mile Trail Race attracted several of southern Oregon's ultrarunners. Here's who did what:

Hal Koerner, 7:43:01
Darcy Kleiman, 10:11:20
Carly Varner, 10:29:06
Mark Sherbow, 13:32:19
Chris Rennaker, "50 kilometer option"

Renn-Dog contemplates his 50K effort.

Hal rests in the brush after his top ten finish.

Darcy finishes her first 50 miler! Yoo Hoo!

Carly is all smiles after her finish. We like that!

We'd like to do a little shout out to former RVR employee Anton Krupicka's awesome finish at White River as well. Not only did he win, he cruised to a seemingly unbeatable course record in the process! 6:32:07!

Tony bounces to the finish and the win.

Congratulations to everyone, good work, nice efforts!

Treadmill Uphill Challenges and Outside Magazine Press

Hal Koerner, Rogue Valley Runners' owner and top dog, headed east to Salt Lake City this past week to take in new products and ideas at this summer's Outdoor Retailer Trade Show. He couldn't get away, however, without going head to head with Tony Krupicka, former RVR employee and current Leadville Trail 100 Mile champion. They fought it out on the Uphill Treadmill Challenge. Fifteen minutes at a 10% grade. How did they fare? Hal was heard saying, "My arms went numb." In the end, Tony just out-leaned our local southern Oregon hero.

Hal and Tony beat each other up on the Treadmill Challenge. (photo by Kevin Peaslee)

Gotta love this story in the July 2009 Outside Magazine about our hometown girl Jenn Shelton.


Written by Christopher McDougal, the author of Born To Run, the short piece is a good read.

Jenn Shelton as seen in July 2009 Outside Magazine's profile piece.

One More SOB Shot...

Just had to add one more classic photo that captured the moment. You know you've had an impressive race when the current two-time Western States 100 Mile champion is tumbling backwards, as he video tapes you, with his mouth agape.



Once again, congratulations to everyone who ran their hearts out this year at southern Oregon's largest ultra, the SOB 50K. First-timers and old-timers alike, nice work ya'll. Till next year!

Son Of A B@#$&!, nope, that's Siskiyou Outback!

Why is it an SOB? Could it be that the scenery is b#@&%in'? Could it be that the course's altitude makes it so freakin' tough? Perhaps it sucks that you couldn't get in because it filled? Or maybe the competitive field keeps getting faster and faster? Or maybe it's cuz 31 miles is a flippin' long way to run, period! Oh yeah, now you remember...you awoke Sunday morning with a splitting headache because you were attached to the post-race beer cooler.

Regardless of your reasons, whether you've run this race or not, you will return or you will add it to your next year's race schedule. It's a race not to be missed! The course and the post race party lend it to one of the best race experiences you'll ever have. Rob Cain and John Price, the two new co-race directors, have filled the shoes of their predecessors (Mel Bailey and Tom Pelsor) like fine wine with a good meal. The second bottle is just as good as the first.

So what happened this year? The weather was perfect (the rain and fog came the following morning). The post-race fare was superb. The aid stations and course markings were on par with that of the Biltmore Hotel. Sound like something you'd want to be a part of next year?

157 runners completed the 50K and 157 runners finished the 15K. I know, weird. But just so perfect. See, the trend continues. Headlining this year's performances was the race that, Rogue Valley Runner and Ashland local, Mr. Erik Skaggs had. Holly Christmas Mama! Another course record added to an already impressive CV. 3:39:19! More than three minutes removed from Max King's stormin' time of last year! Too perfect? Nope, it's the name of the game here at SOB! Kudos to Bend's Rod Bien who brought in an impressive second place finish in 4:01:21.

What about the ladies? Anne Hitchcock from Auburn, CA won the 50K with a time of 4:35:00. Idaho's Teresa DeBlieck finished a strong second in 4:40:21.

For those who insist on running faster and, perhaps, not as long, there is a 15K option offered at SOB. Again, the perfect event for everyone. Chris McIssac, from Olympia, WA won the 15K in a blazing time of 59 minutes and 28 seconds. Local runner, from Phoenix, OR, Marci Klimek, won the ladies race in 1:09:32.

How about some photos:

Typical SOB Scenery.

Just why folks swarm to the event...sweet trails.


Catered Finish Line.

Happy? I'd say so. Course record and looking good! Nice work Skaggs! Happy Birthday man!

Oh how we miss the 80's. Mr. Eric Poole and Renn Dog do it up right at the Grouse Gap Aid Station.


Carly Varner leads Ixel Sanchez in the 50K.

Bob Julian runs the 15K, fast!


Full results for the SOB 15K and 50K can be found at the official SOB web site.

Photos were provided by Andy Atkinson, see the rest of his SOB photos here, and Michael McCullough.

Fourth of July Racing in Ashland, Oregon

Seems like everyone came out for this run! Almost 700 runners for both the six and two-mile races! An incredible turn out! The race has been around for long time and is steadily gaining in popularity. Here's an excerpt taken from the race's info page on Facebook.

"This event was first competed on 4th July 1977, and was called the “Senators Cup Run.” The event started at Triangle Park, near Ashland High School on Siskiyou Boulevard, and included a 6-Mile Run and a bicycle race. In 1978 the start/finish was moved toward downtown Ashland, and the name of the event changed to the “Fourth of July Run”. The event has always had a 6-Mile Run, but its accompanying 2-Mile (1984-1991, 1999-present) or 1-Mile (1992-1998) has changed depending on which year. The bicycle race accompanying the original event was dropped in the mid-1980s. 2009 had a little under 700 runners participate, representing 18 states and Canada as their places of residence. The 2008 race witnessed 573 total participants. There were 481 participants in 2007 and 485 in 2006."

Erik Skaggs runs hard to the finish tape on East Main Street in downtown Ashland. Skaggs captured second place in the six mile race. He finished in 32:30, 20 seconds behind the winner, Portland's Tim Julian.

RVR's Chris Rennaker hammering home. Renn overcame a tight hip issue that slowed him at the four mile mark to finish in 37:08.

Leland Fulton, Rogue Valley Runner's newest store employee, strides in the final stretch. Leland found the course to be challenging and "...really hot."

RVR runner and store employee Ian Torrence finished the hilly course in 36:20. The hamstrings are tight now!

Bob Julian Jr. kicking old style with the bandanna. Bob rounded out the top ten in an impressive field and crossed the line in 34:29.

Western States 100 Mile winner, Hal Koerner, ran the race as well. It was his first running strides since he finished Western States last weekend. He was overheard saying that he's had better runs, but it felt good being a part of Ashland's largest running race.

Check out theMailtribune's article about the race.

Full Fourth Of July Race Results found here.

Andy Atkinson's photos of the races can be found at the Mailtribune.