Oregon Coast 50k

We ran the inaugural Oregon Coast 50k two years ago, in 2014. The weather was bad to start, but got better, and the course was stunning. So it wasn't too difficult for my friend Leslie to convince me that we should run it this year. Ann's sister, Courtney, and my husband and child joined us in a house on the beach in Yachats for the weekend.

Race day morning from our rental house

Courtney dropped us off at the Adobe, where we picked up our races numbers and talked to Leslie and her bestie, Erin, who both decided not to run due to injuries. Ann and I boarded one of the buses and we were all driven six miles north to the start.

The casual beach start line

After a very casual start, we were off running. It was still and pleasant, wholly unlike our first time. We chatted with several people while running this segment-- a guy who had seen our blog and was visiting Oregon for the first time, a woman who was running her first 50k. It's always inspiring to hear other runner's stories.

Canadian Thanksgiving means poutine at an aid station

We ran past our rental house, and my family was out on the beach cheering. My 5 year-old ran with us for a little ways and filled me with joy. That alone made my race happy. I can't wait til he's old enough to join me on some trail runs.

Ann giving me the "can we keep going" look

We soon made it back to the Adobe and changed out of our wet socks and shoes. Then we began my least favorite portion, on the road. Luckily the views kept our minds occupied as we made our way to the forested trails. Ann was tired from lack of sleep, but I felt good. We took it easy on the climbs on the way out, and conditions were amazing: very little mud, lots of the trail covered in springy pine needles, and hints of blue sky  allowing decent views along the coast.

Selfie with bear sculpture

It seemed to be taking longer than we'd thought, and then we came to the aid station run by our friends at Wy'east Wolfpack. It was so good to see Yassine and Willie's familiar smiles. That gave us an extra lift to start our way back.

Strange shroom during high mushroom-hunting season

I thoroughly enjoyed the downhills on the way back, bounding down like flying. At the next aid station we saw a volunteer wearing this year's UTMB shirt, which is what we were wearing. He had completed UTMB itself! It was fun to reminisce about Chamonix with him for a moment.

Cape Perpetua viewpoint GGW selfie

The home stretch on the roads again made me question the race, but soon we saw the Adobe and our families there to greet us. We enjoyed the afterparty-- Rainshadow has that down-- and headed back to the house to shower and change.

Everything perfect and beautiful for race day

Overall we were almost an hour slower than our previous running of this race, even though the weather and course conditions were much better. That seems to be the case for us this year, and I've accepted it; I still had fun and enjoyed the event. I would definitely run this race again. It's perfect for an every-other-year tradition.

Ann and a glorious, massive tree stump

St Perpetua Trail sign

The artistic shot of Cape Perpetua