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To any one thinking about putting the Cascade Crest Classic on their calendar...Do it now. I would not have said this last year but the new race director is a veteran 100 runner who has done this beautiful race full and absolute justice. This years race was an honor to attend.

Fri. Aug 24th
There was an informal gathering for dinner at 6:00pm at the summit lodge in snoqualmie pass. It is an on your own unplanned thing for the runners. The Manual says "to look for the section that looks like slightly nervous ultra runners". I had to skip it this year but the food and company was good last year.

Sat Aug 25
7:00am-8:30 was check in at the Easton firehouse so we got there a little before seven. Neither Keli or I had slept well but we were excited to start this thing. Race check in went very smooth. Glen checked me in, gave me my number, shirt and goody bag. Then Keli was kind enough to point out that I was walking off without my race number so I went back for it. O.k. Maybe I was just a little nervous this being only my second real 100 miler. Then we dropped off my drop bag for Kachess lake. Our own Nick Abbott had graciously volunteered to pace me through the last 25 miles. So I needed to have my supplies for that one while Keli returned to the firehouse to guide him and Jen out to mineral creek to join up with me.

We saw a lot of people we knew. Van Phan is an awesome runner and person who paced me for this same race last year and I was stoked to see her wearing a team Montrail/Nathan team shirt. She deserves it. She was last years Trail Runner Magazine Trophy Series winner as well as running 52 marathons and ultra's for the marathon maniacs. Both in the same year!! Believe it or not, the number of people who run these things is fairly small and it seemed like every one was there. Keli immediately ran into Lucy Barbeau. She is another poor lady who's husband is an ultra junkie and gets drug around the country to crew. The difference is that her husband Gilles makes me look lazy and that being from Canada she technically gets drug around "countries".

The fire department personnel put on a welcome spread of ham eggs and pancakes with homemade huckleberry syrup. That and a cup of coffee made a great breakfast while we set outside enjoying the atmosphere and the company of a local Estonian dog who had discovered that we were soft touches for a handout.

About the time we were finishing up we all gathered in the firehouse for final race brief. As you can imagine we listen very carefully to any course information as a wrong turn can mean a very long race. No one today was into any extra credit miles. After that was the traditional Canadian and US national anthems and the line up for the start. R.D. Charlie Crissman counted down and was joined by every runner. With a Roaring 3...2..1 All of our nervous energy was released and we were off.
The CCC starts at 10:00 am. The late start is nice because you have time to wake up but bad because it guarantees you that much more nite time trail.

To me the Cascade Crest is defined by this fist section. The first three miles gains approximately 3000 ft but first you run through. The Iron horse park and the outskirts of Easton. It is a beautifully flat place with nice soft gravel roads and Shetland ponies that run along their fences beside the runners. Then BAM you are at the bottom of one of the most daunting climbs of the whole course. Single track "s" turns for about the next hour! The aid station said I was number 14 at that point but I knew I wouldn't hold on to that for another 97 miles. After that is a long down and up passing through first log roads then trails to get to the Pacific Crest Trail system. You have two aid stations along this section. After a jog on the PCT you come to Tacoma pass. A truly happy place to be. It is the first crew access and you can hear the crew and volunteers cheering arriving runners in as far as a mile away. Talk about a neat feeling. Twenty three miles behind me and a few minutes with my best girl and crew chief. Doesn't get much better then that. Actually all of the aid stations are super encouraging and the volunteers spoil you. After a quick sock change and eating a small feast, Keli was kicking my butt back onto the trail and I was feeling good.

From Tacoma pass to Hyak is a long section broken up by about five very welcome aid stations. Some where in here is where Van and Tony C passed me like I was standing still. It is comparatively flattish with minor climbs. On the other hand it is very exposed with only small trees and many shoulder to hip height huckleberries hanging into the trail. This was a minor irritation in last years heat. In this years cold rain it was a serious bummer. The few places the rain missed were painted by the bushes along the path. I think this early soaking had a lot to do with the number of runners that dropped out. All you could do was put your head down and run harder to get it over with.

After a Long stretch of PCT and several miles I arrived at Olallie Meadows aid station ( mile47). Last aid on the PCT. I arrived shortly after dark soaked Tired and absolutely thrilled to see Keli. If I ever had any doubts that this woman was an angel they left me that very moment Very Happy

I took my time here and passed on the famous parogues they serve up in order to change out all my clothes and eat a sandwich with Kel in the nice warm car. One thing I love about ultras is that you begin to appreciate the simple things. Dry, Warm, and solid food now that is luxury!

Between Olallie and hyak are two of the signature landmarks of this run.The first one is the "rope section" A transition from the current trail to the "rails to trails" section that follows.This section is bush whacking that is so steep and crosses such an assortment of jumbled down logs that even the sadists that be ultra runners had a soft moment and secured several climbing ropes to standing trees.This allows the runner to remain up-rite as they zoom down the hill and take their beating from branches and logs Shocked

This dumps you out on the rail trail. A section of old rail way that has had the tracks removed and was topped with gravel. A few minutes of this great running surface bring you to the second land mark (they even put it on the finishers buckle) the "Tunnel". The old train tunnel is a little over two miles long. As it takes you through the mountain at a constant 2 percent up grade in the middle of the night you slowly realize it is one of the darkest lonliest places on the planet. I hear that in the early years of the race it has had skeletons and people in realistic big foot costumes awaiting the unsuspecting runner. That being said its still pretty darn cool!

Shortly after exiting the tunnel you find yourself on asphalt for a while taking you into the Hyak aid station ( mile 53). I made it in at about 10:45 or a little over twelve hours.This marked the last time I would see Keli before dawn at mineral creek (mile 73). There are two aid stations along the way and only about twenty miles but this is one of the slower sections because of the difficulty.

It is a good rule of thumb in this race that after all but the last aid station you go up. This one is a shinning example of that rule, with what seams like an endless climb up a log road after you finally get back off the black top again. By this time the rain had stopped. The partial moon was behind the clouds but shinning threw just enough. I turned off both my lights to save the batteries. It was still very dark but the road was visible enough to follow if you stayed in the middle. Probably a gamble on my part but well worth it to assure that I didn't find myself crossing the "trail from hell" section light-less. The aid station at the top caches you by surprise as it is out of site till you are right on top of it.Then the lights had to come back on as what went up had to come down. Talk about a nice fast down hill. Its long and its steep and your screaming along through the night .

Then you arrive at the Kachess Lake station. It had such helpful and friendly crew that I hated to leave. This is the last easy extraction point and if you want to DNF do it here as the "trail from hell" awaits.

I am so thankful that I had the chance to follow Van through this section last year. Knowing the path stave's off the "will this ever end??!!" syndrome this section tends to cause. I have heard this section described as challenging. The manual described it as " five miles. rocky and root strewn and rolling with dozens of up short steep gullies that even front runners take 90 minutes to cross" I called it a lot of other things. Especially at the places that you run along a steep drop offs and hope your legs don't start wobbling or your light doesn't go out. It also took me slightly (alot) over 90 minutes. At some point along the way I became confused if mineral creek was the next aid station and began to worry that if it was further on I would be late to link up with Keli, Nick and Jen. I began to push a little beyond my means until I started crossing creeks. My feet were wet and I was happy! I recognised the creeks from last year and they meant I wasn't very far out of mineral creek. I redoubled my effort and was soon rewarded by the smiling faces of the mineral creek aid station (mile 73). I had reached this point at almost exactly the crack of dawn last year and it was just after 5:00 am. Very cool! I used my bonus time to get a hot cup of coffee and a handful of chips. Then it was Two more miles up the hill to where crew were allowed. Along the way I chatted with a pacer who was on his way back to get a ride out. His runner having dropped sometime during the night. He said That Darcy Africa had taken a wrong turn last nite and I hoped for our home girl Van.

Mile 75 and the dawn was still new as I crested the hill and saw some very welcome faces Very Happy

Keli Had caught a cat nap at the start line then guided Nick and Jen out. They had been waiting for me for at least a couple of hours. They were very up beat and their high spirits helped me shake off the night. Keli finally had to make me quite gabbing and start covering distance. I think Nick might have been a little nervous at first as he had just committed to running further than he ever had before over some of the steepest trails I have personally ever encountered but he soon fell into the groove. Again we were going uphill on a log road and I was hoping my snails pace wasn't to boring for Nick. After so many dark miles all alone his company and enthusiasm were priceless. The climb is about 5 miles to No Name Ridge (mile 80). Nick got his first taste of the spoiling us ultra junkies get at aid stations. Then thank goodness it is back on the single track for another15 miles.

After leaving No Name you only have about four miles to Thorp Mt. But they are four miles of quad busting rock trails that occasionally border on jaw dropping cliffs. Immediately after this the trail gets really steep Shocked

as you go from Thorp Mt. aid station To the fire look out at the TOP of Thorp Mt. and take a number to prove you made the out and back.
I was worried that my pace was boring Nick so I mentioned that he could run ahead and I would meet him at the top. He took off and not only made it to the top but half way back down to cheer me on in my accent. The man is half mountain goat!Mt. Thorp is not only steep but unpredictable last year it was well over 90 degrees here this year it was FRIGID. Glen Tachiyama was taking photos in a ski jacket and gloves and said he was still running back and forth on the trail to stay warm! The usually breath taking view was lost in the cloud surrounding us so we got back down without the usual brake for "oohs" and "ahhhs". we took a moment to shoot the wind with the Thorp Mt. aid station crew. All the volunteers at this race are very special people but I always make a special effort to say thank you to these guys. They back pack all the aid station supplies in (including water for 100 racers!) over the steepest terrain you can imagine then sleep up there. Just so I can refill my water bottle and have a snack the next morning. Kinda humbling.

With the highest point out of our way and only one other ball buster climb at French Cabin between us and a finish we started to dial up the speed a little. I think at this point Nick could probably pass my best run at a leisurely walk Very Happy

I was really feeling it up and over French Cabin. Shortly after we crested the top Nick invented a new game. He would run ahead and come back with who the next runner ahead was and how fast they were moving. I like having a rabbit and this helped alot as we slowly "hunted down " one runner after another actually passing several between there and the finish line. At French cabin we introduced Nick to the wonders of chicken noodle soup. There is just nothing quite as good after several hours running around in the woods. We pretty much did the in and out at that station as there were a few runners there and we took the opportunity to pass them.

After French Mountain is the short pass. a small mountain that looks like a big "M". You go up and over the saddle in the center. After the previouse climbs its cake and then its all down hill to Silver Creek. Not only is it the last aid station (mile 95) but the only one you leave going down hill. I like Silver Creek! We continued upping our pace and our "hunting" all the way there. By this time neither of us were even looking for stream crossings any more. We just plowed threw the numerous small creeks along the way.
I had Looked at my watch and thought we might stand a chance at a PR over last year. Nick ran ahead to Silver Creek to ask about the final legs distance and refill on water so we could do a blow through on that station.
I guess Keli and Jen had just gotten there and were a little surprised at seeing nick so soon and alone Shocked

. Sure wish I could have seen that Very Happy

I was delayed by a bee sting of all things.To top it off the vindictive little insect #@$#*$# got me right on the Achilles tendon where my shoe rubbed it every down hill step. I latter found out nick is allergic and am very glad they didn't get him too. I am allergic to nothing and two days latter I still have a cankle. Any way when I got into the aid station I was convinced I had lost my chance to Pr and was going to suggest a good Break followed by an easy jog in to the finish. That idea was gone when I was greeted by an ecstatic Keli.It slowly worked threw my foggy brain that I was over an hour ahead of last years time. Good enough for me! One piece of water melon and we were out of there.

I didn't have much left but we burned up all of it. First down to the power lines then on to the asphalt. It was only 5 miles but it felt more like 15 on that hard top. Nick was feeling the finish line excitement as much as I was and did everything to hurry me along short of dragging me. I think he even threatened to do that.We made decent time averaging a little under a 10 minute pace. My pacer tried to peel off at the finish and skip out on the finish line picture. Not on my team! If I got to you do too Very Happy

We Crossed the finish line at 26 hours and 26 minutes. About 1 hour and 45 minutes off last years time!!!! I was pumped!! Kent Holder ( Mr. 150 ultras himself) and the RD Charlie Crissman. Greeted us at the finish and treated us like hero's. I was presented with a numbered print made by Leah Jureck her self. It was #20/100 reflecting my 20th place finish. I also received my finishers Buckle, an item that is beyond description in its significance to me. I would not trade that brass buckle for a hundred solid gold one's. Of 93 starters 67 finished that day. I was one of them thanks to one hell of a crew THANKS GANG!

We spent quite a while cleaning up and being spoiled by the wives while we cheered in our fellow runners ( i.e. survivors Very Happy

) and talked to people around the fire house.

Wow,I got kinda long winded on that! It was just a really full couple of days. Well Nick when you joined in I already had alot of miles on and not every thing is crystal clear. Its your turn to post for the betterment of any one considering doing this race Smile

http://www.cascadecrest100.com/2007_results.htm
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many miles before I sleep