OR

Saturday August 7 2021

My race in Oregon was the Catherine Creek Classic – a point to point half marathon, the majority of which is downhill. It was a really beautiful course and located not too far from the Boise (ID) home of some friends. I had been registered for the Portland Revel half, but that had been cancelled twice so far. Partly because Revel have been overzealous in their cancellation policy recently, and partly, I imagine, because Portland is currently probably the worst place in the US. Legalised hardcore drugs and anti police sentiment leading to dirty lawless mess. Who’d‘ve thought it.  

I flew into Boise via Thursday night in a fantastic motel in Reno, meeting friends at the Boise airport Friday evening, and bedding down at their place before an early start Saturday morning. 

We drove the two hours from their new home to the tiny town of Union, Oregon, departing at 5am and gaining an hour en route. We are a little on the way and got to the race registration at 0630 local time, located at the finish line, next to the high school football field. All three of us were running the half, so we picked up our race bibs and boarded the school bus. It wound its way up Medical Spring Highway, (or Route 203), as it climbed the mountain to the start line.   

The race started around 0745, the course had a net loss of 1100′ and the first two miles were steep, and fast. I’d looked at the field on the bus and a little as we arrived at the start – There were fewer than 100 runners, and I figured I’d be in with a shot of starting in the lead group, and sticking to my normal Maarten gel strategy. 

Two guys pushed hard at the start and were ahead of me until the first aid station – a longer haired Texan in glasses and green singlet, and a local guy in blue who was apparently a former competitive cyclist. Their first two miles were sub 5.40, but I kept them in sight with miles around 6.05. As we went through the first aid station, and the descent became less steep, I started to draw them in, and for the next three miles we exchanged the lead several times.

Mile four took us through Catherine Creek State Park, where the Ponderosa pine trees tower over the creeks and streams that make this park a popular spot for fishing and camping.

Around mile 6-7, with me in the lead, local Blue and I dropped Texan greeny and began to stretch out a lead, chatting a little as we ran past the beautiful (Catherine Creek) waterway and mountain greenery that surrounded us on our winding descent. 

We reveled in the natural beauty of the Wallowa and Elkhorn mountains all around, encountering wide-open farm fields on one side of the road, while mountains and forests rise up on the other.

At mile 8-9, I pushed on ahead, the searing sun and flattened terrain making the remainder of the race a grind of individual mental conflict. I had my second gel, continued to take water at the aid stations and throw plenty on me as I try to stay cool, and around mile 11 I started to catch up some of the 5K runners. They were also running a point to point course but must have started much later. 

The course was long, nearly 14 miles, but I pushed on down the Highway, ground out our left turn along Main Street, and took the final right turn to the school, the only road where it was gravel not paved, which had made my Vaporflys the pick for today’s race shoe. 

I crossed the line in first place overall in 1.29.32, but as the course was so long, my 6.30 pace really equated to a 1.25 true half time. 

I collapsed in the shade and tried to recover and hydrate as I waited for Abby and Ryan to come in. 

We made our way back to Boise, stopping for snacks in a nearby town, then picking up lunch in the Boise local Co-Op to eat at home. 

We watched the Olympic marathon on TV and later went out for a nice dinner to celebrate their recent engagement. We watched some short films when we got back, then retired for the night. 

The next morning we went for a 4 mile recovery run on the green belt and grabbed a nice breakfast, before chilling out and heading for the airport. I flew back Delta via MSP, getting back home in Charlotte after midnight. 

It’s been a busy, tiring but successful three weeks. 45 states down now and a month until New York. I should really start training for the Chicago marathon, coming up soon in October…

*UPDATE – Feb 13 2022, my Winner’s T Shirt arrived!