All of the time and effort put into this race year after year by so many people continues to be one of the most rewarding things I personally do in the ultrarunning world each year.  I am continually amazed standing at the start line with a couple hundred (306 this year!) runners jumping around waiting for me to count down and say go!  It is so exciting to bring that many people together to do something (run an ultra race) that is such an instrumental part of my life.  Whether the individual is there to run their fastest time, complete the race for the 10th time, to run their first ultra or to volunteer and help a runner through the race, bringing that many people together always amazes and thrills me.  I love ultrarunning for so many reasons; I am so thankful for the people that is has brought into my life, the experiences it has given me, the lessons taught/learned and the life situations it has carried me through.  Putting on a race is my small effort to try to give back to something that is such a big part of me.

Finally getting to writing a race report a week later and I sit here flooded with highlights from the week leading up to and the day of the race.  Too many to try to put in a blog and for fear of forgetting to write in something I am going to let the many pictures tell the story along with the blogs of some of the finishers.  The runners’ perspectives are better any way :)

You can find some pictures in my web albums, but there are many more on the race website in the Chuckanut 50k Photo Gallery.  Glenn Tachiyama knows the race course well and takes amazing images that really capture the event.

Two blogs I’ve seen about the race: (if you’d like me to link to yours, please send it my way!)

Devon Crosby-Helms (first female)

Matt Hart (didn’t run, but sponsored us with nuun)

There are a lot of special people and volunteers that make putting on an event possible and enjoyable.  Friends that come back year after year (that really don’t have any attachment to running other than me), runners that help with aid stations, people that come stay at my parents’ house and get roped into assisting with gear drops, bag stuffers, people that give up a Friday to run race errands with me... the list goes on.  What I appreciate most is the fun we get to have during this time.

Finally, every year I have put on this race I have had a token runner that I have personally played a small role in getting them to run the Chuckanut race either by encouragement alone, coaching or even some arm twisting.  Having a token runner allows me to experience the race through their eyes and reminds me of what my first ultra was like.  It is always a first time ultrarunner and in the past 5 years this person has always been a female.  Well this year “my runner” was Dagan (he broke the female tradition, but not the first timer).  About 3 months prior to the race he stuck his neck out there and said he would run it because he wanted to know more about this running that I love.  Probably one of the easiest people I have ever coached, he took everything I said and ran with it.  His training paid off; he ran a very smart and well paced race finishing in just under 6 hours.  Super special to catch him at the finish line.