Important Update (2/17/09)
Eric Barnes is supporting an alternative course on the
Foothills Trail between Puyallup and
South Prairie for the Feb 22 race. That trail runs through farmland, residential areas and
woodlands in the Puyallup River and South Prairie Creek valleys. It is all paved but has a runnable
gravel edge in most places and a brief detour about three miles beyond Orting. The course starts
and ends at the Meeker trailhead which is at 13890 80th St E, Puyallup, WA on Google Maps.
The route will consist of a 15-mile out and back on the trail plus a short out and back leg in
Puyallup to make up 50K. Eric's run will start at 8AM with an optional early start at 7AM and any
runners who were planning to run the Cedar River course are invited to do the Foothills Trail course
instead.
I have sent out email to all runners listed on the Maniacs Race Calendar, asking which
course they would prefer. Please respond to that email, or
email me directly, indicating which course you are planning
to run. Both courses will be supported so you will be able to run either one or the other,
but if you haven't responded to the email please do, so Eric and I can better estimate what we'll
need to bring for supplies.
Van reported that the detour around the missing bridge on the Cedar River course is well-established
now so it sounds as though runners on the Cedar River course will have the option of doing two 7.5
mile out-and-back loops rather than the 4 out-and-back loops on the 3.8 mile section of the trail
between Landsberg and the trail closure, as described below.
If you have any questions
please contact me.
General Info
Continuing a tradition inspired by Jon Yoon's organization of a Yours Truly 50K run
at Game Farm Park in Auburn in 2007, we are supporting a Yours Truly run this year. The run will
start at 7:30AM at the Landsberg trailhead of the Cedar River Trail (basically at the start
of the former Cedar River Marathon course) for 4 out-and-back laps on the Cedar River trail on
Sunday, January 25 and on Sunday February 22. We'll mark the course with a few signs and provide
Gatorade and water, along with something hot at the finish. You can start earlier or later
but we probably won't mark the course until the morning of the run.
Timing is on the honor system. Please either record your time on the signup sheet when you finish, or
email me with your finishing time, so we can include you
on the results page on this site. If you also want to have your time posted
in the worldwide Yours Truly 50K results, you will need to submit your own time here
before February 15 (for the January run) or March 15 (for the February run).
Advance registration is not required - email me if you're planning to run so we know how
much Gatorade to bring. We'll supply Gatorade, water and some kind of snacks at the start/finish area
(mp 0/7.6/15.2/22.8/30.4/31.1). You'll want to bring a bottle or two for hydration out on the course.
About the Yours Truly 50K
The Yours Truly 50K is a world-wide 50K run organized by a guy in Finland. For 2009 it will be
run on both Sunday January 25 and Sunday February 22 in multiple locations around the world.
According to the
Official Yours Truly 50K site the run is free of charge, you may run anywhere
you choose, you have up to 24 hours to complete the 50K and you have until Feb 15 to submit your
results (for the Jan 25 run) or Mar 15 (for the Feb 22 run). If you do both runs you can have
both results displayed on the official results page.
Directions to the Cedar River course
The start
is where 276th Ave SE crosses the Cedar River about 12 miles south of Issaquah. From I-90
take Front Street, which becomes Issaquah-Hobart road, which becomes 276th Ave SE. From
I-405 in Renton take the SE Maple Valley highway (Hwy 169) SE about 10 miles, then turn L at a
light onto SE 216th Way (a short distance past where you go under Highway 18). Bear right onto SE
216th St after a half mile then go 2.5 miles and turn right on 276th Ave SE. Go 2.2 miles and park
on either the right or the left just before the bridge over the Cedar River. The Start is on the
right (downstream) side of the road. There's room for about 20 cars in the parking area. There's a
porta-potty across the street from the start but elsewhere along the course the woods will have to
suffice.
Here's a map and directions from
Renton.
Course Description
Here's a map of the course.
From Landsberg follow the Cedar River trail 3.78 miles, crossing two bridges over the river,
to where a chain link fence across the trail marks the turnaround (and prevents you from running
across the non-existent bridge across Dorre Don Way). Repeat four times then do a short out and back
for 50K. 25K would be 2 laps plus a shorter out-and-back. The turnaround will be marked with a
sign, though it is difficult to miss.
The trails is an old railroad rights-of-way with a hard-packed pea gravel surface. Last year in
January the trail was quite icy but that was unusual; normally the surface is dry or just damp with
a few small puddles and no mud. Elevation gain/loss per lap is a very gradual 100'. The route is
quite scenic, mostly through woods along the Cedar River. In good weather it is a popular
dog-walking and cycling route though not so much when it's 38 and raining.
Participants in the Cedar River Yours Truly 50K assume all risks associated with participating in this event, including but not limited to personal injury, damage to property, getting cold and wet and stepping in dog doo. This invitation to join in this fun run does not constitute any sort of legal promise of support or assistance during or after the event. This fun is not officially sanctioned by anyone and support is provided merely as a convenience to those who choose to run their Yours Truly 50K at this location.