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Oregon > Deer Leap Half Marathon
Glide, OR
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Date
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Event
Details
Featuring a course that winds along the hilly and challenging Deer Leap
section of the North
Umpqua River Trail in southwestern Oregon, the Deer Leap Half Marathon
attracted a field of just over 80 trail runners for its second annual
running in 2008, for a 13.1-mile race that unfolds along a
point-to-point course that starts at Toketee
Lake near Andrew Wiley Park and finishes in the Illahee Flats area to
the east of Glide and a short drive north from Oregon's majestic Crater
Lake National Park.
The race follows an east-to-west route through the hills and creeks and
along the trails that run roughly parallel to the North Umpqua River.
From the starting line at Toketee Lake, runners follow the course first
westward and then somewhat southward along the trail, passing by the
green pools formed by the rushing Toketee Falls and later across two
wooden span bridges, across Slide Creek and Medicine Creek, at about
the race's half-way point.
From there, the course stays close to the
river and Highway 138, finally turning away from the river at Dark
Canyon and into the open, grassy meadows of Illahee Flats, once a
gathering spot for the Native American tribes that long ago lived in
the area. The final couple of miles feature a steep climb toward the
finish, which some past runners have described as "very difficult," but
add that the scenery along the way
makes the challenging nature of the course worthwhile.
Along with the often steep hills and narrow trails, this race features
significant changes in elevation -- from the starting line elevation of
about 2,400 feet above sea level, the race peaks at about 2,500 feet
before finishing at an elevation of just above 1,500 feet above sea
level. And there's plenty of what you'd expect in any trail race,
including rocks, tree roots across the trail, loose and sometimes
slippery natural surfaces, and pine needles and pine cones fallen from
the trees far overhead.
And while the race is a trail half marathon, at just over 14 miles from
beginning to end, it's slightly longer than advertised -- the race
includes a 9.6-mile segment of the Deer Leap Trail as well as a
4.1-mile section of the Jesse Wright Trail along the river. Shuttle
buses are provided to ferry runners from the finish line area at
Illahee Flats to the starting line,
and leave at 8:45 AM for the race starting time of 9:30 AM.
Race
Weather & Climate
Located in Oregon's southwestern corner, just over a three-hour drive
south from Portland, the small town of Glide typically experiences mild
to cool (and sometimes cold) weather conditions in the early spring,
with relatively heavy precipitation (both rain and snow). In April,
average monthly temperatures range between 63°F and
38°F, while precipitation totals average around 5.29 inches for
the month.
Fees
$45 for online registration
$50 for mail-in registration
Registration
Registration for the spring 2009 running of Oregon's Deer Leap
Half Marathon is now closed, as the event has completed. Please check
back for updated information on how to sign up for the 2010 running of
the race.
Website
www.roguemultisport.com
Course Map
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Larger Map
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Your Race Story
Ever run in Glide's annual Deer Leap Half
Marathon?
Share
your impressions and read fellow runners' stories
and tips for the event.
Post your comments in Runner Reviews for the Deer Leap Half Marathon
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