Another Great 2006 Race Report.
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2006 Race Report Cle Elum 50k, September 16, 2006 Race Director-Krissy Moehl, Co-RD’s Chris & Marty Fagan Written by: Micah Smith The Cle Elum Ridge Endurance trail race in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State treats me like a spurned lover. But like a hopeless romantic I keep coming back for more. As I have probed the dark corners of my soul to discover why I have run this race 11 times in its 12 years of existence my fingers always stop around the edges of moody emotion that somehow, someway this trail always wins even though I finish. You can salt in a remote Northwest adventure and add a bit of wilderness romance if you want to but former RD Frank Fleetham got it right when he used to say, “If you go out too fast, you will pay!” I don’t know if it’s true that the name Cle Elum (clë elúm): is derived from the Indian name Tie-el-lum meaning "swift water" due to the nearby presence of the Yakima River or not. What I do know is that the Cle Elum Ridge 50k endurance trail run rises swiftly off the banks of Taneum Creek reaching it’s knotted fingers over five thousand feet on the east slope of the Cascade Range. The pungent smell of the late summer creek bottom fills the crisp morning air as Race Director, Krissy Moehl and her seasoned and soon to be RD’s, Chris and Marty Fagan go over the course with us. As Krissy talks my mind drifts back to the previous years I have navigated this difficult and beautiful serpentine terrain full of rocks and ruts and roots. I know from experience that this 31 mile loop contains more surprises than any other single trail run I have traversed. I was awed by the magnificent bull Elk that stopped in the trail at mile 8 blowing early morning steam from his nostrils in front of me and my companions in 2003; I was shocked when my running partner and I were missed by mere inches when a huge falling tree dropped across the trail between us in nearly dead air and unusual heat in 1996. I was shot full of adrenaline as I ran through a sleet driven wind and rain storm blowing multiple trees down all around the running field in 1999. And I am always inspired by the front men and women who churn through this sock eating 50k single-track footpath so very well; like this year’s men’s winner, Jim Kerby who finished in 4:52:55 and the women’s winner, Alison Hanks in 5:53:43. The inspiration does not stop there though for it is especially soul stirring to witness the trail warriors, both men and women who may not finish first but claw and dig deep within their own reservoir of heart to cross the finish line. Every experience I have had with the race crew, volunteers (Search and Rescue?) and the post race meal catered by Canyon River bakery has been superb. Sifting through those years and miles the most memorable experience I have had on the Cle Elum Ridge endurance race course was not when then RD Frank gave me the five year buckle in 1999 or even last year when RD Krissy Moehl gave me a ten year finisher fleece; although those were exciting memories. Even 2004 for all its mystique is not the top memory; picture me running down this Cascade mountain trail with panoramic views, extraordinary blue sky, sunshine, brilliant autumn colors caressing Taneum Creek’s shoulders and 70 degrees when suddenly I am ferociously attacked from behind. My mind instantly goes into over drive, racing wildly as I am assaulted by an unknown foe at mile 26. The speed and velocity with which I am hit delays any tactical response. I am overwhelmed with paralysis and the confusion grabs time and motion by the throat until everything around me slows down to the speed of molasses on a cold November day. In the 10 seconds required for all of this to happen I re-take control of my vocal chords and force an unwilling scream from the depths of my being into the clear mountain air. It is so violent that my adversary drops to the ground beside me and postures himself for the second wave assault. I turn quickly to face this mountain terrorist and find myself toe to toe with a two-pound and wildly upset male grouse. I look into his beady eyes and then look back down the trail to ensure no one had heard me scream. (I found out later that my guttural yell reached back 1 ½ miles scaring other runners in a domino effect) I look back at the Grouse as he is all puffed up and strutting an ancient dance around my Montrails and I do my best to give him a swift kick but he is too fast and as he makes one last threat, he flies back to his dark timbered domain. I am shaken but yell in his retreat, “Grouse Fettuccine!” and continue on the twisting, turning, up and down creek bottom to the finish line. The best memory I have of the Cle Elum Ridge 50k endurance race is this year 2006. Not because I can now say that it too is one of the most beautiful trails I’ve ever puked on but because my 20 year old son Jacob ran his first 50k and finished with his sick dad even though he could have run it much faster because I was hugging logs and leaving claw marks in the trail side so often. Yes, I want to pass on the romance and adventure I have with trail running to my children for many reasons. But I don’t know if Cle Elum was the lover I wanted to introduce them to. I’ve said it for years, “I won’t be running that one again.” But I always come back for more. |
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