Gorge Waterfalls 50k

03/23/2022

If you'd like to help out as a volunteer at Gorge Waterfalls on April 2-3, we've had some openings pop up today! Just sign up here to get involved:

09/03/2020

Hi folks!! Registration for our Wonderland Virtual Race is still open. You can join us from anywhere in the world! Distances from 5k all the way to 100 miles.

We’re lovin’ this race logo and it looks amazing on our hoodies and tees. Today is the last day to order merch if you want it in your hands by our post race party on September 26th. (Save the date!)

Thanks so much to everyone who has already signed up or bought merch. Your support keeps us going and is so appreciated!

More info can be found at http://www.rainshadowrunning.com/wonderland.html?fbclid=IwAR1OypsE7Nmd7n1I5oz6p9uLPSTFicJvYHph2_e6JtCtzHHWjAbZtWbBHPU

11/19/2019

Gorge Waterfall 100k/50k? Not in 2020, Maybe 2021

After getting the most up-to-date information from the Forest Service about the condition of the trails and the progress of trail work there we have decided to not hold the Gorge Waterfalls 100k & Gorge Waterfalls 50k in 2020. But we are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to finally have the race again in 2021. It's still early but the Forest Service is hopeful that all of the trails will be rebuilt by then. For those of you that don't know in September 2017 the Eagle Creek Fire burned many parts of our race course there in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and caused extensive damage to the trails and infrastructure. The hillsides there are quite steep and were somewhat unstable even before the fire and then even worse afterwards. It's taken a lot of work to get just some of the trails reopened and to keep them open so it's been a long slow process to get everything rebuilt but hopefully by this time next year that work will be all done!

Please consider donating to and or volunteering with Trailkeepers of Oregon! This non-profit organizes a bunch of trail work parties in the Gorge as well as other places around the state of Oregon. We were gonna tell you about the work party this week at Elowah Falls(one of the many beautiful waterfalls on the race course and the one pictured above) but they've already filled up! Get on their mailing list or social media to stay informed

11/08/2018

It's with heavy hearts that we officially announce that the Gorge Waterfalls race will not be happening in 2019. Many of the trails we use for the race are still closed and without knowing how much further damage the trails will sustain over the winter months, we are not able to secure the permits to hold this event.

We are very hopeful the trails will be well enough by 2020 to bring the race back and we will certainly keep applying for the permit! If you are local and would like to volunteer to do trail work, please visit Trailkeepers of Oregon or Friends of the Columbia Gorge pages for more info and to stay informed of ways to help.

Thank you for your continued patience and support of Rainshadow Running!

01/23/2018

The first report from the Forest Service has come out and as expected many of the trails in the Gorge have suffered severe damage from the fire and the subsequent rock and landslides. The trails are all still closed and many of them will likely be closed for quite a while. The area is very unstable and people need to obey the trail closures for their own safety and the safety of others.

When there are plans for volunteer work days we will let you know and we'll keep everyone as informed as we can about current conditions and projections for when the trails will be reopened and when we expect to hold the races again.

The U.S. Forest Service has finished assessing 20 miles of trail burned by the Eagle Creek Fire in the Columbia River Gorge.

10/18/2017

The Eagle Creek fire in the Gorge was emotionally, financially, and physically devastating. But according to the scientists in this video it might not have been ecologically devastating. https://www.outsideonline.com/2250021/eagle-creek-fire-damage

From filmmaker Trip Jennings, Eagle Creek Burn Fly follows Oregon State University forest specialists John Bailey and Lisa Ellsworth as they explore the intricacies of the wildfire that burned through the Columbia River Gorge in September and October 2017.

09/14/2017

Many of you have been following along with the Eagle Creek fire that is currently burning thousands of acres of trails in the Columbia River Gorge. It is with heavy hearts that we announce we will not be able to hold the 2018 Gorge Waterfalls 50K or 100K next spring. After a conversation with our ranger at the forest service, she informed us that they would not even begin to start repairing the trails until next spring. We are hopeful that we will be able to hold the race again in the future and we will certainly keep you all posted as soon as we have any more information.

For those who earned a lottery bypass for 2018, we will keep your names on a spreadsheet and if we are able to put on the race in 2019, you will still be guaranteed a spot in the race. The volunteer discount credits, as always, are good for any of our other races (excluding Orcas 100). If you cancelled your Gorge registration and received a roll over credit to 2018, please email Elizabeth at [email protected] to work out an alternate credit.

There will likely be a significant amount of trail work that is needed to fix the trails. If you would like to be involved in the repair of the Gorge, we recommend checking out one of these sites:
Friends of the Columbia Gorge
Trailkeepers of Oregon
Pacific Crest Trail Association
Washington Trails Association

Please do not attempt to hold your own trail work party or plant trees. These are all great gestures, but the best way to help is to get involved with one of the organizations above.

The forest service wants to stress to hikers and runners to please stay up to date on trail closures in the area and DO NOT enter those areas until they are officially open to the public. Some of these burn areas will likely be closed for months. We understand people are excited to pay homage to some of their favorite trails, but please respect the closures. Your presence do could do more harm to the trail and also put your safety in jeopardy. You can find more info on trail closures on the Forest Service webpage and there will likely be closings posted at the trailheads.

04/05/2017

Interested in trying some Inov-8 shoes or want to get a nice group run in before the Gorge Waterfalls races? We'll be having an Inov-8 demo Friday 4/7 at 6:00 pm. We'll be starting at Angel's Rest trailhead and going to the summit! It's just over 4 miles with some nice gain :) Run will be lead by Yassine Diboun from Wy'east Wolfpack. Hope to see you there!

03/19/2017

This winter has been quite rough on the Gorge trails including the ones we use for the race. We have seen or gotten reports of many trees that have fallen across the trails, snow and ice and boulders that have rolled onto to the trail. Unfortunately the Forest Service has no plans to send their staff to work on the trails and their volunteer coordinator who must approve all volunteer trail work on their trails has been too busy to approve the trail work we would like to do. But we are working with some well connected and experienced locals to try to remedy this ASAP and get some work done to improve the trail conditions.

If you have recent trail condition updates please email them(with as many specific details as possible such as what trail, where on that trail, rough how many and what size the trees are, etc) to [email protected] and also if you're interested in volunteering sometime before April 8th please also email James with what date/s your available and if you have experience and or Forest Service Saw Certification.

Thanks!

Photo credit Andrew Miller from March 11