Latest News and Updates:
6/06/2010 – Three person relay results
6/05/2010 – Two person relay results
6/03/2010 – Solo category results
5/31/2010 – The 2010 race was cancelled during the event (we officially cut it off at Mink Creek, mile 32) due to horrible weather and consequently dangerous conditions at the higher elevations. The second to last thing that a race director wants to do is cancel their race while it’s in progress. The last thing that a race director wants to do is attend funeral services for runner(s) who perished while on their course, a scenario that was all too possible on Saturday. We’ve both run in very bad conditions before, have significant experience in the mountains, and because of this know the decision to pull the plug was the right one. Given how bad it was on the first two legs of the course, the final 20 miles would have been complete survival mode for even the most prepared and fit runners.
As race directors, we learned many things from this experience and will consolidate our thoughts so others can learn from it. One of our best improvements over the 2009 race was the communications infrastructure organized by the Porneuf ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services). They worked with us to build a system that ended up working perfectly. When the seriousness of the situation became apparent, the Bannock County Search and Rescue (S&R) team was assembled, and the Porneuf ARES group quickly expanded their role and became part of the S&R effort. Without all of their help the situation could have been much worse. Bottom line is that if you plan to hold an organized race, the first thing you should have setup is a strong communication plan and a contingency plan for the worst possible scenario.
The competition up front was amazingly fierce this year and times through mile 17 and 32 that are mind boggling, especially given the conditions. It would have been quite a show to continue to see the race unfold over the last leg and course records would likely have gone down in all of our categories (solo male, solo female, 2-person and 3 person relay). If weather had been good, I would argue that right now we would be looking at some of the most amazing performances of the year. We’ll post the results we have for the 50k in the next few days.
Sunday (day after the race) the skies cleared and temps were in the high 60′s – perfect conditions. As we ran leg 2 on Sunday to clear our heads, we marveled at the quality of the course. Will we do it again? The answer is…. most likely yes. But, some format changes will be made.
An enormous thanks to all the volunteers who give so much to this event, Mindy Campbell (Jared’s amazing wife!), the Shaver family, the Spurlocks, the crew at Scott’s Ski and Sport, Dr. Sherwin D’Souza, the Portneuf ARES, Travis and Lori VanRum, etc. Also, thanks so much to all the kind emails and “chat” comments we’ve received since Saturday. Some interesting dialog is sure to arise from this event and the decision to cancel it. A flavor of it is below
- Missy Berkel’s write-up
- iRunFar’s account
- Luke Nelson’s write-up
- Scott Jaime’s write-up
- Idaho State Journal
Hopefully we’ll see you in 2011!
Sincerely,
Jared and Ryan
We have runners representing 12 different states: Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming. And we’re now international with 2 entrant from Hadano, Japan!
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Welcome to the Pocatello 50 Mile Trail Run webpage. This year’s race will be held on May 29th, 2010. Information about the race can be found using the tabs above. We are very excited about holding the second Pocatello 50 Mile Trail Run, again in its solo and relay formats. This unique format proved to be appealing to a broad audience of runners from those just getting into long distance trail running to some of the country’s best!
In 2010 we will again do our part to make this a “carbon neutral” race by donating to the “Renewable Energy Campaign” operated by the University of Utah (http://windpower.utah.edu). We will donate enough to cover the commuting done by the runners and volunteers. We encourage you to do what you can.
In addition, proceeds from the race will be used to make a donation to a meaningful charity.
We hope you’ll join us for this exciting event!
Sincerely,
Jared Campbell
Ryan McDermott
Race Directors for the P50
This event is held in part on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, under special use permit with the Westside Ranger District
This event is a USATF sanctioned race.
