Sunday, June 12 will mark 10 years of the Dirty Half. Will anyone beat Max King this year? Last year King won the trail half marathon in 1 hour, 11.3 seconds, but Carlos Truillo was close, finishing in 1:12.17. Eugene's Sopagna Eap won the women's event in 1:22.22. Both King and Eap set new course records in 2010. What's in store for 2011?
But it's not just about running for a long time in the woods. All of the proceeds for the race go to the Deschutes Land Trust. After factoring in last year's sums, the Dirty Half has contributed more than $100,000 (!) over the years. That's a heap of runners racing for a good cause — our local hills, forests and deserts.
This year boasts a new course and promoters expect more than 800 runners for the annual event.
I just saw this video by local production company Hellfish TV that gives an all-encompassing look at last weekend's WinterFest. The music you'll hear is a tune from Empty Space Orchestra's new album, which will be released this spring.
Winterfest 2011 - Bend, OR from Joe Hite on Vimeo.
Remember last year when the Source asked you to guess when Mt. Bachelor would hit 100 inches in base depth...and then it didn't happen until sometime in February. Or maybe March?
Well, according to this morning's ski report, Mt. Bachelor has exactly 100 inches of snow at the base of the mountain. Impressive, considering it's still December.
Even more impressive is the mountain's 272 inches of total snowfall this season...and there are easily four more months of snowfall ahead.
To those of you reading this on your iPhone on the lift, have fun. To the rest of us stuck in offices today wishing we were those people on the lift...this kinda sucks, doesn't it?