Running Commentary

After two months, my New Year's resolution to run nearly every day remains intact and I even have my first "race" under my belt. I qualify the word "race" because I've never run slower in a timed event than last weekend's Buck Mountain Mudslinger trail run near Silver Falls.

My wife Deirdre and I, along with other local runners Rhonda Schantz, Sean Meissner, Wendy Miller, Tami Gill, Lois Kaping, and Char Sundstrom, traveled over the mountains for the first running of the Mudslinger, which certainly lived up to its billing.

For those of you unfamiliar with Silver Falls State Park, it is a majestically beautiful area about 25 miles northeast of Salem that features wonderful waterfalls, huge fir trees, and miles and miles of trails for hiking, running, biking and horse-back riding.

Having grown up in the area (I often rode my bike up to Silver Falls from Sublimity as a kid) I was as pleasantly surprised as anyone that the day broke under blue skies and moderate temperatures. Rain from the previous few days did provide plenty of mud on the 6.5-mile course, but the sunshine streaming through the old-growth, fern-carpeted forest counteracted any ill feelings about the steep hills and grease-like mud along the course.

Somewhere around the four-mile mark the trail turned back uphill after a long mud-skiing downhill section and we were met with a stream of water running down the trail, making our ability to maintain momentum laughable. Memories and camaraderie were created right then and there.

I think that this is the strongest pull to me as a runner. The simple act of joining together with others on a run, especially a crazy one like the Mudslinger, brings a bond that happens more naturally and easily than any other activity I can think of.

My cross-country runners experience this. I re-experience it every time Deirdre pulls out our Forest Service map and plots another run for us to try.

The bond can last for a lifetime. One of my former runners, Randy Benthin, now 36 years old, met me at the race after I found him on Facebook and invited him to join us. (As his former coach, I am proud to say he placed eighth overall).

Another fellow who I used to run with, Ron Church, hadn't seen me since I moved to Sisters from Silverton 16 years ago, reconnected immediately. Last week, Sue, a runner from Portland, who owns a home in Crossroads, joined Deirdre and me on a trail run from Tollgate and we look forward to seeing her again for another beautiful run among the pondersosas and manzanita when she is back in town.

For the record... at Mudslinger, Sean Meissner finished third overall in the race (46:17), to claim top honors among the Sisters folks. Deirdre Kanzig claimed the top spot among women from Sisters and dusted (mudded?) yours truly in the process. Char Sundstrom, Wendy Miller, Lois Kaping and Tami Gill, who drove over together the morning of the race, reportedly had a splendid day, especially after Gill won not just one, but two valuable prizes in the raffle after the race.

Upcoming races:

• The "Raining Love Run," a benefit for the Mr. SHS competition, is set for this Saturday, March 6, at Sisters Athletic Club. Registration forms are available at SAC and at Sisters High School. A five-kilometer run and walk, along with a one-kilometer kids race, are on tap. Registration is at 9 a.m .; kids' run is at 9:30 a.m .; walk is at 9:45; and the run begins at 10 a.m.

• The "Grin and Bear It" Run, a fund-raiser for Healthy Beginnings, takes place the following week, March 13 in Bend. Information is available at http://www.footzonebend.com.

If you have ideas for a run that you would like to lead or take part in, or if you have comments or questions for me, e-mail [email protected]