Gorge Waterfalls 100 K (-17 km) 2023 - DNF ( Did Not Finish ) Did not make the cut-off

Crossing over the bridge . Photo credit James Holk .

Gorge Waterfalls 100 km(-17 km) April 1 2023 – DNF – Did not make the last cutoff :(

One of the many beautiful waterfalls ! Photo credit James Holk .

I thought it would be fun to start 2023 off with a race on April Fool's Day! I mean really..what could go wrong?

Well for me, almost everything. My first DNF. I can't say I'm proud of it, but they happen to everyone eventually.

Taking a Kodak moment . Photo credit me .

I knew going into this race a 16 hour cut-off for 100 km sounded tight. I was hoping maybe it was an April fools joke? There was an early start option for 17 hours. Not to sound arrogant, but I've never worried about cut offs nor considered an early start in the past, but I did for this race. I knew my preparation for this race was not my normal routine. In early February, I was diagnosed with a knee overuse injury. A few days after running the Seven Peaks route (38 km ) during a training run, my knee became swollen and painful. My physio, Jaymie McGowan, recommended I get an x-ray, ultra sound and referral to Rebalance to see what is going on.

I've had a bit of a niggle knee which started in preparation for Fat Dog 70 miler in 2019. For the past couple of Februarys, my knee pain has come back. My knee seems to hate cold and damp winter conditions, typical of osteoarthritis (says Dr. Google diagnosis). Commuting on my bike and standing all day at work was uncomfortable . I was feeling depressed, thinking maybe my running days were coming to an end.

My training consisted mostly swimming, biking, strength training and yoga. Eventually after two weeks off from running I decided to try the IFA Great Ferry Run, which was 63 km at the end of February; this was more of a slow hike. My knee was surprisingly okay. Two weeks before the race I got into Rebalance to see Dr. Eric Torstensen and was relieved to hear my X- ray looked fine. Green light for Gorge 100. I was planning to go regardless, if I couldn't race I could at least volunteer. It was a slow return with minimal run training, but felt more like preparing for a triathlon than a 100 k trail race.

My reasons for going to Gorge Waterfalls? I booked this trip in January and had already paid for my flight and accommodations and there was no cancellation money back option. I wasn't able to drop down to the 30 or 50 km and couldn't of course, get a pregnancy deferral, so I had no choice but to try to finish the race and use it as a stepping stone to Fat dog 120 miler in August.

Race start and finish area for the 100 km .

Gorge Waterfalls, formerly a Rain Shadow race event and now taken over by Freetrail and Day Break racing, offers the scenic 100 k, 50 k and 30 k trail races through the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. One of the most preeminent trail races in the Pacific Northwest, it is home to some of the greatest trail race events in the Pacific Northwest. After four years of cancellation and thousands of hours of trail restoration, after a major forest fire, the event was brought back in 2022 with the start/finish area along the banks of the Columbia River at Marine Park in Cascade locks.

If you saw the movie “Wild”, this is the place where star Reese Witherspoon was filmed at the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks, USA; the bridge where Cheryl Strayed ended her journey after hiking 1000 miles on the Pacific Coast trail.

Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia River.

I walked across this iconic bridge on Thursday when I arrived to tour the town. It was a bit unnerving crossing the grated bridge, facing traffic as there was no pedestrian walkway. Pedestrians are allowed to walk across and you don't have to pay the toll. The bridge crosses over to Stevenson, Washington. There were some amazing views!

This was my first solo trip pre-pandemic flying from Victoria to Vancouver to Portland. I was feeling a bit rusty while travelling by plane. After a 15 minute flight delay I was escorted quickly off the plane by an Air Canada agent to get through US customs fast to make my tight connection. Thankfully I was travelling light, no checked baggage, with my new 35 litre Cotopaxi travel bag, so colourful and will never get lost. From Portland airport I took the MAX light rail train to catch a bus ( $10 USD ) to Cascade Locks. Pretty easy way to travel and cheap because I used Air Miles for my flight; total cost about $100 CAD to get there.

Waiting for the Columbia Express at Gateway IMAC station .

I made a quick pit stop to Trader Joes to pick up a few groceries and body care supplies. Wished I had bought more food at TJ's as Cascade Locks does not have much of a grocery store and pickings are slim if you eat gluten-free or healthy at all. So be prepared if you go to this race. There is a larger grocery store in Stevenson, WA as I found out later.

$10 USD bus ride from Portland to Cascade Locks

The bus dropped me off about a block from my hotel, the Columbia Gorge, which was within walking distance to the start / finish area at Marine Park. The hotel was standard, reasonably priced and closest to the race start. The Gorge Pub was right next door, where race package pickup was too and if you had one too many beer, you're only steps away from the hotel!

Not the Fairmont but close to the race /start and finish .

Race package pick up and great local beer!

Thursday evening race pack pick up at the Gorge Pub. Markus Pirker and Ed Welwood also registered in the 100 km. Karen Welwood and Alysha Quinn both registered in the 30 km race Friday. They had driven down together and were staying at an Air B & B in Stevenson, WA. Markus, who was also registered in the 100 km but was unable to compete, offered to pace me the last 14 miles to the finish line.

Pre - race shake out run along the start of the course .

Friday morning I went for a 30 min shake out run and made my way to the finish area to cheer on Karen who won her age group, and Alysha who finished strong in the 30 km race. They timed it well, as the rain started just as they finished the race. We huddled in the post race lodge and Marcus asked what my race plan was. I didn't have one. I felt totally unprepared and the only plan I had was to make the cut-offs and hope to finish. Not very strategic. I think my lack of confidence in myself, in my preparation, setting myself up for self-sabbatoge.

Karen Welwood on her way to winning her age group ! photo credit Somer Kreisman .

I wasn't sure if I could make it to 50 km by 12:30 pm cut-off, not to mention 100km given my lack of run-specific fitness since February. I was uncertain about how my knee was going to feel as well. I was relying on hope and stubbornness. I couldn't really give an estimate on my pace and where I would be at any aid station. Truthfully my head wasn't into the game, I was feeling alone , depressed and I set myself up for failure, by not having a plan. On paper the course looked fairly runnable with 14, 000 feet of elevation gain and loss. I had nothing to really to compare it to, timewise, other than the Finlayson Arm 100 km in 2020, which took me 23 hours, and was a completely different course.

Alysha Quinlan in the 30 k looking strong ! photo credit Somer Kreisman.

I went back to the hotel, packed my two drop bags with lots of rain gear as the forecast was 100% chance of rain for Saturday. I tried to get excited, but my heart wasn't into it. My pre-race dinner was arugula salad and cider. I didn't really care about being fuelled as I figured I'd be nibbling all day during the race. I watched “Monster In Law“ on TV and was in bed by 9:30am. I couldn't sleep as the sound of the rain woke me up. Up at 4 am to get ready for the 6 am main start.

I walked over to the start area in the dark drizzly morning, dropped off my two drop bags and found Alysha, Markus, Karen and Ed in the lodge, staying dry before the 6am start. I was feeling defeated from the start. Lets make the best of it and off we went.

I had my Ultraspire waist light on as it was dark. The first bit of the race was mostly a nice gentle paved trail. I was running and chatting with a girl from Colorado who was racing Leadville this year and was using this as a training race. Good way to look at it. I'm using this as my Fat Dog 120 training race.

As soon as we hit the first single track climb she power hiked steadily away from me. She looked very strong and on a mission. It was getting light out and the rain had stopped momentarily but was on and off again. I wore my Merino wool t-shirt with new lulu lemon arm warmers, a Smartwool vest with a broken zipper held together by safety pins and Merino wool gloves. I had ordered a new vest but it didn't arrive in time for the race. The vest is very warm, ultralight and has a hood which is nice to keep my head and neck warm. I'm sensitive to cold so I was worried about staying warm in rainy conditions.

I did carry my hiking poles and extra rain jacket and emergency pants in case I needed them. I was amazed by how many people wear shorts in this weather! I wore my usual capri tights and my Canadian flag compression socks. I wore my knee compression garment for extra warmth and insurance.

Coming into the first aid station Wahclella 6 miles in, it was nice to see Karen and Alysha cheering. I didn't stop for anything here as I didn't need it. I hadn't been fuelling other than a few sips of water. Definitely don't need to worry about dehydration today as it was cool and overcast with light showers.

I came upon another woman, Tera, who had just gotten in on the waitlist a few weeks prior and said she wasn't really trained up for it. I enjoyed running with her as we had a similar pace. She seemed very accomplished and told me she had done Western States. As we were running on the long stretch of pavement she said “I feel like I'm running a marathon.” We both laughed. True that!

As we came into the second aid station, Ainsworth, at 13 miles I stopped as a volunteer helped me to refill my two flasks of Tailwind. Tera was in and out and gone. I had some warm chicken broth and it gave me a lift. Darn I wished I would have suggested running together, but it is a race after all. I thought maybe I could catch her, but I wasn't moving quickly enough. There were sections of thick clay like mud, wet rocky sections were slippery ankle busters mixed in with flowing runnable single track. The infamous waterfalls were amazing and beautiful! There was one photographer I saw at a water crossing. He said to me “How are you doing?” I don't think I looked too happy. I tried to smile and say I was okay. The truth was I was at a real low point. Probably just done being cold and wet and maybe a sign of being under-fuelled. I didn't feel like drinking cold Tailwind on a cold and wet day.The climbing was manageable without poles, although I did see people using them. I didn't bother to use them as I feel slower on the descents with the, but in hindsight it would have been good to save some leg strength. Then it started to rain and snow. Really? It's April Fools Day, is this a bad joke? It got colder as I climbed and the wind picked up, which made it feel colder in wet clothes. I thought about stopping to put on my rain jacket, but then I thought it was better to keep moving and stay warm. I put my hood up and tied my buff around my head to keep it from the wind blowing it off . My hands were freezing in my cold and wet gloves . I had buffs tied around my wrists for extra warmth

. On the descent I could feel the temperature warming up. I could see blue sky and my spirits were boosted. I could feel some warm sun and it started to feel dry and warmer. Hallelujah! As soon as I felt warm and dry it started to rain and now hail. Just couldn't win today!

I knew I had extra layers in my drop bag at Ainscoth (2) so I could change into dry clothes there. I saw Tera here again. It was nice to see her. She said she was behind on her nutrition and not moving fast enough to stay warm. She was going to start walking. The cut-off here was 12: 30 and my watch said 12:10. It was close but I made it.

It was pissing rain and there was no covered area to change and my drop bag was soaking wet. Luckily I had put my clothes in ziplock bags so they were dry. I decided not to change here as I was likely to get wet again, so I carried my dry clothes in my bag so I could change later if I needed to. I'm happy I had packed a Snickers bar; it was so good. I stopped in the porta-potti and thought about changing but then I'd have to carry all my wet stuff again, so I opted not to. I wasn't even thinking straight at this point. Fuck it just keep going. It's going to take more time to change and I didn't have time to waste. Another girl behind me asked if I knew the next cut off. I didn't. Guess I should have known that.

As I walked along the road section I texted Markus as planned, to tell him I had made it to Ainscoth. The message didn't go through, so I decided to call him as I walked along the road. Why was I walking? I should have been running. Marcus said he would be at Cascade Locks aid station. I knew they were really there for Ed, not me, but I appreciated having some support. I had to make it to Wyeth aid station by 6:30pm cut off where Markus would pace me to the finish.

This was a lonely stretch with no one in front and no one behind me. I had the course GPS on my watch so I knew I was on course. It was well flagged too so you couldn't get lost. I was feeling really at the back of the pack now. As another woman racer approached me, maybe she did the early start, she said “Hey. Your nose is bleeding.” I tend to get nose bleeds on long races. It’s probably just the cold air. Guess that's what buffs are for.

As I finally approached Cascade Locks aid station at about 36 miles I was happy to see Marcus and Alyssa. The sun was out. I was in a rush to get in and out since time was a factor. I asked how Ed was doing and Markus said he had dropped. I was shocked to hear that since I knew he had trained really well and was super fit for this race. I'm guessing cold wet conditions really affected him too.

Marcus said “Ok stop and take a moment. Eat some food and I'll refill your water bladder.” I hadn't been drinking much. I ate a few pieces of Quesadilla, Coke, chicken broth, a small square of P and J, a few pretzels. Guess I was hungry.

Marcus said “You need to have enough food on you for at least 3 hours.” He stuffed a few Spring gels in my pack and off I went. My plan was to change into dry clothes once I got to Wyeth aid station because it would be getting dark and cold. I was feeling re-energized after seeing them and thought I'll keep going as long as I can. My left leg was cramping a bit. It just didn't have the same power as my right leg.

I stopped to find some salt tabs in my bag but couldn't find them. A kind gentleman competitor offered me two of his salt stick chews. This was a nice section of runnable single track trails with some climbing. There was a woman in front with a purple pack. She was my goal to catch her. I climbed steadily behind her, eventually passing her at the top of the climb. I asked her how she was doing. She replied “Not great”. Yeah I could feel her pain. You know when you're not going well, it sucks.

I alternated walking and running most of the way here. My legs were feeling done. Racers and pacers were now coming towards me. Most of them were fast and young! As we passed each other we cheered each other on.

I kept looking at my watch trying to do the math and realized I was probably not going to make the 6:30 pm cut off. It was getting over cast and dusky. I kept asking how much further to the next aid station. “Oh another 6 miles”. Then it became 2 miles, then 2 kms, and finally getting into the parking lot of the aid station at Wyeth , I saw Marcus and Alyssa. I knew I hadn’t make the cut off. It was like being in the Amazing Race Canada “I'm sorry to say you are the last team to arrive.”, Only I was a solo team.

I felt disheartened and disappointed in myself. I have never not made a cut off before. Here I was at 83 km in the 100 km race. I asked if I could continue just to finish on officially and was told no for safety reasons. Just then the skies opened up and it started to pour. Well I guess I'm done. I hit stop on my Garmin and for a brief moment was grateful this day was over. Had I made it I would have kept going, but the decision was made for me. I couldn’t continue. I changed into some dry clothes and we picked up another racer who DNFed here and drove back to the start finish area . We picked up my dry bags and got dropped off at my hotel room with a steak burrito that they had bought me for dinner.

! stood in my piddly hotel shower for at least half hour trying to get warm, cranked the heat in the room and got under the warm covers. I could still be out there in the rain. Kind of wished I was. I was feeling lame. My first DNF and having a self pity party. Well I’m sure I wasn't alone. I knew that in my age group alone only five women finished and 11 DNF’d. That seems pretty high. In all 180 people finished within 16 hours, 112 people DNF’d (35%), and 28 finished in 17 hours. So it's likely I might have been able to finish had I taken the early start for a 17 hour cut off. I'll never know. I do regret this decision, but I found it weird they offered that with the tight cut offs.

Words from my coach Matt Cecil “As disappointing as it is, a month ago or so we didn't know if you would be able to start this race. (Which is true). Cross training has its benefits, but will never replace the run-specific fitness we gain from actual running. It was a tough combo of dropping run volume from normal prep, coupled with aggressive cut offs for this particular race.” I slogged it out in miserable conditions for as long as I could. It was a good training run for Fat Dog. I'm grateful feeling okay so that's a positive sign to move forward.

McMenamins Kennedy School in Portand , Oregon

The next day I took the bus back to Portland, and then the MAX light rail to stay at the McMenamins Kennedy School for Sunday evening. It's a school converted into a hotel and has themed bars, a mineral springs pool and a theatre in a converted gymnasium. The feature movie was “Everything, Everywhere all at Once.” Kind of a bizarre movie, especially after a couple of drinks. It took my mind off of the race.

Opened in 2008, former domain of the old janitor, Steve Hutton.

I had an early flight home the next morning. Up at 3am to get to the airport at 4:00am for a 5:30am flight. Another flight delay as the stewardess left her passport in the hotel room (like we need to know that). So I had lots of extra time to think and reflect on the weekend. On my connection from Vancouver to Victoria I was in good company with Steve Mandy coming back from a funeral in Ontario. We had a nice chat about race DNF's and it didn't make me feel so alone.

Drowning my sorrows in the Mineral pool.

Next up is Cobble Hill VITRS May 13, Kusam Klimb June 24, and maybe one other redemption race before Fat dog 120 in August. I know I have a lot of work to do and I'm excited for the journey.

What did I learn from this race? Don't be a fool! Pay attention to cut offs and have a plan, no matter what shape you are in. If you don't have a plan, plan to fail.

Next year's Gorge Waterfalls race is planned for April 12-14 2024. It has been moved to two weeks later to allow more daylight, more trail work to be conducted as well as less mud and possibly more sunshine! I will be back!

Big thank you to Marcus Pirker and Alysha Quinlan for your support during the race, Freetrail and Daybreak racing, all of the supportive volunteers out in the inclement weather, my amazing run coach Matt Cecil, strength and conditioning coach Holly Dickinson, physio Jaymie McGlowan, Alain Scmitz RAC, Fiona Peters RAC, the Bad Ass Chicks, the Forest Dwellers, November Project Victoria -for the inspiring video, Mercury Rising coaches Kylie Acford and Clint Lien - for all the great swim workouts that kept me sane, Shannon Baerg who lent me her bike trainer I never used but kept me company on the roads outside, Ma Yoga for the great classes that keep me flexible and strong, and David Marlor for driving me to and from the airport. You can't do these races alone. You need a strong team behind you that has your back!