Crater Lake hosts marathon
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H&N Photo by Steve Matthies
Alex Peterson, 15, who will be a sophomore at Klamath Union High School in the fall competes in the Crater Lake Marathon at Crater Lake National Park. |
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Herald and News
Klamath Falls, Oregon
August 13, 2006
By Josh Petrie
CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK – With temperatures hovering around 40 degrees at the start and an average elevation of about 7,000 feet throughout the course, the runners at Saturday’s Crater Lake Rim Runs marathon knew they were in for a tough race.
The two first-time Rim Run competitors who led the pack of 116 didn’t know how tough until the 22-mile marker.
“To come out on top is just icing on the cake,” Ragsdale said. “I’ve never won a marathon, so to have this be my first win is one I’ll definitely always look back on as an old man.”Todd Ragsdale, a 37-year-old produce stacker from Talent, charged through the course first in 3 hours, 5 minutes, 45 seconds, followed by Ruslan Tkebuchava, 25, in 3:11:59.
Before finishing, both men had to first scale the hill at Grayback, an area where racers face a 470-foot elevation gain in 2.2 miles. Ragsdale and Tkebuchava had heard about Grayback, but neither had experienced it firsthand.
“I’d rather do any of the other eight miles than those two miles up the hill,” Ragsdale said. “It’s such an abrupt change of pace. You’re coming downhill for so long, you’re beating up your quads on the downhill, then all of a sudden, it’s just a whole other world.
“I figured if Rocky Balboa can do a comeback, I can keep swinging, too.” Tkebuchava, from Vancouver, Wash., said Grayback didn’t bother him as much as the longer hills in the second quarter of the race.
“Actually for me, it’s more how long the hill is than how steep it is,” he said. “I can charge up a steep hill and be done with it, but a long one you keep going and going and going, and it’s a little bit discouraging.”
For both men, the elevation changes throughout the race played more of a role than the high elevation itself.
“I’ve never really trained at altitude or run at this high altitude before, so I didn’t know how that was going to affect me,” Tkebuchava said. “But I didn’t think it affected me that much.”
Kentucky racer earns win
Donna Anderson came to Crater Lake from Danville, Ky., to run one last marathon before she turns 40.
She made the trip worthwhile, finishing fifth overall in 3:25:28 and winning women’s overall honors.
Anderson not only enjoyed the victory, but also the scenery provided by the lake and surrounding forest.
“It’ll be fun to call home and tell my kids and husband,” she said. “The scenery is just amazing, and the crisp air, there was no humidity and the weather was awesome.”
The toughest parts of the course for Anderson were the downhill miles after the halfway mark and, of course, Grayback. But she said she had a better run up the hill because of her comfort on the preceding flat section.
“I felt great on this flat stretch coming into campground,” Anderson said. “I’m glad I felt good going into the hill, because it was hard. It was harder than I expected.”
Brown does 100th run
For Harold Brown of LaGrande, this marathon marked a milestone in his road racing career.
Brown, 50, completed his 100th marathon – and 16th Rim Run – when he crossed the line in 4:16:52.
Brown ran his first marathon at Boise in 1981, and he knew after that race it would be far from his last.
“When I ran my first marathon in 1981, I had such a great time and felt so good, I immediately said to wife, ‘I want to run 100,’ “ Brown said. “It’s taken 25 years, and I’ve done it. It feels good, and I want to do another 100.”
He has maintained his love for running by keeping things simple and having fun.
“I don’t really train. If I get into a training regimen, it’s no fun,” Brown said. “I run the way I feel. If I feel like running hard, I run hard. If I don’t feel like running hard, I’ll take a nap.
“I’m out here for fun. I just like doing it.”
Other pages in this section
- Crater Lake Symposium Convenes Researchers – Fall/Winter 2006
- Brian Smith plans to answer call of world’s highest peak – December 31, 2006
- Survey says: Snow level ‘nearly normal’ – December 29, 2006
- Fatal crash closes Highway 97 – December 29, 2006
- Under proposal, Crater Lake entry fees would double – December 22, 2006
- Oregon Neutral In Shift From National Parks – December 15, 2006
- Big fee hikes at national parks are a bit too big – December 21, 2006
- Proposal would increase Crater Lake fees – December 18, 2006
- America’s Largest Bald Eagle Festival is President’s Day Weekend 2007 in the Klamath Basin of South Central Oregon – December 19, 2006
- Since You Asked: how much snow does Crater Lake get each winter? – December 14, 2006
- Volunteers become Park Service’s public face – November 28, 2006
- Pacific Crest Trail journey is a repeat performance – November 28, 2006
- Remembering a little boy lost – November 23, 2006
- Memorial Service Scheduled for Boy, 8, Lost at Crater Lake – November 18, 2006
- See old-growth, National Creek Falls on short trail – November 17, 2006
- Pine Beetles Can Set Stage for Disastrous Forest Fires – November 6, 2006
- Mom hopes to use dogs to find son – October 25, 2006
- Search for boy winds down – October 21, 2006
- Ceremony honors missing 8-year-old – October 21, 2006
- Search, hope for Portland boy all but over – October 21, 2006
- Searchers scour woods in vain – October 19, 2006
- Crater Lake Highway Renamed – October 18, 2006
- ‘Frustrating’ search – October 18, 2006
- Boulders, brush and bravery, but no boy – October 18, 2006
- Missing boy faces snow, wind – October 17, 2006
- Searchers continue to look for Portland boy missing near Crater Lake – October 17, 2006
- Snow slows search for boy missing at Crater Lake – October 17, 2006
- Massive search underway for Portland boy missing at Crater Lake – October 16, 2006
- Boy still missing at Crater Lake – October 16, 2006
- Mount Scott rewards hikers with a peak experience – September 29, 2006
- ‘The Good Fire’ – September 25, 2006
- Block Island will be featured on ABC show – September 22, 2006
- Bybee Complex Fires – September 14, 2006
- Snow job at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon – September 7, 2006
- Trees of heaven – September 7, 2006
- WebCam now available to view Crater Lake fire – September 7, 2006
- Natural end sought for Crater Lake fire – September 06, 2006
- Bybee Fire Complex Fact Sheet – September 2, 2006
- Crater Lake science and learning center opens – August 28, 2006
- Scientist to lecture about pines threatened by rust – August 27, 2006
- Lightning-stoked burns still growing – August 27, 2006
- Grand Opening of Science and Learning Center – August 24, 2006
- Newest Puzzle Fire near Mt. Jefferson tops 4,100 Acres – August 22, 2006
- Roving the Floor of Crater Lake – August 21, 2006
- Weather makes firefighters work harder – August 20, 2006
- Found in the ashes – August 20, 2006
- Crater Lake due for odd visitor – August 18, 2006
- Army veteran finally gets to run – August 14, 2006
- ‘What you see is what you get’ – August 12, 2006
- Tourists watch fire left to burn at Crater Lake – August 7, 2006
- Terry Richard picks Oregon’s best mountain hikes – August 6, 2006
- Bybee fire use update – August 3, 2006
- Crater Lake will help clear brush – August 1, 2006
- John Carl Owings – August 1, 2006
- Finding their place in the sun – August 1, 2006
- Building improvements, relocation of the primary parking lot – July 28, 2006
- ‘Vets’ highway’ idea reaches impasse – July 26, 2006
- The essence of Oregon summer: visiting Crater Lake – July 23, 2006
- Bill would boost size of Upper Klamath Refuge – July 10, 2006
- History into stories – July, 2006
- Find haven of coolness along Red Blanket Creek – July 14, 2006
- U.S. considers closer watch on volcanoes – July 13, 2006
- Lack of cash strains national parks – June 24, 2006
- Volcano Man: New Superintendent Enjoys Craters of the Moon – June 23, 2006
- Can bicycling be Oregon’s Maine event? – June 16, 2006
- Annie Creek Restaurant set to open at Crater Lake – May 25, 2006
- Rouse to mark 50 years – April 23, 2006
- Gerald L. ‘Gary’ Hathaway – December 12, 2001
- Senator Boxer announces National Scenic Byway grants for northern California All-American Road – March 31, 2006
- Walking on Crater Lake – February 21, 2006
- Dispute swirls around geothermal project – January 14, 2006
- William Arthur ‘Bill’ Bloom – January 13, 2006
- Crater restaurant-gift shop nears completion – January 05, 2006
- Crater Lake: preserved in all its glory –