We are excited to have Angels Staircase 60k/35k included in the 2014 US Skyrunner Series. Be sure to check out the offical race video from Project Talaria!

Registration Now Open!

Info



When:
60k Saturday August 9th 2014
60k Runner check-in: 6:00-6:45am
60k Start: 7:00am
Course Closes at 7:00pm for the 60k

35k Sunday August 10, 2013

35k Runner check-in: 8:00-8:45am
35k Start: 9:00am
Course Closes at 4:30pm for the 35k.   

Where: On the Eastern Side(aka sunny side) of the North Cascades in the Chelan Sawtooth Sub Range. The Start/Finish is at Foggy Dew Camp in the Methow Valley Ranger District in the Okanogan National Forest. Foggy Dew Trailhead is about a 20 minute drive from the little town of Carlton, WA(Carlton has no services. Twsip, Winthrop, Pateros and Chelan are better suited for buying gas, food and supplies.)  Click here for Driving Directions

Entry Fees: 

60k-- $90(not including tax and processing fees) or $100(not including tax and processing fees) after 10pm on August 1 2014  (not including price of shirt)
35k-- $55(not including tax and processing fees) or $65(not including tax and processing fees) after 10pm on August 1 2014  (not including price of shirt) 
NOTE: The higher than normal prices are a factor of the remoteness of the race. The extra money will be used for additional safety and communication.

Qualifications: This can't be your first rodeo! The 60k runners are required to have run at least two races in the mountains of 50k or greater distance before you sign up!!! The 35k no longer has a qualification requirement but you should still be prepared to run one of the hardest races you've ever ran. These race courses are very hard, very steep, very technical and very remote. Dropping out during the race will require walking or running numerous miles to the closest road. The 60k and 35k courses do not cross a single road except for the first and last 3 miles which are on dirt forest service rd.



Mandatory Rules: 

All 60k runners at all times must carry either two full size(20-22oz) water bottles or a hydration pack.


All 35k runners must carry at least one water bottle(20-22oz) or a hydration pack.


All Runners must always yield to horses, mountain bikes and motorbikes.


No cutting swtichbacks or running off trail or taking short cuts of any kind.


No cheating of any kind including no assistance from crews outside of aid stations, no performance enhancing drugs or other unfair, unhealthy, or unsportsmanlike methods of improving performance.


Prior signing up each runner must watch this entire video about trail safety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb9gPjafhWo&feature=player_embedded


Runners also must obey the instructions of race staff and volunteers, failure to do so will result in disqualification and a permanent and lifetime banning from all Rainshadow Running races. 


Recommended Gear(but not required):

Course Map
Course Description
Lightweight Jacket
Hat
Gloves
Sunscreen
Bug Repellent
Extra Food and Water and Electrolytes

Register:  https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=27809

T-Shirt: $32(incl. tax) additional. Short sleeved Patagonia Capilene 1. GENDER SPECIFIC SIZES ***Deadline is July 20th to get shirt! 

Cutoff Time: 7:00 pm/12hr for 60k and 4:30pm/7hr for 35k


Runners have 12 hours to complete the 60k. The race starts at 7am.  The cutoffs will be 11:30am at the top of Angels Staircase(~10.6mi), 1:30pm at Eagle Aid Atation(17.2), and 3:30pm at Martin Aid Station(24.8). 60k runners that don't make the cutoff at the top of Angels Staircase will have to turnaround there and they will be given the opportunity to get a 35k finish. Runners that don't make the cutoffs at Eagle and Martin Aid Stations will have to hike out with the aid station volunteers to the closest trailhead and get a ride with the volunteers back to the start/finish.

Runners have 7.5 hours to complete the 35k


Aid Stations:   The aid stations will have water, Gu Brew electrolyte drink, succeed electrolyte caps, Gu, and a variety of the normal ultra aid station food(cookies, chips, candy, etc.) 

No Drop Bags:  No drop bags due to the remote nature of this race 

$8000 in Prize Money!:

$1000 1st male and female for both races
$500 2nd male and female for both races
$250 3rd male and female for both races

PLUS Seven Hills Running Shop is donating a $250 Cash Prime for the 1st male and female, in both races, to the top of Angles Staircase. And a $100 gift card to the 2nd place male and female, in both races, to the top of Angels Staircase* 
*runners must also finish the race to be awared

Any runner found breaking any race rules will be disqualified and will forfeit any prize money. See "Mandatory Rules" above.


Fast Runners:
As with all of our races we like to encourage fast runners to run. We personally feel like it adds another positive component to an already fun filled weekend to have some of the best men and women runners in the world competing to see who can run the fastest. We encourage fast runners to contact the race director James Varner to inquire about free race entries and assistance with lodging and other travel costs--this assistance is limited by our budget and if we have more requests than our budget allows we will be giving preference based on the 2013 International Skyrunning Rankings.  More details on the US Skyrunning Website


Post Race: Post race party with lots of food including hand made pizza, lots of drinks including local microbrew and live music from The Pine Hearts. 




Where to Eat and Drink: 
My favorite places to eat are: East 20 Pizza(Winthrop), Twisp River Pub(Twisp), , Carlos's 1800 Grill and Cantina(Winthrop), the Rocking Horse Bakery(Winthrop), Glover Street Market(Twisp), Kelly's between Mazama and Winthrop and the Mazama Store(Mazama). 

There are two breweries and a winery in the Methow: The Old School House Brewery and The Lost River Winery are both in Winthrop and The Twisp River Pub is home of the Methow Valley Brewery. 

The Red Apple Grocery Store in Winthrop and Hanks Market in Twisp are both big sponsors of all our races. 

Driving Directions:
From Carlton, Twisp, Winthrop and anyone coming over HWY 20 aka The North Cascades Highway(Rainy Pass, Washington Pass, and Loup Loup Pass), Mt Vernon, Anacortes, Bellingham, Omak and most places in BC: Follow directions to Carlton, WA. From Carlton head south on HWY 153 for 3.5 miles and turn right onto Gold Creek Loop Rd. Go about 1.6 and turn right onto Gold Creek Rd(which is the first paved road on the right). Go about 1 mile and at a fork in the road bear to the right onto Rd 4340. Go about another 4 miles and turn left on to Rd 200(aka Rd 4340-200). You will cross a bridge and Foggy Dew Campground will be on your right and the Start/Finsh and race parking will be on the left in a big open area. Please park tighly--space is limited so we need to fit as many cars as we can in this open area. Driving time from Carlton: 20 minutes; From Twisp: 30 mins; From Winthrop: 45 mins.
From Pateros, Wenatchee, Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Pass, Spokane, Seattle, Everett, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland, etc.: Follow directions to Pateros, WA from Pateros take HWY 153 West towards the Methow Valley for 16.7 miles and turn left onto Gold Creek Loop Rd(which is about 4 miles east of Carlton, WA). Go about 0.8 mile and turn left onto Gold Creek Rd. Go about 1 mile and at a fork in the road bear to the right onto Rd 4340. Go about another 4 miles and turn left on to Rd 200(aka Rd 4340-200). You will cross a bridge and Foggy Dew Campground will be on your right and the Start/Finsh and race parking will be on the left in a big open area. Please park tighly--space is limited so we need to fit as many cars as we can in this open area. Driving Time from Pateros: 35 mins
Lodging:
Carlton: 
Twisp: 
Pateros: 
Winthrop:

Camping:

For those of you planning to camp at or near the start... there are a few options: Foggy Dew Camp has a handful of tent sites and a pit toilet; The start/finish is right across the road from Foggy Dew Camp and has room for tents or small camper van/RVs on the edges of the clearing; and on Rd 4340 just before you get to the turn to Foggy Dew Camp and Start/Finish there are a few unofficial sites down by the creek on the left hand side of the road as you drive in. If you have a normal size RV or bigger you'll want to camp at a real campground not at any of the above options.

 If you camp at the start/finish please don't set up your tent where a car could park-- parking is limited so please set up your tents in the woods along the edge of the parking area. 
 
And please no camp fires! There is a fire ban in effect for a very good reason-- it's very dry here! 
Parking and Carpooling:
No parking passes are needed at the start/finish or at the nearby foggy dew and crater lake trailheads. yay for free parking!

Parking is very limited please try to carpool with at least 2-3 people per car. To arrange a carpool you can try posting to the race facebook page or to theRainshadow Carpooling Website

Refund Policy: No refunds for any reason but if you notify us by August 4th you can transfer your entry to a future Rainshadow Running race.

Race Director: Email James Varner at james@rainshadowrunning.com