White River 50 Mile

Saturday July 30th, 2022
Greenwater, WA 

Miguel Gomez's 2022 video race report
Slideshow of some of the 2021 Pictures
Overview

​Set in the shadow of Mt. Rainier, this classic race offers spectacular views. Like "The Mountain" itself, though, the race stands as an ultimate test of mental character and physical endurance. Over the 50-mile distance the race course rises and falls a staggering 8,700 feet (total elevation change: 17,400 feet). The race features rolling terrain, ridge tops, northwest forest, mostly single track trail, and two big climbs and descents.  For decades runners, including many of the best, have come here to push themselves and run in a spectacular place!
Registration and Past Results

Registration opens January 18th.
  • $180 (plus applicable fees) 
  • Be sure to check out our Cancellation Policies
  • NO REFUNDS for Entry Fees and NO BIB TRANSFERS​​
2022 Results (tentative)            Past Results (2021-1993) can be found here   ​
Race Weekend Timeline

Friday July 29th
  • We encourage folks to come and camp out with us at the start/finish for the whole weekend, this area has been super popular lately with the general public so we recommend arriving early to get your spot. 
  • At this time we are not planning on doing the traditional pre-race meeting/dinner

Saturday July 30th
  • 5:00 to 5:45am: Bib & shirt pickup/check-in at Buck Creek Campground*
    *EVERYONE NEEDS TO SHOW PHOTO ID TO PICK UP THEIR BIB
  • ​5:45 deadline to drop of your drop bags at the start/finish
  • 6:00am: Race Start  
  • 10:30 am: Cut off at Noble Knob mile 11.6
  • 12:30 pm: Cut off at Noble Knob mile 21.1
  • 1:30 pm: Cut off at Buck Creek, mile 27.2
  • 3:00 pm: Cut off at Fawn Ridge, mile 31.0
  • 5:00 pm: Cut off at Sun Top, mile 36.3
  • 6:30 pm: Cut off at Skookum Flats, mile 42.7
  • 8:00 pm: Course cut-off**
    ​**Even though the cut off is technically at 8:00PM any runner who makes it out of the last aid station by the cutoff there and then completes the course will get an official finish even if they arrive after 8pm.
Course Info
We've made a couple of slight changes to the race course for 2022. It all starts with moving the start/finish and the Buck Creek Aid Station from the "front" of the campground to about a half mile further down the road to the "back" of the campground. And the next change is to the first couple miles of the race, instead of running on the campground road from the front of the campground to the back of the campground and then taking the trail to the front of the campground runners will now start the race by just running from the back of the campground to the front of the campground. This cuts out about 0.7 mile at the start of the first "half" of the race but we add that 0.7 mile back onto the first "half" of the course by running the trail through the campground from the front to the back to get to the Buck Creek Aid Station. The second "half" of the course will be the same as in the past except it'll start at the back end of the campground and finish and the back end of the campground and instead of finishing on the campground road it will finish on the trail. 

The reason for these minimal changes: 
  • Better start/finish location with more shade, less dust and closer access to the river (good for washing the dust and sweat off and cooling off)
  • Less road, more trail
Download the .gpx file and load it into your favorite GPS app or watch.
NEW 2022 White River 50.gpx
File Size: 81 kb
File Type: gpx
Download File
(Ignore the distance on this profile it's just a rough estimate -- the course is 50 miles)
COVID Plans

As guidance evolves we will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our COVID safety plans. Here are current plans for this race:​
  • Encouraging everyone to get vaccinated AND boosted
  • Asking that if you're sick that you stay home
  • Keeping everyone as spread out as possible by either keeping races small and or using "wave starts"
  • Reducing contact of surfaces and increased cleaning and sanitizing of surfaces.
  • Having volunteers use gloves whenever preparing or handling food and drinks.
    ​
We've taken an intentionally conservative approach throughout the pandemic with all of our races with the goal to do our best to prevent further spread of the virus as there are still folks who are unvaccinated and it is possible to still get COVID even if you are vaccinated. Runners will get emails leading up to the race with more specific information and instructions tailored specifically for this year's race. ​
Aid Stations & Drop Bags

There are 7 full service aid stations, drop bags are OK at all of them (except Aid #1 Camp Sheppard) and crew access is allowed at 5 aid stations (although crew is not recommended Noble Knob because the road is not great and the parking is limited). Each aid station will be stocked with water, Nuun electrolyte drink, a variety of soft drinks, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, fresh fruit, chips, pickles, and assorted cookies or candy. We will have a variety of GU gels, but we do ask that you only use those to supplement what you are providing for yourself.  There will also be first aid supplies, sunscreen, bug spray, and menstrual hygiene products for issues that arise on the course.  

DROP BAGS NEED TO BE DROPPED OFF AT THE START/FINISH BY 5:45AM

Our volunteers are tracking all runners at the aid stations, so please wear your bib visibly on the front of your body.  

  • AID STATION #1: CAMP SHEPPARD
    • Mile 3.0
    • Drop Bags: NO
    • Crew: OK
    • Cut off: N/A
    • Terrain: Start to Camp Sheppard--Dirt road, wide trail and single track trail. This leg starts out with approximately 2 miles of open dirt road running around the airstrip, followed by a short section of wide trail. After crossing Hwy. 410, there are approximately 2 miles of rolling single-track trail.

  • AID STATION #2: NOBLE KNOB
    • Mile 11.6
    • Drop Bags: OK
    • Crew: OK, but not recommended
    • Cut off: 10:30
    • Terrain: Camp Sheppard to Noble Knob--Single track trail. This leg starts with 1.6 miles of flat then get ready for the first major climb in the race. The course will climb nearly 2900 feet over the next 6 miles.

  • AID STATION #3: NOBLE KNOB
    • Mile: 21.1
    • Drop Bags OK
    • Crew: OK, but not recommended
    • Cut off: 12:30
    • Terrain: Noble Knob to Corral Pass to Noble Knob--Single track trail. The beginning of this leg finishes off the last 2 miles of the first major climb of the race with 400 more feet of elevation gain, topping out at 5600 feet. The next 4 miles of beautiful, rolling, ridge-line running borders the Norse Peak Wilderness area. This will be your chance to see how the competition is shaping up as this is an out n back section with a little loop at the far end(Corral Pass area). Everyone should be cautious on this out and back section but slower runners please yield to the faster traffic whenever possible. You will finish this section off with the first 2 miles of a 6.8-mile descent.

  • AID STATION #4: BUCK CREEK
    • Mile: 27.2
    • Drop Bags: OK
    • Crew: OK
    • Cut off: 1:30PM
    • Terrain: Noble Knob to Buck Creek--.Single track trail. The first 0.6 miles of this section is the last part of the out and back section. At the intersection of the Palisades Trail and the Ranger Creek Trail turn left to head down Ranger Creek Tr. This 4.8-mile section of downhill running is a blast. Be careful not to burn all your downhill speed before the 2nd half of the course. There are often lots of runners taking falls on this section, be careful. And at the bottom of the hill there's a major road crossing(HWY 410) so please pay attention to the crossing guard.

  • AID STATION #5: FAWN RIDGE 
    • Mile: 31.0
    • Drop Bags: OK
    • Crew: NO
    • Cut off: 3:00PM
    • Terrain: Buck Creek to Fawn Ridge--Single track trail. After a nice flat 2-mile cruise through the woods you will start climbing up the second and last major climb in the race. Don't worry, it will only last 8.5 miles. Be patient on the first few miles of this climb because the sun can get hot on the switchbacks through the clear cut. After climbing about 2.5 miles and nearly 1800 feet, you will arrive at the aid station.

  • AID STATION #6: SUN TOP​
    • Mile: 36.3
    • Drop Bags: OK
    • Crew: NO
    • Cut off: 5:00PM
    • Terrain: Fawn Ridge to Sun Top-- Single track trail. The trail continues to climb another 1000 feet during the next 3 miles. The false summit provides a great view of Mt. Rainier on a clear day. After a brief downhill, you will cross the Sun Top Road. Get ready for the last mile of climb to Sun Top. It is steep and hot, but the view is worth the effort. Take a minute to look at the unobstructed view of Mt. Rainier. You will forget the agony of the climb. NO CREW ACCESS ON SUN TOP ROAD. This is a public road with a lot of weekend car traffic. The road is very dry and dusty. The dust from the car traffic is tough to deal with for the runners. Please resist the temptation to drive up this road for the good of all runners on the course. Bike access is allowed for viewing only. No crewing allowed.

  • AID STATION #7: SKOOKUM FLATS
    • ​Mile 42.7
    • Drop Bags: OK
    • Crew: OK
    • Cut off: 6:30PM
    • Terrain: Sun Top to Skookum Flats--Dirt road. This section is pretty much all downhill. If you have legs that aren't trashed yet, you will want to take advantage of it, unless of course if you want to have legs for the next section. Make sure you have plenty of drink for the exposure to the afternoon sun and dust that kicks up from the occasional car. Stay on Rd. #7315 for about 5.7 miles and then right hand turn onto Road #73. Just before the bridge crossing the White River, turn right onto the Skookum Flats trail. The aid station is just inside the trees in the shade.

  • FINISH: BUCK CREEK
    • Mile 50.0
    • Drop Bags: OK
    • Crew: OK
    • Cut off: 8:00PM**    **Even though the cut off is technically at 8:00PM any runner who makes it out of the last aid station by the cutoff there and then completes the course will get an official finish even if they arrive after 8pm.
    • Terrain: Skookum to Finish--Single track trail with the last 0.3 on dirt road. This 6.6-mile section of shaded trail meanders through a beautiful section of NW old growth forest. The footing can be quite challenging due to the abundance of rocks and roots. The terrain is particularly tough to get through if your legs are spent. If you're feeling good, this section is more fun to run than any part of the course, due to the technical nature of the terrain, but who feels good at the end of a 50 miler, haha! After the trail pops up onto Buck Creek Road, turn right and then left to get to the finishline. 
Cutoff Times at the Aid Stations



Cut off times at the aid stations are used to keep our race on schedule and within the time limits of our permits.  If you are not leaving the aid station by that aid station's cut off time, you will not be allowed to continue running in the race, either officially or unofficially on your own. You will be given a ride back to the finish area by staff or volunteers.  Here are the cut off times for each aid station:
  • 10:30am: Noble Knob, mile 11.6
  • 12:30pm: Noble Knob, mile 21.1
  • 1:30pm: Buck Creek, mile 27.2
  • 3:00pm: Fawn Creek, mile 31.0
  • 5:00pm: Sun Top, mile 36.3
  • 6:30pm: Skookum Flats, mile 42.7
  • 8:00pm: Finish, mile 50.0  **Even though the cutoff is technically at 8:00PM any runner who makes it out of the Skookum Flats Aid Station by the cutoff there(6:30pm) and then completes the course will get an official finish even if they cross the finish line after 8pm. But we do ask that folks do the best they can to finish by 8pm.   

Although these are public trails, you are participating on them as a registered participant of our event and by signing up for the race, you agree to follow our rules and conditions for completing (or not completing) the race.  Our sweeps will be leaving right at cut off time, taking down course markings with them.  If you refuse to quit running and abandon your run after not making a cut off at an aid station you are risking your health and safety as well as the health and safety of anyone who would have to rescue you. And our permitting agency could look at that as negligence on our end by allowing runners on the course with no course markings or after the time we agreed to stop people.  We take this rule seriously and as it puts our permits in jeopardy and risks people's safety, if any runner violates this rule, they may be subject to a ban from future races. 
Shirts

Race registration does not include a t-shirt, but runners have the option to purchase a soft and comfy cotton-blend tee printed with the race logo when they register. ​
Volunteers

We have several volunteer jobs available at White River 50!  Volunteers earn all kinds of perks; they get to eat and drink for free, are eligible for raffle prizes from our sponsors, and earn credit towards a future Rainshadow race! Volunteer shifts range from just a couple hours in the morning to an all day aid station or something at the finish area.  We promise you will have fun! 

If you are interested in volunteering for the race, please click here. 
Post Race Party​

At this time the post-race party is planned to be somewhat limited out of the desire to still be cautious. There will be some food and drinks and folks will be encouraged to only stay for up to 30 mins after finishing. We also ask that runners keep 6ft or more from folks outside of their household. And to keep from having too large of a gathering we ask that runners keep the number of people who come to support them to a minimum ideally one person per runner but if more than one person but there is flexibility especially for those from the same household. 
Camping & Lodging 

There is plenty of free*, primitive, forested camping at Buck Creek Campground, which is the start/finish area! It is all first come/first served and many of the sites have room for multiple vehicles.  There are bathrooms on site, but no showers. *The camping is free but a parking pass is required for each vehicle.

Additional non-primitive camping options nearby. You can make reservations online: Camping Reservations or call 877-444-6777.             

This year's official event hotel is Crystal Mountain Hotels (33818 Crystal Mountain Blvd., Crystal Mountain WA 98022; 888-754-6400; reservations@crystalhotels.com). Please call or email today and inquire about the special reduced rate offered for race participants.

Additional lodging options are shown below.               1-4 person accommodations (some larger rooms available). Specify that you are with WR50 to receive special rates!               Located in Enumclaw, approximately 30 miles from start.
Parking Pass Info
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You will need a parking pass to park at the start/finish/campground area! You can buy the appropriate pass online in advance if you don't already have one. Here are the passes that are acceptable:
  • NW Forest Pass -- Annual pass for USFS land in WA & OR. $30. Not currently available online but available to buy at forest service offices and many retailers. 

  • America the Beautiful/Interagency Pass -- Annual pass for all federal land like National Parks, National Forest, BLM and more. $80. Currently available online but it's recommend you purchase your pass at least 10 days in advance (if international, 3 - 4 weeks in advance), or choose expedited shipping. Available to buy at National Parks and many retailers. 

  • US Forest Service day pass -- Single day only for Forest Service land only. $5. You need one of these for each day you'll be parked on forest service land so if you're camping Friday night at the start/finish area and running or volunteering Saturday you'll need to buy two of these passes. These are usually also available to buy(cash or check only) at the kiosk at the start/finish area but we recommend buying in advance as supplies can be limited in person plus it'll be one less thing for you to worry about on race morning :)

NOTE: The Washington State Discover Pass is not applicable as this is federal land not state land.  


Driving/Parking Directions

Cell service is very spotty in the race area. Be sure to save all of this info in advance.

The closest airport is SeaTac (Seattle).  From SeaTac, it's about a 1.5 hour drive. Portland, OR is a 3.5 hour drive; Spokane, WA is 5 hours and Vancouver, BC is 4 hours away by car.  

You can click here for driving directions on Google Maps

From Seattle Area to Start/Finish/Camping Area at Buck Creek Campground/Ranger Creek State Airport
  • Head to east from Enumclaw, WA on HWY 410. 
  • About 11.3 miles east of Greenwater, WA turn right onto Forest Service Rd 7160 (watch for the turn as it'll sneak up on ya)
  • Immediately go across a one lane bridge, go past a small trailhead and about 0.2 mile from HWY 410 turn left
  • Immediately the road will fork, turn left again and you'll start going past some campsites.
  • After about 0.3 mile at another fork in the road go right towards the pit toilets and the road will bend to the left and follow alongside Ranger Creek Air Strip which will be on your right hand side as you drive down the road. Continue following this road for about a half mile to the start/finish area. Park single file, and parallel to the guardrail/airstrip. 
Race Rules

  • Be nice: please be courteous of other trail users as well as fellow runners and volunteers.  If you come upon hikers or other day users, please alert them of your presence and give them a chance to move over before you pass  
  • Passing: please yield to faster runners.
  • One ear bud only: if you must wear headphones while running, they may only be in one ear and the volume must be low enough that you can hear others around you (we had an injury at one of our races due to someone not being able to hear while wearing both earbuds; so we take this rule seriously)
  • No continuing on past cut off: for liability and safety reasons we cannot let any runner continue on their own past cut off time.  We take this rule seriously.  Please treat our aid station and sweep volunteers with respect.  If you have an issue, find a race staff after the race and we are more than happy to have a conversation with you
  • No cheating/course cutting/bandits/anything deemed unsportsmanlike: this could result in a ban from Rainshadow races and we just do not want to do that
  • Dogs: well behaved, leashed dogs are welcome on the course and at the finish line
  • No drugs or other banned substances
  • Be on time: our sweeps go out shortly after the runners start and once they start, we cannot send out any runners after that
  • No Pacers
  • No crew access or crew support except at crew accessible aid stations(Camp Shepard, Noble Knob, Buck Creek, and Skookum Flats. No crews are allowed to drive on the roads to Sun Top(FS Road 73 and FS Road 7315) bikes are allowed but crews are only allowed to view their runners, no providing their runners anything other than cheers.  
  • No Littering
  • All local, state and federal laws must be followed as well as all instructions from race staff, aid station captains and road crossing volunteers(cars will not be stopped). ​​
Cancellations
​
By attending one of our races you agree to accept the terms of and abide by our cancellation policies, our COVID precautions, our race rules. our anti-discrimination policies and any other logistics or arrangements you that must adhere to. If you would like to get more information about any of this or discuss things further please email us at info@rainshadowrunning.com

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If You Need to/Choose to Cancel Your Registration... 
​
Please fill out this form before race day to let us know you will not be participating in the race. After you fill out the form we'll email you to give you a coupon code for a credit that you can use for one of our future races. NO REFUNDS and NO BIB TRANSFERS.

The amount of credit is based on when you submit this form to cancel your registration:​
  • 31 days or more before race day: 50% of your race entry fee + 100% of merchandise or anything else extra you ordered.
  • 30 days to 7days before race day: 50% of your race entry fee + 50% of merchandise or anything else extra you ordered.
  • Less than 7 days before race day or after race day: 0% of your race entry fee + 0% of merchandise or anything else extra you ordered.

The coupon code can be used for any Rainshadow race.

The coupon code will be good for two years from the date we email you your coupon code.

If you were in one of our "lottery" races you will be automatically selected if you register for that lottery again the following year.

We are no longer allowing runners to transfer or sell their bib/race entry to another runner. If in the future we can create a simpler system to do this we will bring this option back.

By registering for one of our races you agreed to accept the terms of and abide by our cancellation policy, our COVID precautions, our race rules and any other logistics or arrangements you that must adhere to. If you would like to get more information about any of this or discuss things further please email us at info@rainshadowrunning.com


If Rainshadow Cancels a Race... 

If we have to cancel an event for any reason (COVID, wildfire, acts of nature, etc.) we understand the disappointment to the participants. But it's something that does happen from time to time so you should be prepared for that possibility. 

We will do our best to notify runners as soon as we can but sometimes it may be a last minute situation.

All runners will be sent an email as soon as possible with information about the cancellation and any other pertinent info including what their options are and the deadline for letting us know their decision. If the reason for cancelling the race is something out of our control like something weather or COVID related we will likely offer runners a 50% credit towards a future race as the we see it both the runners and Rainshadow share the risk of a cancelled race equally. 

We understand how much money, energy, and time goes into training for an ultramarathon, so if we can make adjustments to our race plans instead of cancelling, that is our priority, but at the end of the day, the safety of our runners, volunteers, staff, and the general public will be the main factor in our decision to cancel. ​
Contact Us

Questions? The race directors for this race and all Rainshadow Running races is James Varner and Katy Farrell.
​Email us at info@rainshadowrunning.com
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