Rainshadow Running is Adding the Northwest Classic White River 50 Mile Endurance Run to Their Calendar of Events!
For 27 years, White River 50 has taken place every July near Mount Rainier National Park, in Greenwater, WA. The race has played a big role in the local, as well as national, trail and ultrarunning communities. After many years of exceptional events, Scott McCoubrey and White River 50 LLC has asked James Varner and Rainshadow Running LLC to take the reins in order to continue the storied history of this iconic race. Beginning immediately, Rainshadow Running will be assuming all race directing responsibilities with transitional assistance from McCoubrey to ensure the race continues its great track record of success. Located just a little more than an hour drive from Seattle, with a demanding, mostly singletrack course and jaw-dropping views of the 14,000ft glacier-covered Mt Rainier, White River is positioned to remain a cornerstone of the community for decades to come.
Rainshadow will endeavor to respect the history of the race and continue the traditions set forth by the previous race directors of White River. Chris Ralph, a pioneer of the Washington ultra community, directed the race for eight of the first nine years before handing over the reins to Scott McCoubery. McCoubrey, himself a Northwest trail and ultra icon was, at the time, perhaps the most influential person in the local trail and ultrarunning community: founder of the Seattle Running Company and the Seattle Running Club, and leader of the powerhouse ultra team Montrail/Patagonia.
Leveraging his connections and experiences as a competitive ultrarunner himself, McCoubrey helped to transform White River into one of the most prestigious races in the country. Many of the sports most talented runners flocked to the race to compete against the best local runners, including elites like Scott Jurek, Hal Koener, Ian Torrence, and Krissy Moehl, who had all moved to Seattle to work for McCoubrey and be part of the growing ultrarunning epicenter there. The race was the USATF 50 mile national championship from 2000 to 2010, and part of the Montrail Ultra Cup, which preceded the current Golden Ticket Series as the preeminent nationwide multi-race series. Winning or a top placing at White River also played heavily into Ultrarunner of the Year voting. The race was thrust into the international spotlight thanks to the top talent it attracted on a yearly basis, such as Anton Kupricka, Nikki Kimball, Ellie Greenwood, Sage Canaday, Camille Herron, Mike Wardian and Timmy Olson. The tough and scenic course and deep elite fields combined with the rapidly growing number of ultrarunners in the Northwest (and around the country), the race grew from a small local race with an average of about 50 finishers per year to one of the largest 50 milers in the country.
“James and Rainshadow Running was a natural choice for me to pass the torch to,” said McCoubrey of the decision to hand off the race to someone else after nearly 20 years. “James and I have been friends for more than two decades and we take a similar approach to directing events and life in general. I have participated, both professionally and recreationally, in many Rainshadow events over the years and view them all as benchmark runs for our sport! I look forward to seeing the result of Rainshadow’s festive twist to directing races, combined with the old school charm and amazing views of White River 50. It should be magic! White River 50 will be in good hands.”
Rainshadow Running’s owner/founder James Varner has been directing trail and ultra races since 2004 and quit his “real job” in 2009 to focus on Rainshadow Running full time. Since then, Varner has expanded the race offerings to include a wide variety of distances, from 10k to 100 miles, in beautiful locations in Washington, Oregon and Colorado. In 2017, Rainshadow was hired to direct the Waldo 100k, created by Craig Thornley and Curt Ringstad in 2002. Varner has also recently been named Course Director for the Hardrock Hundred, a race known for its difficulty and rugged terrain. With the help of co-race director Elizabeth Reese and staff members William Worrel, Rob Canby, Jessie McClurg, and Ben Perri, Rainshadow Running puts on top notch race experiences complete with inclusive post race parties with wood fired pizza, local craft beer, and live music that are free of charge not only for runners, but also friends, family, and volunteers. With a staff comprised of seasoned trail and ultrarunners, the folks at Rainshadow understand the needs and desires of runners participating in their events. The group strives to provide excellent customer service and to foster an environment that builds up our sport and communities.
“We are honored to take on the responsibility of continuing this classic race. We’ll take a ‘if it ain’t broke’ approach to the race and mostly keep doing everything the way it’s been done for years,” said Varner. “Adding live music, craft beer to the finish line festivities, maybe a free kids run like we do at a lot of our other races, and in general further promoting the opportunity to come out to the shoulder of Mt. Rainier for a fun weekend with all your buddies is about the extent of what we plan to do that’s maybe a little different than the past. We see this race as a vital part of the NW community and we only want to respect that and keep it going strong!”
The date for the race in 2020 will be, as usual, the last Saturday in July, in this case Saturday the 25th. Registration will open on November 18th on UltraSignup. Details about White River 50 Miler and the other nineteen days of Rainshadow Running races can be found at www.rainshadowrunning.com
For 27 years, White River 50 has taken place every July near Mount Rainier National Park, in Greenwater, WA. The race has played a big role in the local, as well as national, trail and ultrarunning communities. After many years of exceptional events, Scott McCoubrey and White River 50 LLC has asked James Varner and Rainshadow Running LLC to take the reins in order to continue the storied history of this iconic race. Beginning immediately, Rainshadow Running will be assuming all race directing responsibilities with transitional assistance from McCoubrey to ensure the race continues its great track record of success. Located just a little more than an hour drive from Seattle, with a demanding, mostly singletrack course and jaw-dropping views of the 14,000ft glacier-covered Mt Rainier, White River is positioned to remain a cornerstone of the community for decades to come.
Rainshadow will endeavor to respect the history of the race and continue the traditions set forth by the previous race directors of White River. Chris Ralph, a pioneer of the Washington ultra community, directed the race for eight of the first nine years before handing over the reins to Scott McCoubery. McCoubrey, himself a Northwest trail and ultra icon was, at the time, perhaps the most influential person in the local trail and ultrarunning community: founder of the Seattle Running Company and the Seattle Running Club, and leader of the powerhouse ultra team Montrail/Patagonia.
Leveraging his connections and experiences as a competitive ultrarunner himself, McCoubrey helped to transform White River into one of the most prestigious races in the country. Many of the sports most talented runners flocked to the race to compete against the best local runners, including elites like Scott Jurek, Hal Koener, Ian Torrence, and Krissy Moehl, who had all moved to Seattle to work for McCoubrey and be part of the growing ultrarunning epicenter there. The race was the USATF 50 mile national championship from 2000 to 2010, and part of the Montrail Ultra Cup, which preceded the current Golden Ticket Series as the preeminent nationwide multi-race series. Winning or a top placing at White River also played heavily into Ultrarunner of the Year voting. The race was thrust into the international spotlight thanks to the top talent it attracted on a yearly basis, such as Anton Kupricka, Nikki Kimball, Ellie Greenwood, Sage Canaday, Camille Herron, Mike Wardian and Timmy Olson. The tough and scenic course and deep elite fields combined with the rapidly growing number of ultrarunners in the Northwest (and around the country), the race grew from a small local race with an average of about 50 finishers per year to one of the largest 50 milers in the country.
“James and Rainshadow Running was a natural choice for me to pass the torch to,” said McCoubrey of the decision to hand off the race to someone else after nearly 20 years. “James and I have been friends for more than two decades and we take a similar approach to directing events and life in general. I have participated, both professionally and recreationally, in many Rainshadow events over the years and view them all as benchmark runs for our sport! I look forward to seeing the result of Rainshadow’s festive twist to directing races, combined with the old school charm and amazing views of White River 50. It should be magic! White River 50 will be in good hands.”
Rainshadow Running’s owner/founder James Varner has been directing trail and ultra races since 2004 and quit his “real job” in 2009 to focus on Rainshadow Running full time. Since then, Varner has expanded the race offerings to include a wide variety of distances, from 10k to 100 miles, in beautiful locations in Washington, Oregon and Colorado. In 2017, Rainshadow was hired to direct the Waldo 100k, created by Craig Thornley and Curt Ringstad in 2002. Varner has also recently been named Course Director for the Hardrock Hundred, a race known for its difficulty and rugged terrain. With the help of co-race director Elizabeth Reese and staff members William Worrel, Rob Canby, Jessie McClurg, and Ben Perri, Rainshadow Running puts on top notch race experiences complete with inclusive post race parties with wood fired pizza, local craft beer, and live music that are free of charge not only for runners, but also friends, family, and volunteers. With a staff comprised of seasoned trail and ultrarunners, the folks at Rainshadow understand the needs and desires of runners participating in their events. The group strives to provide excellent customer service and to foster an environment that builds up our sport and communities.
“We are honored to take on the responsibility of continuing this classic race. We’ll take a ‘if it ain’t broke’ approach to the race and mostly keep doing everything the way it’s been done for years,” said Varner. “Adding live music, craft beer to the finish line festivities, maybe a free kids run like we do at a lot of our other races, and in general further promoting the opportunity to come out to the shoulder of Mt. Rainier for a fun weekend with all your buddies is about the extent of what we plan to do that’s maybe a little different than the past. We see this race as a vital part of the NW community and we only want to respect that and keep it going strong!”
The date for the race in 2020 will be, as usual, the last Saturday in July, in this case Saturday the 25th. Registration will open on November 18th on UltraSignup. Details about White River 50 Miler and the other nineteen days of Rainshadow Running races can be found at www.rainshadowrunning.com