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Hi Orcas Island 25K runners, volunteers, and crews!
We hope you are getting excited for the upcoming race! This is your official pre-race email and should answer any questions you have about the race weekend. If you have not read through the Orcas 25K website, please do so before the race. Please read all the way to the bottom as some info may have changed from previous races.
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Race Weekend Checklist
Before we get into all the fun race details, here is a checklist to help you prepare for the weekend:
- Bring your photo I.D. to pick up your bib
- Bring a collapsible, reusable cup or $5 to purchase one at check-in for drinking soda, Nuun or water at the aid stations
- Plan to wear your bib ON THE FRONT OF YOUR BODY (not on your hat or your pack, or hidden under all your layers)
- Bring a favorite cup to drink beer from at the finish line
- Remember to bring your Discover Pass
- Read through the 25K website
- Confirm ferry reservation
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Check-in/Timeline
Friday January 24th
- 5:00-9:00 pm: Bunkhouse check-in (no bib pick up, but you can pick up your race shirt at this time)
- 6:00-8:30 pm: Dinner at Camp Moran, catered by The Kitchen, tickets were pre- sold during registration
Saturday January 25th
Sunday January 26th
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Driving Directions
The start and finish area takes place at the Environmental Learning Center in Moran State Park.
As you enter the park on Olga Road from the west (coming from the ferry/Eastsound), you will drive by Cascade Lake and shortly after there will be EVENT parking signs on your right. We will have volunteers in the morning to assist you.
There is no race parking immediately next to the ELC building; that area is reserved for staff, vendors, and volunteers. The main parking is near the South End Campground and is marked with event parking signs. It is less than 1/4 mile walk to the start and finish area.
Everyone needs a Discover Pass to park in Moran State Park, with the exception of overnight guests staying in the bunkhouse. The fee for parking is included in what you paid for the bunkhouse and when you check in, we will give you a pass to display on your dash.
We recommend buying a pass prior to entering the park. There is an information booth when you enter the park, but it is not always staffed and there is no kiosk at Camp Moran to purchase a pass.
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Carpooling & Parking
Parking is VERY limited at Camp Moran and we highly encourage carpooling. Please check out this
google document to coordinate carpooling with others.
To help reduce congestion (and the stress of morning parking), crews are allowed to drive right up to Camp Moran and drop their runner off, then go find parking OR drive into Eastsound for coffee and a pastry (Brown Bear Bakery is our favorite) before coming back to cheer on their runner.
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Ferry
To get to Orcas Island, you will need to take the ferry from Anacortes. Though it is not required, we highly recommend making reservations as the sailings around race weekend tend to fill up quickly. You only pay traveling to Orcas, but you can make reservations for your trip home as well.
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Volunteer Check In
All volunteers will check in with Elizabeth at the volunteer table at Camp Moran. Volunteers will receive a separate email tomorrow with specific details related to each shift.
We still need several volunteers during the weekend (including Friday evening). If you or someone you know is able to volunteer, please email Elizabeth.
Our races would not happen without our amazing crew of volunteers, so remember to thank anyone you see out there helping during the day! :)
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Course
The course will be marked with pink and yellow ribbons and yellow arrow signs. Every junction or intersection will be well marked. You should not go more than one mile without seeing a ribbon or sign. If you do go more than a mile, turn around and go back to the last place you saw one. Ultimately it is up to the runner to know the course, so we encourage you to study the map.
We will not have extra copies of the map, so we encourage you to download the .gpx file from our website to your watch or app on your phone.
Please remember that these are public trails and we are sharing them with other hikers who may not be involved or aware of the race. Please slow down, alert people of your presence, and give them time to move to the side of the trail.
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Aid Stations
You will have two aid stations on the course:
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Mile/Kilometer |
Cut Off |
Drop Bags |
Crew Access |
| North Arch |
5.6 mile/9 km |
11:00 am |
Yes |
Yes
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| Mt Constitution |
10.7 mile/17.2 km |
1:30 pm |
Yes |
Yes, depending on road conditions |
The aid stations will be stocked with PB & J, fresh fruit, gels, potato chips, pickles, candy, water, and soda. We also have first aid supplies, hand warmers, and feminine hygiene products for issues that arise on the course.
If you need to drop from the race, you must do so at an aid station!
If we do not know you have dropped, we will continue to look for you after the race and that stresses us out!
Snow Route
If there is significant snow on the course, we will not be able to drive to the top of Constitution for the aid station, in which case the aid station will be at Cold Springs, which would be at about mile 12. If the aid station is here, the cut off time would be 1:55 instead of 1:30. We should have a good idea of the road conditions the week of the race and we will be sure to keep everyone informed of whether or not we have to move the aid station or alter the course.
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Crew Access
There is crew access for the North Arch aid station; please park at the Cascade Lake day use area and the aid station is just a short walk to the aid station location, which is at the park office building, just under the arch.
If the road to Constitution is open, there will be crew access, but if it is closed, crews are not allowed to drive to the top. The road up to the aid station can be icy in the wintertime and the rangers will be the ones making the call on whether or not to open the road to crews. We will know the morning of the race and will announce at the briefing if crew access is allowed.
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Cut Offs
The following cut-offs will be enforced during the 25K:
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11:00 am: North Arch aid station, mile 5.6
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1:30 pm: Mt Constitution aid station, mile 10.7 (1:55 pm at Cold Springs, mile 12 if snow causes us to move the aid station)
Note: the cut-off times are when runners should be
leaving
the aid station, not arriving.
We have cut off times for a lot of reasons: for your safety, to stay in compliance with our permits, to keep the race on schedule, and so our volunteers can go home at a reasonable time. We realize these are public trails, but we cannot let any runner continue on behind the sweeps who are pulling course markings. Violating this rule puts our permits in jeopardy and we want to continue to put on this race for many years.
If you refuse to leave the course and continue on past cut off, you are in direct violation of our race rules and will be subject to penalty (including a ban from future Rainshadow races).
Please accept your fate with grace if you do come in past cut off time and are pulled from the course.
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Drop Bags
We will have tarps set up at check-in (along with duct tape and sharpies) before the race for you to leave a bag that you would like to be transported to the aid station. Runners are in charge of providing their own bag and our volunteers will transport the bags to the aid station and back to the finish line. Bags come back when the aid stations close.
Please label your bag with your name, bib number, and aid station name. Runners are allowed one bag at each aid station. Please keep your drop bags to a reasonable size as our volunteers are carting them around for you (no large backpacks, heavy coolers, duffel bags, etc).
We will do our best to keep the bags covered,but we recommend putting your items in a waterproof bag (or in ziploc bags).
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Bunkhouse Lodging
If you have reserved a spot in the bunkhouses, please plan for the following:
- Bring bedding (sleeping bags, blankets, pillow)
- Bring shower supplies
- No dogs allowed in the bunkhouses (or the main lodge)
- No Discover Pass required (we will give you a parking pass to display)
- Bring a cooler if you have food to keep cold
Click here for a PDF map of the bunks at Camp Moran. Both the maps and the bunkhouse assignments will also be posted at Moran when you check in.
If you still need to find accommodations, check out our website for local lodging specials around the island!
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Bathrooms
There are bathrooms at the start/finish, in a building adjacent to the gravel parking lot next to the main lodge. We will have signs directing runners to the building and volunteers can assist you as well. There are also showers located in that building for post race. Please refrain from using the bathrooms in the lodge in the morning as they cannot accommodate that many flushes in such a short period of time. They will be open after you finish.
There is a bathroom at the Cascade Lake Day use area as well as the top of Mt Constitution.
If nature calls outside of an aid station, please remember to step off the trail and follow the leave no trace policy. If you are near the back of the pack and need to step off the trail, leave your pack/water bottle/etc in the middle of the trail so the sweeps know to wait for you.
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Coffee
We will have brewed Tony's Coffee available on race morning for runners and volunteers as well as Tony's/Smith Brother's cold brew available after the race.
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Friday Pre-Race Meal
There will be a pre-race meal on Friday night, January 24th, for everyone who ordered tickets on UltraSignup. We will have a limited number of extra tickets to sell, but those are first come/first served. Day of tickets will be $20/person. The dinner will be available in the main lodge at Camp Moran from 6:00-8:30 pm. Local restaurant, The Kitchen, will be catering again this year and are serving pasta with a meat or veggie sauce, salad, bread, and cake. Please bring your own beverage.
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Pre-Ordered Items
All pre-ordered Patagonia tech shirts and thrift store shirts will be available at the merchandise table when you pick up your bib on race morning as well as during the meal on Friday evening.
Any Patagonia shirts that are not picked up at check-in on race morning will become available for purchase once the merch table opens, so please remember to pick up your shirt when you pick up your bib. We do not ship shirts out after the race.
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Finish Line Festivities
Food/Drink/Music
It would not be a Rainshadow race without the post-race party! We will have handmade, wood-fired pizza courtesy of Pizza Rocks
as well as our standard spread of post-race goodies (fruits, veggies, chips and dips, wraps, cookies, pies and other goodies). We will be offering cold craft beer from Fort George Brewery and live bluegrass music courtesy of bluegrass band, Pine Mountain (a collaboration of The Pine Hearts and Oly Mountain Boys).
Our pizza crew can accommodate most dietary preferences (vegan, gluten free, vegetarian) so when it is your turn to grab a slice, let them know and they will whip up a pie for you!
The crew from Aspire Adventure Running will be offering homemade apple crisp at the finish line for all of you, so be sure to stop by and say hello! All runners will have the chance to win a free Aspire trip (an amazing deal) so stay tuned for an email after the race for instructions on how to enter the drawing.
Electrolyte
There will be electrolyte provided by our official hydration sponsor, Nuun, at the finish line.
Merchandise
We will have merchandise for sale at the finish area and we accept all major credit cards, cash, and checks (U.S. cash and checks only).
Photos
We are happy to have the ever-so-talented
Glenn Tachiyama
taking pictures out on the course. The photos will be available to purchase the week after the race.
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Raffle Prizes
If you have a sticker on your bib, it means you are a raffle winner! All raffle items can be picked up at the merchandise table. If you are a volunteer that won a raffle prize, our volunteer coordinator, Elizabeth, will come find you!
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Rules
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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
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Passing
: please pass on the left and move to the right when you are being passed.
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One ear bud only:
if you wish to 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
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No continuing on past cut off
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No cheating/course cutting/bandits/anything deemed unsportsmanlike
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Poles:
poles are OK, just please be mindful of others
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Dogs:
well behaved, leashed dogs are welcome on the course and at the finish line, but are prohibited in the bunks and the main lodge at Camp Moran
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No drugs or other banned substances
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Be on time:
our sweeps go out shortly after the runners start and we cannot let any runners go out behind the sweepers
To find all of Rainshadow Running's rules and policies, please
click here.
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Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
James, Elizabeth, William, Rob, Jessie & Ben
Rainshadow Running |
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