SUN MOUNTAIN 50 MILE AND 50 KM RACE REPORT FOR ULTRARUNNING MAGAZINE
by Matt & Kerri Stebbins
50 mile elevation gain: 7,200 feet
50 mile elevation loss: 7,200 feet
2014 50 mile starters: 128
2014 50 mile finishers: 106
50 km elevation gain: 4,800 feet
50 km elevation loss: 4,800 feet
2014 50 km starters: 168
2014 50 km finishers: 157
Course description: Wildflower-laden singletrack; myriad nordic ski trails around the Sun Mountain Resort area
and surrounding private trails; mostly rolling with a few highlighted (moderately steep) climbs and screaming
descents, with views of the North Cascades, Pasayten Wildnerness, and Chelan Sawtooths, as well as copious
amounts of wildflowers and wildlife. A great first 50 km or 50 mile, and a fast introduction to mountain ultras.
RACE REPORT:
The Sun Mountain 50 mile and 50 km are two of the most beloved Rainshadow courses, and one of the largest
and most festive Rainshadow race weekends. Runners travel from all over the country, as well as in merry
droves from Canada, to run in the distinctly lovely Methow Valley. Hillsides filled with wildflowers, friendly
cows, and varied North Cascades vistas are all highlights, making this a race in high demand. Indeed, this May
was by the far the biggest and most competitive event yet, with all three distances selling out in record time.
The 50 mile and 50 km races boasted nearly 270 finishers (and the accompanying 25 km added another 300
finishers on the weekend). The kids' race, a highlight for many an ultra-loving family, was also the largest
Rainshadow kids' race to date, with over 40 future ultra-runners enthusiastically kicking off the weekend's
festivities with their own 1 km event Saturday morning.
Sun Mountain was also notably faster this year, and both the 2012 [Seth Swanson] and 2013 [Adam Hewey] 50
mile winners noticed. Nursing injuries and gearing up for his debut at Western States, Swanson decided not to
start the 50 mile, while Hewey chose to use Sun Mountain as a last-minute tune-up for his own Western debut.
He noted, “Last year I won with a time of 6:49. This year I ran eleven minutes faster, came in 6:38, and got 5th.
Of the top 6 men who all broke 7 hours 4 were Masters.”
The men's 50 mile race was anyone's guess for the majority of the distance, with the top 8 runners sharing
more miles together than in previous years. Noted Jeff Hashimoto, “We had about 6-8 people running together
for over 20 miles. That was fun, and a bit unusual in a 50 miler in my experience.” Ben Bucklin knew they'd
“...have to go out quick to beat the pack to the single track,” but otherwise “...stayed relaxed early and hung out
in a pack with about eight other guys, chatting about our season so far, upcoming races, multi-day adventures
we'd like to undertake, and other musings about our running lives.” Recounts Bucklin, “John Merrill made a bit
of a break before the first aid station and I decided to see if I could hold onto him...On the long climb up to the
Thompson Ridge aid station I pulled in front of John and kept a steady pace. I arrived at Thompson Ridge and
found out I was about three minutes behind Max [Ferguson].”
Ferguson had broken away from the pack early in the 50 mile race, but dropped just after the Thompson Ridge
Aid Station, around mile twenty-eight, catapulting Bucklin into an unexpected lead. There was still plenty of
