by Chris Cloyd
It’s that time of year again! And by “that time”, I mean time to run a 50k to the bar with all of our running friends.
This year’s annual DPMR Pub Run will be held on October 23, from Meeks Bay (Meek Creek Trailhead across from the Meeks Bay Resort) to Auld Dubliner in Palisades Village, Olympic Valley. As always, the full course is 50 kilometers. The only “aid” station will be exclusively serving whiskey.
We’ll toast the Donner Party (we’ll be providing beer) but you’re more than welcome to bring your own whiskey/cider/La Croix/whatever if beer’s not your thing) and we’ll toast each other – the men and women that make our club so special and make annual beer runs such a fun thing.
There are three suggested routes – a 25k from Meeks Bay to Barker Pass, a 25k from Barker Pass to Olympic Valley and (most suggested) a 50k from Meeks Bay to Olympic Valley. I highly recommend the 50k as the most fun/most full value option, but I totally get it if you can’t clear the whole day and/or just don’t want to run that far that day for whatever reason. As such, if you can make the start but not the finish line hangout, come run the Meeks Bay to Barker Pass 25k. If you have obligations in the morning, get that stuff done and then come run the Barker Pass to Olympic Valley 25k and hang at the finish line. If you can’t do any of that, but want to come have a beer (or coffee?) with us before we start at 8 AM, great. If you want to save your beer drinking for the PM, come hang at the finish. My goal is to get as many Donner Party Mountain Runners out as possible, so come run whatever distance and pace gets you fired up. Or just meet us at the finish and drink beer, whatever suits your fancy.
Here’s the map: https://caltopo.com/m/KNS7A
You can download the Caltopo app and use the map in real time on the course to find your way! It’s the best way to not get lost in the mountains. Use it.
The map shows lots of detail, but let’s discuss: The Start and Finish are clearly labeled. There is very limited parking at Meeks Bay, so try to get dropped off or carpool if you can. There is abundant parking at the finish, and I’d recommend dropping cars there in the morning and then getting to Meeks Bay in time for the toast. All three routes are labeled. Water sources are labeled, but I haven’t scouted all of these this season and who knows if they’re all still running. Questionable sources are marked as “Water?” and probable/confirmed sources are marked as “Water”. Good luck. Bring a water filter or run with someone who has one and you shouldn’t run out of water. At Barker Pass, DPMR will drop water and whiskey, so you can top off there. I’d recommend a shot of whiskey and a liter of water, but you do you. If you shoot whiskey, celebrate friends and life and curse loudly as you run off toward Olympic Valley. When you get to Olympic Valley, stumble over to the Dubliner and celebrate the running season with us. We’ll buy your first beer and have some food for everyone to snack on. Friends and family are welcome.
Here’s a link to a folder with PDF maps of the course (usable in Avenza Maps on your smartphone) and GPX files of all 3 routes: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pqo1oU2oyy5l3QCOBBMxuD0GNJtS_uqm?usp=sharing
There will be no on-course markings of any kind, so use these navigation tools! If you use a GPX file and/or a Caltopo or Avenza map you will not get lost. The section from Lake Genevieve to the TRT (about 2.4 miles) is especially hard to navigate without a GPX track! Please upload the route GPX to your watch/Strava or run with someone who will be using a GPX track. You will get lost and have a bad time if you ignore this advice. Now is an excellent time to learn how to navigate using GPX files if you don’t know how. Learning the morning of October 23 is a terrible time to learn.
If you have any questions, save them for the morning of the run and I’ll answer them vaguely while drinking with you at 7:46 AM in the parking lot.
RUN FAST TAKE CHANCES-
Chris
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