By Matt Maizel
The backbone of Tillamook High School’s Cross Country program, the Ultimook Race, is set to take place this Saturday, September 7th at the Hydrangea Ranch in Tillamook. The early season weekend experience will be kicking off at 8 a.m. with the Kids Race through the infamous mud pit. The event will then feature all-sizes of middle school and high school cross country runners from Oregon and Washington in races that will start with Middle School Boys and Girls and finish with 5A-6A Varsity Boys will take to the challenging course along (and through) the Kilchis River.
The Ultimook Race is one of the biggest races in Oregon, attracting thousands of runners, and has been a great addition to the season for Tillamook County XC runners – this year will mark the 8th year of the competition.
Pat Zweifel, Tillamook High School’s Cross Country/Track and Field coach, is the founder of Ultimook Running Camp – a long distance running camp featuring the most unique training runs on the Oregon Coast. Pat’s vision “to build character and culture within our team and community” has helped contribute to a successful program at Tillamook High School. Tillamook High School XC’s next competition is the Northwest Classic, which will be taking place at Lane Community College in Eugene, OR on Saturday, September 14th.
110 teams, nearly 3,000 athletes, 2,000 spectators, and 446 campers. Ultimook’s mission is to provide a “REAL” cross country experience and judging by who’s coming, they are doing a pretty good job. Race numbers are souvenir worthy.
You can still sign up for the open race by going to this link: https://www.raceentry.com/races/ultimook-race-open-5k/2019/register
The Ultimook has also expanded to include community running groups as well.
Race schedules, maps, registration, and more information about Ultimook Race and Running Camp can be found at: ultimookrace.com.
