Runners flock to Bend trail race

Published 5:00 am Monday, June 9, 2003

It seemed as if everyone with a pair of running shoes gathered for the second annual Dirty Half 13.1-Mile Trail Run west of Bend on Sunday.

Despite temperatures that rapidly approached the 80-degree mark, the top finishers in a field of nearly 400 polished off the dusty, hilly course in about an hour and a half.

Max King of Bend, competing in the men’s 20-24 age group, was the overall winner, in 1 hour, 18 minutes and 52 seconds; Angela Lindbo of Portland was first in the women’s race with a time of 1:35:47.

”The race was a little long, and I felt the elevation difference here in Bend. In Portland, we run at sea level, so I can feel it on the uphills,” said Lindbo, 32, who placed second among women in last year’s event.

”Running is a part of my job, and I run trails as much as I can,” she explained, adding that she is a running shoe representative and travels to Bend quite often.

Racing her first half-marathon, Morales of Bend placed second in the women’s category. ”It was great – the atmosphere, the trails – you don’t think about the miles you have to run,” Morales, 28, said afterward.

Unfamiliar with the course, Morales tried to open steady in her first trail event. ”I didn’t know what to expect later in the race,” she said. ”It was painful. It was more climbing than I anticipated.”

Pain also hit Julie Sowerby of Bend, who twisted her ankle on one of the steeper descents toward the end of the course but nevertheless finished. ”It wasn’t a big deal, but I’m sure it will be sore tomorrow,” Sowerby said, adding that the incident was not a new experience. ”I have the worst ankles. I have run since I was in seventh grade, so my ankles just flop around.”

While the injury threw a twist in Sowerby’s racing, the runner hopes to participate again next year. ”I’d do it again. It’s a good motivator to race, but I just have to remember to run more before the event.”

Sarah Haldeman, 25, of Portland made the trip to Bend just to participate in the Dirty Half. An avid runner and a veteran of several distance races, including half-marathons, she enjoyed the trails and the scenery along the course. ”The last five miles just take you right in. I really had to hold myself back with the elevation here, so I am really proud of the time I got (2:16:15). I’ll definitely do it again. The race organization was really impressive.”

Haldeman noted that she faced some unexpected challenges in the high desert. ”It was a little warmer than I thought it would be, and I didn’t realize how switch-backy the trails would be, so you really had to watch your footing.”

In spite of the heat, a technically difficult course, and numerous participants, the number of injuries and accidents was low. First-aid personnel treated a handful of racers for heat-related conditions, but the event went smoothly, said race director Dave Thomasson of the Foot Zone in Bend.

The Dirty Half treated racers to 13.1 miles of mostly single-track trails on the Phil’s and Ben’s Trail systems off Skyliners Road west of Bend. Runners embarked on a course that steepened the first eight miles, and then finished with five miles of downhill.