I really enjoyed this race! It was a great combination of road, gravel path, and soft singletrack around a scenic mountain lake. It's called the Dam Marathon because you get … MORE
I really enjoyed this race! It was a great combination of road, gravel path, and soft singletrack around a scenic mountain lake. It’s called the Dam Marathon because you get the unique experience of running across the dam that creates the reservoir and then you get to run all the way around the lake, down the hill and into the town at the bottom. There were about 10 miles total of trail, the other 16 on road. The course had rolling hills throughout, but nothing major. There is a big downhill at mile 23 that I looked forward to in those later miles!
The aid stations were well-stocked and sometimes looked like a buffet table! The volunteers were fabulous, as were the other runners. It was a small race (I heard 42 ran the marathon- there were other distances available) and all of the runners I ran near were friendly and chatty. I felt like I showed up as a stranger and left with new friends. It was a great experience. I wouldn’t recommend this race if you need people cheering you on every step of the way, if you want age group awards (at this size of race everyone would get one 😉 ), or if you want some of the amenities of larger races like pacers. However, if you want an easy packet pick up, easy race transportation/race start, friendly vibe, beautiful scenery, and a post race party atmosphere this is a fantastic choice for an Oregon Marathon!
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Beautiful Oregon Mountain Run
I really enjoyed this race! It was a great combination of road, gravel path, and soft singletrack around a scenic mountain lake. It's called the Dam Marathon because you get … MORE
I really enjoyed this race! It was a great combination of road, gravel path, and soft singletrack around a scenic mountain lake. It’s called the Dam Marathon because you get the unique experience of running across the dam that creates the reservoir and then you get to run all the way around the lake, down the hill and into the town at the bottom. There were about 10 miles total of trail, the other 16 on road. The course had rolling hills throughout, but nothing major. There is a big downhill at mile 23 that I looked forward to in those later miles!
The aid stations were well-stocked and sometimes looked like a buffet table! The volunteers were fabulous, as were the other runners. It was a small race (I heard 42 ran the marathon- there were other distances available) and all of the runners I ran near were friendly and chatty. I felt like I showed up as a stranger and left with new friends. It was a great experience. I wouldn’t recommend this race if you need people cheering you on every step of the way, if you want age group awards (at this size of race everyone would get one 😉 ), or if you want some of the amenities of larger races like pacers. However, if you want an easy packet pick up, easy race transportation/race start, friendly vibe, beautiful scenery, and a post race party atmosphere this is a fantastic choice for an Oregon Marathon!
Beautiful Oregon Race
Marathon runs across a dam. Shirt says Dam Marathon - great conversation piece. Course runs across a dam, around the lake, and then down logging roads to the finish. The … MORE
Marathon runs across a dam.
Shirt says Dam Marathon – great conversation piece.
Course runs across a dam, around the lake, and then down logging roads to the finish. The logging roads are difficult with the loose rocks.
Good course support along the race….except in 2016, they forgot to unlock the porta potties!!
It’s Oregon, so we were rained on.
I recommend it.
Gorgeous setting
The Dam Marathon is a very small race (maybe 120 marathoners or so) set in Oakridge, OR. I chose this event as my Oregon marathon because I wanted to see … MORE
The Dam Marathon is a very small race (maybe 120 marathoners or so) set in Oakridge, OR. I chose this event as my Oregon marathon because I wanted to see scenery, not cityscapes. It was a great match – set in a beautiful place and on a small scale. You don’t run this race to get crowd support or if you need an aid station ever mile or because you like bands along the course. You run this race to see national park beauty and experience a new place. It was well organized and easy to navigate the logistics.
Packet pickup was flexible with multiple locations and times, both in Eugene and in Oakridge, including race day pickup. The shirt is a nice tech (unisex) and you could choose between a few color options. There were stickers, a small calendar, and a string satchel. Race morning was easy – I drove two miles from my motel to the Greenwaters Park. I left my rental car in the lot and boarded a school bus around 7:15am. It’s about a 15 minute ride up to the start area at the dam. It was a rainy and cool morning (rain came out of no where but I always carry a thin poncho to races and was glad I had it for this one!) but not too bad once we got up to the start area (which was beautiful!). We all stood around for a few minutes while the bus went back for the last load of runners. The con to this was the one portajohn was locked. Luckily you’re in the boonies and surrounded by woods so if nature called, you could still answer.
We started a few minutes late (it happens with small races with one or two people wrangling everybody…not a big deal in my book). You run across the dam and immediately have stunning views – I’m looking forward to seeing the drone footage! The course follows the lake all the way around back past the start at the dam and down the road to Greenwaters Park. It’s not an easy course – there’s a mix of road, gravel, and trail, and it’s fairly hilly. No one hill is bad, it’s a nice variation, just don’t expect a flat run.
There were aid stations about every two or three miles. They had lots of flavors of Gatorade (I’ve never seen such variety), plus water and also bars, bananas, and oranges at most of them. Volunteers were friendly as well. My only other “complaint” is that the bathroom advertised at the halfway point was also locked (I think this was a miscommunication with the park service), but again, lots of woods from which to choose!
The last two or three miles is mostly downhill, then along a gravel road, then a dirt trail through what feels like a rainforest from another time – it was beautiful – before you finish in the park. The medal that we got was a nice quality on a nice ribbon – matches the logo and honestly for such a small race, I was especially pleased that they didn’t skimp on this.
This was not one of my fastest races but it is one of my favorites for scenery alone. I took photos, saw a bald eagle, and got to experience a place that I may never get to visit again. If you run this race, soak it up and enjoy every step!