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Scott Eppleman and Janice Page set new course records at the second running of the Cascade Crest Classic 100 Mile. Scott Eppleman bettered the record by an hour and forty minutes, while Scott Boettcher came in second, improving his last year's inaugural time by over an hour. Janice is the first and only woman to finish the CCC.

This year there was a very competitive field, four runners initially set a very fast pace. Jim Kerby, who was second at Old Dominion, led the early charge but had to drop at 35 miles due to a knee problem. William Emerson, a relative newcomer to NW ultrarunning took a wrong turn early; leaving the two Scott's to battle it out alone. Back on course, William picked up the pace in pursuit of the leaders and made up for his "lost" time resuming the lead by the mid-mark. In the "Cardiac Needles" area, about 80 miles, Scott Eppleman took the lead for the final time and pushed an eventual 24 minute advantage over Scott Boettcher. William settled for third on his first 100 mile attempt.

Rain threatening clouds provided the early backdrop for the race. The initial climb up to Goat Peak provided little view as the pinnacle rocks poked up into the clouds. The course works west from Easton to the Pacific Crest Trail. This region of the PCT is characterized by a number of elevation changes as the trail passes through active logging areas. The forests and trail surfaces provide a constant variety. There were clear cuts, with newly planted trees as well as old growth groves where the trail is soft needles. The PCT passes through six passes in this section; Tacoma Pass, Sheets Pass, Stampede Pass, Meadow Pass, Yakima Pass and Snoqualmie Pass.

All the aid stations were excellent and reflected the great organization of the race. Scott Mcoubrey, Foot Zone and the Montrail group standout with a tradition started last year, serving pirogies at the Olallie Meadow 49 mile aid station. The Kachess Lake aid station added toasted cheese sandwiches this year, even beer according to a pacer. It is always fun to look forward to these warm meals along the course. Sure beats energy bars, at least for most runners.

The trail from Olallie Meadow is very rough and overgrown. Fortunately, before long the course leaves the PCT and uses a "home-made" trail to drop down to the abandoned railroad bed, the John Wayne Iron Horse Trail. The steep descent is actually becoming a trail, much better than last year, though still requiring a rope for the rappelling sections. A short distance farther, the Iron Horse Trail enters the 2.3 mile unlit vacated railroad tunnel. The tunnel leads back to the east under the mountains to Hyak, the other side of Snoqualmie Pass. Like last year, all runners were prepared for the surprise in the tunnel. The surprise this year was no surprise, though comments were heard about the barking ducks in the tunnel, more race lore we presumed.

From Snoqualmie Pass, the course continues east to Lake Kachess and Little Kachess Lake. The Little Kachess Trail has been difficult to find each year due to trail marking bandits. This year it was even reported that not long after the flags and glow sticks were in place, a backpacker was seen emerging from the trail with glow sticks hanging from his pack. A "Most Difficult" trail sign identifies the trailhead. Last year's description of it as the "Trail from Hell" may have been too harsh but it is certainly one of the more difficult trails one can find. The 2.5 mile section has 1100 feet of elevation gain and took most more than an hour to avoid the rock drop offs and huge obstructing roots as the trail follows the lake north and then to the east.

After the lake, the course has 3,000 feet of gain along forest roads to the trail resumption, traveling southward. Portions of the No Name Ridge Trail have been named the "Cardiac Peaks." They are aptly named because of the straight ascents, no contour following routes. The climbs only approach 6,000 feet but they do make the second half of the course the toughest portion. The last major climb is the half mile up and back to the Thorp Mountain Fire Look out. Thorp is at 5,854' and from there; one can see almost the entire 2nd half of the course. Kachess and Little Kachess Lake have a completely different perspective from on top. The clouds lifted to give partially obscured views on the second day. Mt. Rainier never broke free of its cloud cover but there were still excellent views of the surrounding Cascade Mountains of Washington.

The CCC even became a poker run this year. Everyone picked up a poker chip with a number on it at the halfway point and a second chip at Thorp Mountain. The winning chips, if brought to the finish, were good for a full entry refund, less the $30 charity donation. Brian VanOene and Martin Miller were the lucky runners this year.

All finishers were presented with a very attractive solid brass buckle. This year a friend of the RD made beautiful buckle boxes from purpleheart wood. The unique color of this South American wood made the box itself a collector's item. The artist thought those that went the distance deserved the equivalent of the military award to protect the collector buckle.

Special mention goes out to Jamie Gifford who improved his last place finish in the inaugural run to 5th and a 25:27 finish. Dimitri Kieffer was determined to stay ahead of the cut-offs this year and was very proud of his 31:21 finish. It also should be mentioned that Hans Dieter-Weisshaar, from Germany used the CCC as his 14th 100 mile finish this year, one week following Leadville.

The Cascade Crest Classic 100 Mile has the potential for being one of the nations major 100's. The race crosses some of the best mountain scenery available in the west. The total elevation gain of 20,500' is very impressive, considering it only reaches 6,000' at the highest point. This challenging course equals the majors in many regards and surpasses them in scenic beauty. The general comments from those new to the course was how this race compared to the other major 100's in the west, certainly rivaling Western States, Leadville and Wasatch.

A special thanks to Randy Gehrke, Ron Behrmann, Tim Stroh and the team of volunteers they recruited. Just like last year, it seemed like the whole town of Easton was out to support Randy's hometown race. Both the volunteers and the runners had a great time in the mountains of Washington.

Cascade Crest Classic 100 Mile
Easton, WA
August 26-27, 2000

Trails and Forest Roads.
20,470' Elevation Gain
43 starters

  1. Scott Eppleman, 33, TX                   21:28:00 !
  2. Scott Boettcher, 34                      21:52:00
  3. William Emerson, 36                      22:36:00
  4. Jamie Gifford, 38                        25:27:00
  5. Rob Smith, 42, B.C.                      26:23:00
  6. Jeff Petty, 32                           26:44:00
  7. Kent Holder, 60, CA                      27:21:00
  8. Earl Preeper, 43, B.C.                   27:37:00
  9. Pat Hinds, 34, ALB                       27:54:00
10. James Klarich, 37                         27:59:00
11. Brent Spilsbury, 52                       28:03:00
12. Dave Dutton, 43                           28:04:00
       Ron Nicholl, 57                        28:04:00
14. Matt Palocsay, 23, CA                     28:20:00
15. Matt Janney, 46, OR                       28:58:00
16. Phil Wright, 56, CA                       29:01:00
17. Martin Miller, 48, MT                     29:10:00
18. Allen Montgomery, 61, SC                  29:13:00
19. Janice Page, 44, B.C.               F     29:23:00 !
       Brian VanOene, 45, B.C.                29:23:00
       Dan Crockett, 53, B.C.                 29:23:00
22. Kevin O'Grady, 41, OH                     29:42:00
23. Hans Dieter-Weisshaar, 60, GERMANY        30:40:00
    Jeff Mikesell, 39                         30:40:00
25. Leon Draxler, 58                          31:18:00
26. Dimitri Kieffer, 34                       31:21:00
27. Gary Wright, 49                           31:30:00
28. Ray Gruenewald, 40                        31:41:00
29. Tim Stroh, 38                             31:57:00 *
 Randy Gehrke, 42                             31:57:00 *
 (Tim and Randy ran and trail marked on 8/21-22 unsupported)

Photos by Ron Nicholl