The below information is for the 2013 race, but it can give you a good idea of what is in store for 2014.  2014 race details will be updated closer to the race:

Dear Coaches,

Thank you very much for signing up for The Ultimook Race to be held September 7th on The Hydrangea Ranch in Tillamook.  We are happy that the Tillamook Invitational is once again active and strong as it was for much of the past four decades, though in a different venue.  We have worked hard to not only create a quality racing venue, but also an early season weekend experience that your athletes will talk about as one of their best memories in high school cross country.

Please read the updated information below carefully.  If you have questions please contact THS cross country coach Pat Zweifel at patrick@ultimookrace.com or by phone at 503.815.3762 (office) or 503.812.9190 (cell).

Updated Race schedule:

8:15am    Open Race                              5k

9:00am    Middle School Girls                3k

9:30am    Middle School Boys                3k

10:00am JV Girls                                    5k            1A, 2A, 3A, 4A

10:45am JV Boys                                    5k            1A, 2A, 3A, 4A

11:30am Varsity Girls                            5k            1A, 2A, 3A, 4A

12:15pm Varsity Boys                            5k            1A, 2A, 3A, 4A

1:00pm    JV Girls                                    5k            5A, 6A

1:45pm    JV Boys                                    5k            5A, 6A

2:30pm    Varsity Girls                            5k            5A, 6A

3:15pm    Varsity Boys                            5k            5A, 6A

We are flexible as to which division you run in.  Just let us know what works best for you.

Varsity Limit:  7 runners in 1A-4A.  10 runners in 5A-6A.

 

Course Description:  The emphasis of this course is to offer a “REAL” cross country experience without sacrificing a quality, raceable course.  It features 2 river crossings (shallow water, but wide crossing), a run through a natural marsh (be sure shoes are securely planted on feet to avoid losing them to the suction), a mile of wood chipped trails, a challenging hill section, a mystery element new to this year’s course (you’ll have to come to find out what it is, all I can say is that I’ve never seen it done before), and of course a bunch of beautiful flowers.  Times will not be fast, but from my own experience in racing, your athletes will look forward to coming back year after year—I promise you that.  Perhaps the best element of the course is that it is spectator friendly with many good vantage points and a view of much of the race.  Please notify your athletes that they will not be allowed to continue the race if they come out of the mud pit without a shoe(s).  We also recommend not wearing spikes.  There is about ½ mile of the race on packed gravel.

In order to stay on schedule, there may be a small number of athletes still on the course when the subsequent race begins.  We will do our best to keep times for these athletes, but after 45 minutes we will be working off of a stopwatch and not a timer and the chances of making a mistake with their official time goes dramatically up.

Race Cost:

$50/middle school

$100 per 1A, 2A, 3A, or 4A high school

$150 per 5A or 6A high school

$15/open race participant, but primary coaches run for free

Invoices will be e-mailed out 1 week prior to the race.  Please mail check to Tillamook High School, 2605 12th St., Tillamook, OR 97141 or bring to race.  We are not in the collection business, so please do not make us chase you down months after the race.

Uniforms:  Because of the mud pit and possible staining, there will be no uniform restrictions.  Kids can wear practice gear if need be, however, no costumes allowed.

Camping:   We are encouraging teams to come to the Oregon Coast early on Friday and camp out on the farm Friday night.  Tents can be set up around the track area in the center of the farm, in the hydrangea plantation, or around the main pavilion area (in this area tents must be taken down and moved by 7:00 am since it is on the race start area).  Because of race times, some teams may prefer to camp out on Saturday night which is fine but there will be no food services.  We have plenty of camping space; do not worry about reserving tent space.

Electricity, water, and a limited amount of picnic tables/straw bales will be provided in and around the main pavilion.  An optional barbecue on the farm will be organized Friday evening for participating teams ($5/person).  If you do not want to join in the barbecue, please plan accordingly as the farm is about 5 miles from town.   The main pavilion area will be well lit until 10:00 pm.  Lights out is also quiet time.   Obviously, port-a-potties and garbage cans will be available.   The cost of camping is $3/person which includes a pre-race breakfast.    There will be a campfire on Friday night as well as a showing of the Prefontaine movie “Without Limits” drive-in movie style.

If you plan on camping on The Hydrangea Ranch on Friday night, please fill out this online form:  https://fluidsurveys.com/s/TheUltimookRace/  .  This will let us know which activities your team will be taking part in during the weekend.  If you will not be camping the night before then it is not necessary to fill out this form.  If you do not fill out the form, we will assume you will not be camping and taking part in any of its associated activities Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Parking:  Parking this year will be offsite, located about a ½ mile before The Hydrangea Ranch.  Please be aware of the signs indicating “Ultimook Parking.”  All spectators will need to park in the parking area.   Buses, though, can proceed past the parking area, drop off their athletes at The Hydrangea Ranch in the “dropoff zone,” turn around, and then go back to the parking area.  Continual shuttle buses will be in motion shuttling people back and forth.  You will not be able to miss this parking area as there will be plenty of signs and the pink volkswagen bug and yellow school bus in the middle of the cow pasture will give it away.  Please notify parents to look for parking signs.  Only handicapped marked vehicles will be able to park on The Hydrangea Ranch, all others will be turned back to the parking area.    The drop off zone is a short walk from the pavilion.  Campers will be allowed to park on the Hydrangea Ranch on Friday evening, but must leave for the parking area by 7am (shuttle returning).

Directions to The Hydrangea Ranch:  The Hydrangea Ranch is located at Oregon Coastal Flowers, 9455 Kilchis River Rd., Tillamook, OR 97141.  Take Alderbrook Road off of Hwy 101, ¾ of mile North of the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  Go one mile and you will come to a “T”.  Take a right onto Kilchis River Rd.  Go 2 miles and stop at “drop off zone.”   Follow signs for parking area and then take the shuttle or walk 650 meters to The Hydrangea Ranch.  Click Here to get directions online.

Registration of Athletes:  Register your athletes for the race via www.athletic.net by September 5th. The deadline is September 6th at noon.  I know it is very early in the season, but please register as many athletes as you think may be running and as early as possible. It is better to have too many names entered than not enough.  There is no problem with having a runner not run, but it is a hassle to add additional athletes on Saturday morning.

T-shirts & Concessions:  There will be souvenir t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, and XC hats available for purchase.  Concessions will be available both on Friday evening and Saturday, including coffee and espresso.

Awards:  Awards will be given out at the end of each major division as time permits (i.e. junior high races, 1A-4A, and 5A-6A).  Awards will be given out to the top 10 individuals in each race.  Team awards will be given out to the top 3 teams for Divisions 5A through 6A and the top 5 teams in the 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A division.  Unique locally grown flower bouquets will be given out as individual awards and hand engraved wood slabs will be given out as team awards.  If your athletes would prefer to have shiny gold metals rather than American grown flowers, we’re sorry.

Check-in:  Please check-in at the main pavilion area once arriving on Friday afternoon/evening or Saturday morning and pick up your packets.  If you don’t mail in the registration costs, please pay at this time.

Coaches Meeting:    A coach’s meeting will be held at the main pavilion at 8:45 for the junior high and 1A-4A divisions and then again at 12:45 for 5A-6A schools.

Course Run Through:  The course will be well marked and ready for walk/jog through anytime on Friday or Saturday morning.

Guided Course Walk Through:  Though the course will be well marked with descriptive maps, it might be helpful to some of the runners to take part in a guided tour of the course.   5pm on Friday evening there will be a guided tour (one that jogs, another that walks) for both the 5k and 3k race courses.  We suggest having your athletes wear a spare pair of shoes if they want to see entire course (i.e. river crossing) during the run through.

School Liability Insurance:  Because this is a private farm, we require that all schools show proof of liability insurance.  You can fax a copy of your school’s liability insurance to the farm office at 503.815.9326, bring it to the meet, or mail it to:  Tillamook High School Cross Country, 2605 12th St., Tillamook, OR 97141.

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