The 14th annual Pacific Crest Sports Festival will be held June 25 through June 27 in Sunriver Resort, 15 miles south of Bend, Ore., at the base of the Cascade Range.
The event started in 1997 when AA Sports Limited was looking for a place to hold a Long Course Triathlon (commonly known as a half ironman) and Sunriver was looking to bolster tourism during the shoulder season. “At the time there was only one other such race in the Northwest,” said advertising director Brook Gardner. “Now there are a dozen or more.”
Since then the Pacific Crest has grown to be a highly regarded racing festival with events for all ages and abilities from the Splash-Pedal and Dash for kids under 12 to the Long Course Triathlon for competitive athletes.
Last year 5,166 people registered for one of the many events. Participants come from nearly every state in the country as well as Europe and Asia with the majority arriving from the Northwest and California. All in all, more than 85 percent of the racers come from outside Central Oregon, and their effect on the local economy was estimated at $2.5 million.
Races events include:
• Long Course Triathlon and Endurance Duathlon
Swim 1.2 miles, bike 56.3 miles, run 13.1 miles. Both races begin at Gull Point on Wickiup Reservoir in the heart of the Cascade Mountain Range and finish at Sunriver Resort.
Prize money for the triathlon race starts at $150 for 5th place and goes to $1,000 for 1st place for both men and women.
• Olympic Triathlon and Duathlon
Swim 1500 meters, bike 28 miles, run 10K
• Marathon and Half Marathon
The level course circles Sunriver’s 3,200 acres on wide, paved bike paths
• 5k and 10k walk/run
• Kid’s half-mile and 1-mile dash
• Kid’s Splash-Pedal-Dash
In 2002 and 2003 the Long Course Triathlon, which is logistically very difficult, was at capacity with 1,000 participants. Now it’s around 600 because there are so many other regional competitions.
The marathon and half marathon were added the second year of the event, and the marathon was instantly recognized as a Boston Marathon qualifier.
In recent years the Olympic Distance events have become very popular.
“You would be hard pressed to find an event like this anywhere in the world,” said Gardner. “There’s something for everyone. The only thing missing is a recreational bike tour.”
Bikers on the long course ride around Mt. Bachelor on the scenic Cascade Lakes Highway, which opened for travel the week before Memorial Day.
Days are usually sunny and warm in Sunriver at the end of June. Evenings are another story. At 4,000 feet elevation, visitors can expect temperatures to drop to 40 degrees or lower when the sun goes down.
Gardner has participated in the Long Course Triathlon every year since 1999 and he only remembers a couple times when it was less than 70 degrees for the race. “It can get pretty darn warm here during the day,” he said.
The Pacific Crest has grown every year. In recent years, the half marathon race has been the most popular. In 2007 there are 951 finishers and in 2009 there were 1,400.
“That event is probably the fastest growing race in the country,” said Gardner. “Four new half marathons have sprung up in the last three months in the Willamette Valley.”
The Olympic distance events have trended along the same lines, increasing from 439 in 2007 to 545 in 2009.
According to a survey taken last year, snowshoeing was named as a favorite outdoor activity by 30 percent of the respondents.
For registration information: http://www.racecenter.com/pacificcrest.
For lodging information: http://www.sunrivervacations.com.
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