Taking over a race with an awesome history like the Beast of Big Creek is a huge honor. I’ve ran this race twice and love this mountain and these trails dearly. Thank you RD John for envisioning this race, directing it these past 11 years and passing on the torch. It’s a relatively short race, but the the vert is relentless and the upper section gnarly. The trails in the Olympic National Forest are beautiful and beckon to be explored. And so we’re continuing the tradition, keeping the race for this year mostly the same (with just an updated logo, of course). Learn all about the two distances and all the details here, and sign up to race Mt. Ellinor with us.

COME RACE WITH US!

Listen to the latest episode of Singletrack to hear a bit more
about the race and the plans for the future.

Thank you all for challenging yourself this past weekend and participating in the Virtual VERT Winter Challenge.

For full results, right this way.

Some highlights:

• Lance Dayton got the highest results with 198 points. Wow!
  He also did the most repeats and climbed the most vert with 11986.
• Dimitri Hunter ran the most miles with 42.
• And Scott Michie and Lou Donofrio each did 40 repeats on their local hill. Wow!

Amazing work everyone

So, now for the fun part:
I got enough goodies to send everyone something for their effort.
If the addresses you provided when registering are not a good shipping address, could you please reach out to me with an updated address, so I ship things to the correct place!

You’ll get one more email from me when packages are finally out the door as I am still waiting for a couple of items.
Thanks again for joining at at this early season challenge with the crazy formula.
This is the Virtual VERT Challenge!

Hope you all are having an incredible race weekend. I’ll be cheering from Olympia, Washington. Please feel free to contact me anytime during the weekend if you have questions, need someone to cheer you on or if you need help with the formula.

Here’s your form to upload your results
Here are your downloadable bibs!

Virtual VERT Challenge week is here. You ready?

Sign up now, if you’re not.

And if you are, here’s the form to record your results.

Here’s an refresher on how to calculate your total:

Distance Run in Miles
+ (Vertical Feet Gained / by 100) 
+ (Number of Reps on ‘Your Local Hill’) 
= Your Total Score!

More:

• Downloadable race bibs will be available by the end of the week!

Sponsors:

Thank you Tailwind Nutrition of sponsoring the Virtual VERT Challenge

This March, March 4th-7th, to be precise, I’m kicking off our race calendar with the Virtual VERT Challenge. I’m bringing back this virtual race that calculates your effort using a crazy formula inspired by the way UTMB calculated qualifier races points.

How does it work, you ask?
You count one run, and add to the distance in miles the vertical feet gained divided by hundred and finally add the number of reps on your local hill. That’s your score, not your speed or overall mileage will win you this event, but that magic number. And especially the reps on the hill will count for a lot. Which makes it the perfect race for when the mountain summits are still full of snow and your vert chasing has to happen in town. 
Last time we hosted this event we had people doing silly repeats in staircase of parking garages, it was bonkers.
So, if you’re up for a crazy Virtual VERT Challenge, then this race is for you. 

Click here to learn more and come chase vert with us March 4th – 7th.

Lots to share this week. Excitement is building for the new year. Let’s get to it, shall we?

The Trail Running Film Festival is happening again. Virtual again, so you get to watch from the comfort of your own living room. Film Fest and Chill?

Our Little Backyard Adventure is now a Six Hour Challenge. Say What? Yes, you can run one loop, or a dozen. Same twisty singletrack, same incredible city woods, but on your turns. This one’s gonna be fun!

We’re heading to Rock Candy Mountain. Finally! And this one’s a Twelve Hour Challenge, because this mountains deserves it.

And! We’re doing the Virtual VERT Challenge again this year. Same bonkers formula. Find a hill and run repeats, you crazy people.

I’m excited for the new year, hope to see you on the trails!

We’re bring the Little Backyard Adventure back to LBA Park in Olympia this coming August. Woohoo!

And! We’re introducing a brand new format for this race: The Six Hour Challenge.

Come test your endurance at LBA Park.

Registration opens 12/24/2021 – happy Christmas indeed.

It’s been awhile, hasn’t it. This racing thing.
But while the permit process is taken its time and we await announcements for our in-person races, I thought it’ll be great to find some hills and take the dust of that crazy formula we came up with back in early 2020. And so, with some much joy I present to you the winter version of the Virtual VERT Challenge. Same crazy idea, but now in March to help scare the winter blues away. Learn more about it here, sign up and come race with us, virtually.

Alright, here are the official results of the 2021 Little Backyard Adventure races. Again sorry it took us a bit to get it all together. Next year we can hopefully have a podium ceremony again and gather and cheer. You all had an incredible race and should be proud of you!

IMPORTANT CHANGE:
All three race distances will start at the same time at 8am!

Here it is. Your pre race email you’ve been waiting for!

We are just four days away from the big race day and I’m here to tell you we are ready to rock and are super excited to be able to put on the Little Backyard Adventure race again and welcome you all back to LBA park.

Here are all the important details you need to know: