The 2018 Castle Peak 100k Runners Guide is now available! Please take some time to read through the guide as it contains valuable information regarding the race. You can find the guide here.
5 points for the 2018 Castle Peak 100k course
It was already the hardest race you didn’t know you wanted to do! And the 2018 Castle Peak 100k just keeps getting better. We’ll finish up high at Sugar Bowl Resort, adding more climbing and more sweeping mountain vistas. Don’t worry, you’ll still experience the exhilarating Palisades traverse. With 22 hours, we’re giving you two more hours to finish this (even) tougher course. In return, you’ll now earn 5 UTMB points.
New for 2018:
- Camping options at race start
- 5 UTMB points with 15,000+ ft of climbing
- Finish at Sugar Bowl ski resort
- 2 more hours added to the cut off
- Earlier race date – Saturday, August 18, 2018
- Sign up early – registration opens December 1, 2017
2017 Post-Race News
Congratulations to each of you that toed the line. No matter how your day turned out, we hope it was a great experience with All Altitude, No Attitude!
Official results are posted at UltraSignup.
Aid Station splits are available at WebScorer.
2-Minute Survey
Help us out! All participants (runners, crew, volunteers, etc…) are eligible to spend 2 minutes on our survey and (optionally) enter your email address to be entered to win some swag.
Click here to take the survey. Pretty Please.
All Altitude, No Attitude!
Shop our Donner Party Mountain Runners store for a race shirt or other club gear, such as our highly sought-after ice bandana!
Click here to shop the DPMR store.
Free Photos
Enjoy race highlight photos thanks to volunteer and 2016 Castle Peak 100k finisher Kane Cullimore. You may download free digital images (personal use only, please) or order prints here:
Click here for race highlight photos.
Up Next
Saturday, September 30, 2017, Overlook Endurance Run (50k and 30k): Created by the legendary Ann Trason and now produced by the same team that brought you the Canyons Endurance Runs and our own Castle Peak 100k finish line food. Enjoy a Donner Party Mountain Runners 15% discount with coupon code DPMR15.
Saturday, October 14, 2017, Alibi to Alibi self-supported group 50k: The last big adventure run of the season! Join the DPMR group and we’ll provide GPS tracks to guide you almost entirely on dirt from Alibi Ale Works in Incline Village, NV to their new location in downtown Truckee, CA. Save the date and watch our website for details.
Pre-race Update #1
Castle Peak 100k is one week out! We trust that you are well prepared in body in spirit, and your all-volunteer race team is busy preparing as well. As you know, this is not a race that you can “just show up for.” There will be another email update on Monday night that will include the final runner manual. In the meanwhile, please review these updates.
Parking: We recommend that you park at the finish and enjoy the free shuttle (from the Truckee Donner Lodge) to the start. Your car will be waiting for you at the end of a long day. You will be able to drop a “finish line” bag at the start. Listen to our parking volunteers. Park at an angle so we can get as many cars on the paved road as possible, and do not block any roads. Do not park beyond where the pavement ends on Cold Stream Rd.
Driving Directions: There is some road construction that will impact your crew’s access to aid stations. These will be detailed in the runner’s manual next week.
Finish Line Food: We will have free dinner and celebration for all runners and volunteers. Friends and family, please bring $5 to help offset costs.
Volunteers: We could still use help, especially for the later shifts. If your friends and family can help, have them sign up by clicking here.
Cut-offs and dropping: Castle Pass aid station cut-off has been removed, but 7pm is still the cut off to continue beyond Van Norden. If you must drop, you may do so at Johnson Canyon or Van Norden. You could drop at Castle Pass, but you may be sitting there for several hours before you get shuttled out. No drop zones include: Andromeda, Summit Lake, Devils Oven, Hole in the Ground, Crows Nest, Mt. Lincoln, Coldstream. Once you leave Van Norden you have no bail out point. Aid Station details are available on our website – click here (also find a GREAT printable chart for your crew).
Bib pickup, check-in, drop bags: Bib and swag pickup will be available on Friday, August 25, 2pm – 6pm, at Tahoe Mountain Sports in Truckee. (Come shop: you’ll get 10% off any single non-sale item over $50!) You may pick up your bib on race morning if you really need to. Regardless, EVERYONE MUST DO A QUICK CHECK-IN at the start. No exceptions. For your safety, we must know who is on course. You may bring your drop bags to bib check-in or to the start. We recommend a finish bag so that you don’t have to leave the celebration at the finish area to get your dry clothes from the car.
THANK YOU: Salomon, our presenting sponsor, will be on-hand at the finish to show off their latest goodies. We also want to thank Sugar Bowl Resort, Truckee Tourism Business Improvement District, and all of our land partners for their generous support.
On-course nutrition: We are pleased to provide our favorite trail nutrition at EVERY aid station: Tailwind Endurance Fuel (mandarin orange) and GU Energy Gels (various flavors). Your swag bag will also feature the newest product from Trail Butter (available locally at Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City): single serve packets of Maple & Sea Salt Nut Butter. Huge thanks to each of these companies for donating their great products!
Up next: Expect another email early next week. It will include a runner’s manual and you will need to confirm that you have read the key points. This will be in lieu of a pre-race meeting. We work hard to keep the Castle Peak 100k website up-to-date. Look there first, if you still have questions, the best way to reach us is via email: Secretary@DonnerPartyMountainRunners.com
Your Co-Race Directors,
Peter Fain (Run on Dirt Coaching)
Helen Pelster (Trail Mom)
P.S. Helen’s daughter will be offering Sharpie calf art at Friday bib pick-up with donations accepted on behalf of our land partner, the Truckee Donner Land Trust.
If you are still reading, phew! Here is your course conditions report as of today, August 18, 2017:
Start to Moondance: Very dusty on the upper section of the Animal. Trail is loose and silty. If that bothers you make sure to have a change of socks at Johnson Canyon as your shoes will be filled with a fine silt.
Moondance to Andromeda: Beautiful meadow running with a dusty climb to Andromeda
Moondance to Andromeda: Beautiful meadow running with a dusty climb to Andromeda
Andromeda to Johnson Canyon: Fireroad and trail to are both in really good shape.
Johnson Canyon to Summit Lake: Also in great shape. Enjoy.
Summit Lake to Devil’s Oven: The initial climb has a few trees down that you will have to navigate around, there are plenty of flowing creeks. some patches of snow and some soggy, marshy areas that are impossible to avoid. Stay on trail and avoid damaging the permitter of the trail. Make sure to turn left towards Devil’s Oven and DO NOT go down to Warren lake. That will be the hardest longest wrong turn you’ve ever made if you go down. After that you will have some snow and sections where the trail is the creek. Again avoid going off trail to preserve the delicate plants. Your feet will get wet.
Devils Oven to Castle Pass: Beautiful ridge running with great trail conditions. Note: the downhill from Castle Peak to the pass is very steep. Be cautious. The gravel and rocks are loose and it’s easy to fall.
Castle Pass to Van Norden: The first half the trail is packed out and nice. There are some large downed trees. Make sure you stay on-trail when you cross the trees. There will be points of running water. The second half gets dusty. Once you hit the pavement in Soda Springs you have a mile of road running to the Van Norden Aid station. Stay on runner’s left until you get to the intersection where we will have signs that say “Runners Crossing Road.”
Van Norden to Crows Nest: This is beautiful trail running in Royal Gorge.
Crow’s Nest to Mt. Lincoln aka The Palisades at Sugar Bowl: The route is barely a goat trail this year. The harsh winter caused lots of erosion and no trail work has been done. That being said, there will be a flag every 10 meters or so for the entire stretch and for those running at night there will be LED lights on many of those flags as well.
Mt Lincoln to Coldstream: Lots of downed trees on upper coldstream trail. Pay attention when going around them. Once you hit the fire road the route is in good shape except for the fact that winter has washed out a lot of the dirt so you’re basically running on rocks the whole way down.
Coldstream to the Finish: Again, more rocky roads and then a dusty fire road to the finish. This year the last 1/2 mile will be on a paralleling single track vs. the rocky fire road. It is a nicer run.
2017 Training Weekend
We invite all Castle Peak 100k runners, friends, pacers, and family members to explore the Castle Peak 100k course over three days, July 21-23, 2017. Non-registered runners may participate for free when they join the Donner Party Mountain Runners for as little as $35 annually (click here to join or renew today.) We will also have a fun social / movie night on Saturday, July 22, 2017 (details TBA).
The three days will cover the Castle Peak 100k course in sequence, with the exception of the Hole in the Ground section from Castle Pass to Van Norden. All runs are one-way, meeting at the ending point and grouping into shuttles to each start point. Also, please note that the meeting times are different for each run.
Please use these links for your FREE reservation and details for each day:
- Friday, July 21, 2017 ~ Castle Peak 100k Preview :: Start to Moondance
Afternoon run - Saturday, July 22, 2017 ~ Castle Peak 100k Preview :: Moondance to Castle Pass
SATURDAY DISTANCE AND ROUTING SUBJECT TO CHANGE BASED ON SNOW
Traction and poles may be useful this day - Sunday, July 23, 2017 ~ Castle Peak 100k Preview :: Van Norden to Finish
SUNDAY INCLUDES THE PALISADES
Runners are recommended to be hands-free (no poles or hand-held water bottles)
All Altitude. No Attitude.
A little backstory on our 2017 Castle Peak 100k tagline, “All Altitude. No Attitude.” In March, our volunteer graphic designer, Diane (ispyfred.com) sent me the following note.
I’ve been thinking about the Castle Peak race a lot lately- and one of the things that’s always struck me about it vs. other races is the surprising lack of attitude. It’s very inclusive and supportive while still being a major race in terms of degree of difficulty. Being involved with 2 aid stations last year as well and meeting all the runners was great and I heard the same sentiment— this race has a surprising lack of attitude. I’ve been sitting on this idea of a tagline since last year— I think it works well to describe the race, the runners, the course and our organization. So that’s the story behind the headline I’m using for this ad.
Diane is an LA girl turned Tahoe, so she certainly knows how to identify attitude (or lack thereof)! She selected a great photo by Scott Rokis (Rokis Photo) of 2016 Castle Peak 100k finisher Brent Konvalin to communicate the idea.
Click here for 2017 Castle Peak 100k registration information and experience all the altitude with none of the attitude for yourself on August 26, 2017!
Look for a versions of the ad in UltraRunning Magazine and on postcards at a running shop or race near you. #allaltitudenoattitude
Suggested Qualifying Races
In light of the high DNF rate on this demanding course, we have increased the qualification standards, now requiring all registrants to complete a trail race of at least 50 miles and 7,000′ of climbing. The qualifying race must be run after January 1, 2016 and prior to registration for the 2017 Castle Peak 100k.
Some 50k races are so challenging that we will consider them qualifiers as well. Please email Peter at runondirt@gmail.com if you have questions or another race you feel has prepared you to run the Castle Peak 100k.
Suggested qualifying races
These are examples (and some exceptions.) This list is not exhaustive… see requirements above!
March: Marin Ultra Challenge 50-miler (11,000 ft) Marin, CA
April: Sonoma 50 (10,500 ft) Healdsburg, CA
April: Tillamook Burn 50-miler (9,300 ft) Portland, OR
April: Canyons 50km (9,000ft gain) Foresthill, CA
May: Quad Rock 50m (11,000 ft) Fort Collins, CO
May: Silver State 50m (9,200 ft) Reno, NV
June: Squaw Peak 50m (14,000 ft gain) Provo, UT
June: Broken Arrow 55km (10,000+) Olympic Valley, CA
June: Mt. Baker Ulta marathon (12,000+ ft) Mt. Baker, WA
July: Speeedgoat 50km (14,866 ft) Snowbird, UT
July: TRT 50m (10,000 ft) Carson City, NV
July: TRT 55k (7,900 ft) Carson City, NV
July: Devils Back bone 50m (11,000 ft) Bozeman, MT
August: White River 50m (8,700 ft) Mt. Rainer, WA
August: Iron Legs Mountain races 50m (13,780 ft) Calgary, AL, Canada
September: The Rut 50km (10,500 ft) Big Sky, MT
October: Dick Collins Firetraps 50m (7,800) Lake Chabot, CA
2017 Castle Peak 100k opens for registration
The epic Castle Peak 100k trail race opens for registration January 1, 2017. Click here to register now at UltraSignup. This destination race takes place 15 miles north of Lake Tahoe in Truckee, California. Dramatic scenery, big mountain climbs, and the notorious 1.25-mile rock scramble through the Palisades await the unafraid.
The 2017 Castle Peak 100k is presented by our generous supporters at Salomon. The race is produced by an all-volunteer team of Donner Party Mountain Runners. Racers can expect genuine support at aid stations every 4-7 miles along the course.
New registration requirements
In light of the high DNF rate on this very challenging course, we have increased the qualification standards, now requiring all registrants to complete a trail race of at least 50 miles and 7,000′ of climbing. The qualifying race must be run after January 1, 2016 and prior to registration for the 2017 Castle Peak 100k.
FREE three-day course preview / training runs
All registered runners are invited to join us Friday, July 21 – Sunday, July 23, 2017, for three consecutive course preview days. The entire course will be run over these three days – runners may join us for all or part of the weekend. Stay tuned for more information / RSVP will be required as the date draws near.
Member discounts
Current club members of the Donner Party Mountain Runners enjoy at 10% discount on Castle Peak 100k race registration. Click here to join or renew your DPMR membership and get your discount code today.
Be social
Follow along on Facebook – click here and Like our page. Get fired up and see the course throughout the seasons on Instagram this year – click here to see us on Instagram.
2016 Castle Peak 100k Wrap-Up
Results
Congratulations to all who braved the Castle Peak 100k start line last weekend, especially winners Ryan Weibel (43, South Lake Tahoe, CA) who completed the course in 11:15:38 and Suzanna Bon (52, Sonoma, CA) with a time of 14:01:13. Complete results are now updated on UltraSignup, with 114 starts and 72 finishes within the 20-hour time limit.
Race Photos & Free Download
Official 2016 Castle Peak 100k photos by Scott Rokis Photography are at this link:
http://www.scottrokis.com/castle-peak-100k—2016
We are delighted to provide each runner with one free image for download. After searching your bib number and selecting your image; you may choose -> Buy -> Downloads -> Free Race Photo -> Add to Cart.
2017 Registration
The tentative date for the next year’s Castle Peak 100k is Saturday, August 26, 2017. In light of the high DNF rate on this demanding course, we have increased the qualification standards, now requiring all registrants to complete a trail race of at least 50 miles and 7,000′ of climbing. The qualifying race must be run after January 1, 2016 and prior to registration for the 2017 Castle Peak 100k.
Also, a small public service announcement based on our real-life experience: please take a moment to update your default UltraSignup Emergency Contact. It should not be someone you ever race with, nor yourself, nor your pet… you get the idea.
Thank You Volunteers
So many volunteers make the Castle Peak 100k possible, that it’s difficult to name just a few when all do so much. Regardless, we just have to call out those who led the charge:
Sean Flanagan ~ Aid Station Director
Lesley Dellamonica ~ Volunteer Coordinator
Diane Frederic ~ Graphic Designer / Swag Queen
Alex Humenetskyj ~ Course Marking
Carol Lindsay ~ Medical Coordinator
Javier Castellar ~ CTO / Runner Tracking
Jackie Reifers ~ Registration / Goodies Bags
Chaz Sheya & Abbey Drake ~ UltraLounge / Chefs
As well as all the aid station captains:
Tessa Waldron & Brandon Dey~ The Animal
Sharon Fong ~ Moondance
Diane Frederic ~ Andromeda
Mike Kreaden / Steven’s Creek Striders ~ Johnson Canyon
Deirdre Greenholz ~ Summit Lake
Naomi Plasterer & Gretchen Brugman ~ Devil’s Oven
George Ruiz / Tahoe Mountain Milers ~ Castle Pass
Todd Frietas / Tahoe Donner 4Wheelers ~ Hole in the Ground
Sian Turner & Kim Larson / Bike Like a Girl ~ Van Norden
Bill Hunter ~ Crow’s Nest
JP Prince ~ Palisades Safety
Greg Walker ~ Mt. Lincoln Safety
Rebecca Byerly & Aparna Choudhary / Women of the Mountain ~ Mt. Lincoln
Michelle Edmonson & Kaycee Green / Silver State Striders ~ Cold Stream
Thank You Land Partners
Our generous land partners make the incomparable Castle Peak 100k a journey accessible to each who faces the brunt of fate. Please support them any way you can.
- U.S. Forest Service
- California State Parks
- Truckee Donner Land Trust
- Tahoe Donner Association
- Sugar Bowl Resort
- Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski
- Coldstream Adventures
Thank You Sponsors
The 2016 Castle Peak 100k was presented by Salomon with additional support from the Truckee Chamber of Commerce. On-course nutrition was provided by GU Energy Labs and Tailwind Nutrition. Thanks also to our generous partner hotel Truckee Donner Lodge, Victory Sportsdesign and Tahoe Mountain Sports.
Survey
We hope you had a great experience and want to keep improving! Runners: look for a survey in your inbox and we hope you’ll share your suggestions for the future.
Donner Party Mountain Runners
The Castle Peak 100k is a production of the Donner Party Mountain Runners. We are a grass-roots 501(c)(3) non-profit running club and member of the RRCA. We exist to inform and inspire mountain runners in Truckee-Tahoe. Look for a 10k snowshoe race and more winter activities just around the corner. Show your support by becoming a member today ~ click here!
Until next time…
Your co-Race Directors,
Peter Fain, Run on Dirt Coaching
Helen Pelster, TahoeRunningCompany.com
