There is something magical about 'completing the circle' and running
around one of the Pacific Northwest's Volcanos. This section provide
background information for doing these runs. Note that
none of these runs are easy. I've summited all of these volcanos and can
attest that running around them is much harder than climbing to the
top. I'm listing the runs in rough order of difficulty (a very
subjective thing). Have fun on your volcano run and drop me a line to let me know how it went for you.
Mt. St. Helens A great run. Reasonable mileage (50K), running through the desolation area, sandy canyons, lava flows and a surprising array of different eco systems.
Mt. Hood Run around Oregon's highest mountain and cover 41 miles with 10,000 feet of climbing.
North, Middle and South Sister Three volcanos on one run! Black sand, obsidian, mountain lake and a number of miles on the beautiful PCT.
Mt. Adams Link to Run2XS website.
I'm hesitant to list this run at all because of extreme danger in this run (glacier and river crossing), e-mail
me if you are going to do this run.
Mt. Rainier 93 miles on the
Wonderland trail around Mt. Rainier. Usually done as a multi-day
fastpack trip or with car support. I'm still waiting to do this one
myself. (not yet available)
Volcano Runs Outside of the Pacific Northwest
Only one option so far but I'll add more if folks want to provide links.
Fuego Y Agua 100K A very intriguing two volcano run in Nicaragua. worth checking out.
Other Long Runs
The Volcano runs are the most popular runs on this website but there are a number of other excellent training options for Portland based runners.
Salmon River A nice river run and climb up to a fire lookout (near Mt. Hood)
Lewis River Relatively flat run along Lewis River (near St. Helens). Good winter run when everything else is snowed in.
Tillamook State Forest A largely undiscovered running spot in the coast range west of Portland.
