Runners Kick Off ‘Bigfoot’ 200-Mile Race Through National Forest Land

Posted

In the shadow of Mount St. Helens, 150 antsy, adrenaline-charged runners set off into the forest Friday morning. Ahead of them lay days of running, 200 miles of trail, possible hallucinations and a massive test of will. 

“The course is hard. It really chewed me up,” said Seattle resident Vivian Doorn, who finished last year’s race and was back this weekend to run it again. “It’s so hard.”

The Bigfoot 200, in its fourth year, starts at the Marble Mountain Sno Park near Mount St. Helens, tracking 200 miles of trail through the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and finishing at White Pass High School in Randle. Runners have four days to finish the course; the event record was set last year at just more than 62 hours. 

“The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is a world-class trail running destination,” said Candice Burt, the event’s founder and organizer. “This event might be the most scenic 200-miler. It’s definitely the most challenging 200-mile event in the United States.”

The event has grown in leaps and bounds already. The 150 entrants this year is up from 100 last year. Another 350 runners took part in lower-mileage Bigfoot events.

The days-long event is unlike many other sports. Though it’s a competitive event, runners realize it’s an accomplishment just to finish. Last year, Doorn had the honor — yes, the honor — of being the last-place racer. It wasn’t a disappointment. It meant she hadn’t quit. 

“As long as I don’t have a bone popping out and I don’t have a bloody leg, I will continue,” she told the two crew members and friends who had come out to support her. “There were lots of very, very demoralized moments. I really wanted to drop.”

Despite that, she kept going to keep her word to her friends. In tribute to her grit, the other finishers formed a line at the finish and cheered her on as she made her way in.

“It felt like a miracle,” Doorn said. “Really surreal. So many people helped me. The love is so strong.”

Burt said that sentiment is common in long-distance trail running, noting competitive racers who have stopped to help each other out.

“We really are out there for each other first,” she said. “I think a lot of us do these races over and over again to see our friends, and it’s like a big party on the trails.”

Cameron Hall, another Seattle native who finished Bigfoot last year, explained the special elements that made him return.



“It’s the deep forest, it’s the climbs — I can’t believe I’m saying that,” he laughed. “Some hallucinations.”

To Hall, one of the most memorable aspects was running through the night.

“It feels like a dream state,” he said. “The overnights, it’s a headlamp and everything’s closed in. You’re just following, tracking and God knows what kind of thoughts are happening all through that. It’s just kind of like this long, semi-dream, semi-reality experience.”

The logistics behind the race are equally daunting. Burt said it takes a year of planning, lining up permits from the Forest Service, figuring out which roads and trails will be accessible. She and her team have spent nearly a month on-site working on the race, including a week and a half just to mark the route along the 200-mile course.

Bigfoot’s backers credited White Pass High School and the community for contributing much of the logistical backing that makes the race possible. The race sets up its headquarters at the high school during the event, and Bigfoot uses its track as the race’s finish. White Pass school buses were seen dropping off runners at the starting line, a shuttle service from the high school that allows them to have their cars waiting at the finish.

“White Pass has been very welcoming to us,” Burt said. “Having the kind of welcoming spirit that Randle has is exciting.”

She encouraged Lewis County residents to come out this weekend and watch the runners, whether volunteering their time at aid stations or just providing vocal cheers to energize the weary athletes. 

“We get a little tired, so having more people out there would be awesome,” Burt said.

People interested in helping out can contact race organizers at volunteer@Destinationtrailrun.com.

Burt said 70 to 80 percent of runners will finish, an unusually high number for a long-distance event. That’s because the sheer distance means most runners know what they’re in for when they sign up, and they’re tough enough to embrace the challenge.

“People do my races because they want to do a tough race. It’s not an easy 200 miles,” she said, pausing and laughing at the absurdity of the statement. “Is 200 ever easy?”