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Grueling SOB run attracts hundreds Chris Miller Ashland Daily Tidings Runners take your marks, get set, go. And keep going for the better part of a day. The fifth-annual Siskiyou Out Back Trail Run will fire off its starting gun Saturday at the Mount Ashland Ski Area parking lot. The run is the fourth race of the year for the Oregon Trail Ultramarathon Series, and is a benefit for the Mount Ashland ski patrol. SOB attracts hundreds of trail runners, from local Ashlanders to as far as Virginia, to compete in its 50-kilometer and 15k runs. Most seek an even greater challenge than running a 26.2-mile marathon. "We have approximately 115 pre-registered runners for the 50k and about 90 for the 15 as of today," race director Marilyn Bailey said Thursday. "It's pretty amazing where people come from," Bailey said. "We have one guy from Texas, and he's come every year. The first two years he ran the 50k, and the last two he's run the 15, and that's some dedication." The race starts and finishes at Mount Ashland's ski lodge. The course follows the Pacific Crest Trail, where entrants will be rewarded with commanding views of Mount Shasta, Mount McLoughlin and the Siskiyou and Cascade ranges. In addition to the scenery, the runners will get plenty of heart-pounding exercise. The 50k competitors will gain approximately 3,800 feet in elevation, while the 15k folks will rise about 400 feet. Last year, according to Bailey, the weather played a part in the lowest number of finishers in race history. With the race-time temperatures on the mountain pushing 95 degrees, many runners called it quits before completing the race. "Last year it was so hot that it was unbearable," Bailey said. "We had more DNF's (did not finish) than we have ever had, but we didn't have anybody get into trouble." The forecast for Saturday is a slightly cooler 91 degrees in Ashland. Generally mountain temperatures are even cooler. But should the weather resemble Hades, Bailey said her race volunteers are prepared. "We have six aid stations for the 50k with food and drinks, and the 15k has two stations," she said. Last year's winner of the 50k was 24-year-old Joshua Mulkey from Seattle, Wash. Corvallis� Barbara Leinweber took the plaque in the 50 for the women, and Tim Turk was Ashland's fastest finisher in 19th place. In the 15k, Michael Taylor of Salem took first, while Ashland's own Felica Hazel won the women's event. The races are open to people of all ages. Interested runners can still sign up to the day of the race starting at 5:30 a.m. The cost of the race is $50 for the 50k and $30 for the 15k. The gun will sound at 7 a.m. (6 a.m. for early starters) for the 50k, and 8:30 for the 15. For more information, contact Bailey at 482-1530, or Tom Pelsor at 840-9028. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -