Starting at the Gordon Faber Recreational Complex, basically where the Hillsboro Hops play ball at…read moreRon Tonkin Stadium, and heading towards Helvetia Market, the countryside, and Helvetia Tavern is this little event called the Helvetia Half Marathon. This event has been running for 25 years now, and is typically held at the end of May. If you're not ready to run a half marathon (like myself) then they also offer a 5K and 10K course. Cost is between $54 to $135, depending on when you register. Packet Pick-up: ~ At the Portland Running Company in Beaverton. Race Day: ~ 8am Start ~ On Century Blvd just outside of the stadium. I only ran the 10K and only saw data centers and farmland lol. But my friend that ran the half said that it became a bit hilly after the 10K mark. Finishline: ~ It ends back onto the playing field of the stadium, and along the outfield. A medal awarded at the end. Food/Beer/Live Music: ~ Burgers were provided by Helvetia Tavern and three types of beers from Rogue Brewery. Live music provided by Party of 4! Those guys were awesome! Overall, it was a good run in my opinion. Not overkill with hills but also not as scenic as I thought. Would I run it again? Yeah why not!

Awesome run! We had such a great time out running even though it started raining towards the end of…read morethe race. Going over the bridge was an incredible view and something I won't soon forget. When we finished up it was great grabbing brews though I did get pretty cold without any Mylar windbreakers at the finish since it started raining some.

Bridge to Brews, your option of an 8K or 10K race starting from the Waterfront and heads over the…read moreFremont bridge to the Rose Quarter, then over the Steel Bridge. And as the name would imply, beer is involved. The end of the race consists of a beer fest and live music! Can't think of many better reasons to have multiple good beers at 9:30 in the morning. A nice bonus is we got a free beer with our packet pickup too! A must do for any runner and/or beer drinker.

This was an interesting race. I had a great time, but the people are really what make relay races…read morefun. Most folks wouldn't find being in a van without sleep, baths, or much space for 30 hours as your team relay runs from Mt. Hood to Seaside, OR not much fun, but with over a 1000 teams, we have somehow convinced ourselves that it is! After running a few Ragnar relay races (same approx 200 mile distance; different cities) I've got to say that I really appreciate that Ragnar is more organized than HTC. HTC is huge. The race has been around for 33 years. With that long history, I figured that they would have this race planned out pretty well, even considering that the course sometimes has to change a little...but they could use a lot of work. The exits and entrances to our relay exchanges (passing the team bracelet to the next runner to run their 4 - 9 mile leg) were not conducive to be efficient and my team got stuck in traffic to the exchange so thick, that I actually ran PAST them; met the other team van to pass my bracelet to their van's runner...and ended up running a mile BACK to jump in my van and sit in traffic with them. But the worst was yet to come... But first, the volunteers were terrific. Instead of relying on course signs like Ragnar, they had volunteers physically waving you through--to let you know you were on the right path. It was HOT during the day and neighborhoods had people set up on their lawns to cheer us on--and spray us down with hoses as we ran through. It felt amazing during the hottest legs of the race. Here's the awful part. Last leg of the race. One poorly schooled volunteer forced my van team to take the trolley into Seaside from their parking spot almost a little over a mile away. The trolleys were so full, they missed two rides. So I ran into the finish line...and my team wasn't there. The other van's team was there but weren't expecting me for a bit. Later, we found out that you didn't have to take the trolley in, according to another volunteer :/ It's a beautiful race, but it's a one-and-done kind of event. Check it out if you live in the area! I wouldn't recommend traveling for it like I did.

Hood to Cost promotes a "Turkey Trot" on the day before Thanksgiving. $35 to walk around the track…read moreat the Portland Speedway at night and look at tired old Christmas lights. Spend you money and time on something else!

I have done many Spartan Races (this one was my 8th race) at many different venues and this venue…read moreis by far my favorite and by far the muddiest! If you are ever planning on doing this race, plan to arrive very early because the parking situation this year was horrible. I heard that people were waiting in line at least an hour to park. Luckily I took uber so I did not have that problem. The event was very organized. Everything was clearly marked and knowing where to go was easy. Also, it costs $5 to check your bag. Cash only. The barbed wire crawl was by far the muddiest part of the race.. MUD everywhere! I had a great time rolling in the mud for a few minutes. There were also two different sets of mud moats on this course (basically walking and climbing through a bunch of mud). Some of the other obstacles included wall climbs, monkey bars, bucket carry, sandbag carry, atlas carry (basically a boulder carry), plate drag, tire flip (my favorite!), hercules hoist and a dunk wall so you can clean off at the end of the race. I highly recommend training prior to this event. This race is no walk in the park. I recommend incline walking and hikes because the hills will defiantly get you if you haven't trained prior. I also recommend resistance and strength training. The majority of the obstacles require both upper and lower body strength to accomplish. Make sure to wear clothes and shoes you don't mind getting dirty. In most cases, the shoes you wear you probably won't ever wear again unless its for another obstacle course race. At the finish line, you are rewarded with a medal, finisher shirt, a banana, Clif bar, Fit Aid drink, and of course free beer. If you ever have a chance to do a Spartan Race, do it! The feeling of accomplishment at the finish line is incredible!

Gawd. My knees. They look like I fought 30 ninjas on a field of sharpened Legos, only using only my…read moreknees. Despite that, this was one of the best organized obstacle runs I have ever done. And the swag was rad! You're given a timing chip, a headband pre-printed with your bib number to run with. That, with the bib number on your arm, and the bib itself, they really want to make sure they identify you for the many photographers on the path. Some of you may be going, "Wow, but it's only a 5K" and though I prefer long distance running/obstacle courses, I have to tell you: I was surprised. It also took us nearly a hour and a half to complete. The combination of the constant steep hills, the intensity of the obstacles of themselves...this race does not disappoint! I've done a couple of Tough Mudders, and I have to say that this was just as physical, even though TM is 4x the distance with about 10 more obstacles. And I could never do another Warrior Dash or Survivor Mud Run after doing this 5K; I've been spoiled! Flipping tractor tires, scaling walls, horizontal hand/feet walks, inverted wall climbs, rope climbs over water, dragging another tractor tire only to have to pull it by rope immediately after. Running up a trail with a sandbag, using pulleys to lift cement buckets, throwing a spear, a constant tirade of mud, water, and knee crawling under barbed wire, swimming under a wall...and I can't forget about dragging a cement block with a chain while carrying a log on your shoulder! Here, I ran into the most difficult obstacle I have ever done. A huge, STEEP mud hill re-wetted constantly that you had to try and belly-climb--all under barbed wire. You made some headway, then would slide down on a sea of people. Your entire body stays flexed the whole time, and it took us about 20 minutes to do it. The top 1/3, there's a rope to drag yourself up the rest of the way. The barbed wire caught me at least 7x during it, and managed to rip my Team Pandavores tank top! Oh yeah...any time that you didn't do something correctly (my spear missed the target) you have to do 30 burpees as punishment. I had to do 60 of them total over the course. So the rules of engagement: help your fellow Spartan ALWAYS, ALWAYS stop for water, wear fingerless gloves, be on time for your run, and train for hills. Most people walked a majority of the course--that's how steep it is O_o The next time I do this, I hope I don't have a nagging back injury so I can run for time!! I also recommend making a weekend of it; I came from Seattle for Spartan and had a built-in excuse to enjoy some fun in Portland. The 5th star is missing just because there were too many knee obstacles, but next time, we'll just tape our knees to prepare!

My review may be biased because I live on the Williamette waterfront and have front row seats to…read morethe race, but I love the Dragon Boats! They are so vibrant and whimsical, each a different color combo and dragon face. They look spectacular on the river, especially on a sunny, blue sky day. For me, it's a sign that spring is coming when in early March the dragonboat teams start practicing. Diligently, they are out there every single morning and evening, in the dark! And freezing cold! The teams take turns in the boats to get in their practice time. For me, the twice daily practices provide a few hours of viewing, like live art. Sitting on the balcony with my coffee, reading the news while watching the dragon boats, is the way I start and end my days for three solid months. In the evenings, they start as early as 4:000pm and because there are so many teams, the boats are out on the river until about 8pm. What a backdrop! I'm super lucky, I'm not confused! This weekend is the actual Dragon Boat races and the Williamette is bustling with several private boats and individual kayaks all here to watch, along with the infamous Portland Beer Paddle boats, and a small crowd of people sitting on the grass at Riverside Marina cheering for the teams. Last year I hosted an open house so my friends could watch the races, take in the view, and enjoy delicious food, drinks and friendship. It has become my annual "thing." During Rose Festival, if you are going to City Fair, the Saturday Market, a walk along Tom McCall Park or the Eastern Esplanade, go during the weekend the boats are racing and see these magnificent boats and cheer on the dedicated crews that race!

This is what happens when dreams come true…read more.. Dragon boat racing has fascinated me for over 10 years and this year I finally got to live out my dream and paddle on a team. I've participated in team sports my whole life (except for that little 10-year gap), and this experience has been one of the best. A quick primer on dragon boat racing: The race has four boats with 16 paddlers, a caller, a tiller and a flag catcher in Taiwanese style dragon boats. These things are 1700 lb. beasts shared by the teams with a big 'ole drum to beat on top. Teams are divided into high school, women and mixed groups with the time trials on Saturday and the finals on Sunday. The race itself is an all out sprint for 3 minutes with stroke counts between 70 - 80 strokes per minute for most teams. It has a similar vibe to Hood-to-Coast (some teams are goofy and others dead serious), but this is a lot more fun for the spectators. Admission is free and there are great views of the race course, which starts by OMSI and crosses the river with the finish between the Hawthorne Bridge and the Riverplace Marina in front of the grassy bowl. And don't think of hopping on your boat to watch the races from the water, since the Coast Guard closes the river during the races. The most fearless member of the team is the flag catcher who is strapped to the front of the boat and has abs of steel to reach way in front of the boat to catch and control the flag which ends the race. I saw one of these poor souls go head first into the river yesterday. My team is amazing, but I just love the spirit and sense of camaraderie I see in all of the teams. Many paddlers are parents, so it is fun to see the crowds of family and friends, support their loved ones. There are year round teams who continue on to other races around the world, but many teams get together every year for an intense 10-week training session before the Rose Festival race. And the race weekend is a big picnic and celebration of all the work (no blood or tears, just a whole lot of sweat) it took to get here. So if you are in Portland to enjoy the Rose Festival, make sure you stop by and give a wave and a cheer to all the dragon boaters out there.

Prior to running the half marathon this year (2019), I last ran the marathon back in 2011 when it…read morewas under a different ownership. It is now organized by and part of the Revel race series. They're known for their rather extreme downhill courses, but this one is not one of those. There's plenty of rollers on this course so be sure to do your hill training! The race was very well organized from the expo to the post race festivities. The expo was conveniently located at the Oregon Convention Center. The start and finish lines were located on the Pacific Highway next to the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. There were a lot of portapotties available. One of the big highlights of this race was that they provided a lot of post race goodies which included a slice of Pizza Hut pizza, Voodoo Doughnut, Salt & Straw ice cream, and grilled cheese sandwich. I'm glad to see that the race has improved quite a bit under the new management. I wouldn't mind returning to run this race again.

I raced in the 2021 Austin Half Marathon, and Pasadena Half Marathon, but the organizers for this…read moreevent were the best by a huge mile. The 2021 marathon was great. Loved the medal and the swag they gave out this year. Post-race we received a Voodoo donut, sage, a rose, bananas, water, beer, a slice of pizza from Pizza Hut, bottles of Topo Chico, and an awesome medal! The expo was a little disappointing and picture opportunities were just so-so. Overall, the event was awesome. I look forward to next year's 50th anniversary of the Portland Marathon. I hope they do it big.