calendar icon Oct 31, 2024

Marathon Details - The Dam Marathon & Half Marathon

North America Marathons > USA > OR > Oakridge > The Dam Marathon & Half Marathon

The Dam Marathon & Half Marathon

The Dam Marathon & Half Marathon & Half Marathon, 10K, 5K

location icon Oakridge, OR USA

calendar icon June 19, 2021 - CANCELLED

calendar icon http://www.outdoorsports.club/marathon

Marathon Results

By Year: 2016   2015   2014   Top 3 Finishers

Contact Information

Name:
Address: 48097 Highway 58
Oakridge, Oregon 97463
Phone Number:  (541) 554-7623
Email:

Runner Reviews (3)

Course Rating Course 4.7 
 
Oranization Rating Organization 3.7 
 
Spectator Rating Spectators 3.0 
 
 
Number of comments: 3


 

K. K. from SF, CA (6/21/2018)
"Very beautiful small race" (about: 2018)

11-50 previous marathons | 1 The Dam Marathon & Half Marathon
COURSE: 4  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 1


A beautiful run over a dam and around a lake in the middle of the Willamette Forest. Race was very small; went to pickup my number and was told 55 people were registered. On race day, only 43 people ran the race.

Everyone met at the finish line of a nice park next to the river and were driven by van to the start line at the dam. With the dirt road over the dam open just for this event (it was closed right after the last person crossed) the organizer drew a line in the dirt, said a prayer and yelled on his bullhorn 'go'.

There was a few people around for the first 3 paved miles but then cleared up after it turned into a gravel logging road with some ruts in it. At mile 12 through 24, we were back on the paved roads. Cars are allowed on the roads (there are several camp site people drive into around the lake) but I could count on one hand the number of cars that went by me during the race. Around mile 20 you reach the turn around point for the half marathoners. There were many more half marathoners than full, but still a small crowd and they did not get in the way. At mile 25, we dropped down into a beautiful single track forest trail across the river to the finish line. Plenty of water stops around the lake staffed by friendly volunteers. The finish line according to my Garmin was a little short (just walked a little after finishing) but a nice group of people cheering on the finishers and a live band was playing on the open air amphitheater next to the finish line. Overall a very beautiful run with a few hours to spend alone in the forest.

 

G. R. from East Coast (7/16/2016)
"Eagle escorted us for a mile....." (about: 2016)

50+ previous marathons | 1 The Dam Marathon & Half Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 3  FANS: 3


My wife and I ran this marathon together and would highly recommend it with the understanding...
-it is low key event
-don't believe all the race details on the website (restrooms/food/well marked course)
-don't expect the organization of most marathons.
POSITIVES:
BEAUTIFUL COURSE!!!!!!
Great volunteers at the water stops
Cascade Motel was perfect
Great if you want to double the next day in Vancouver WA.
Medals and shirts were keepers!

Not so great:
The race started 10 minutes or so late while we stood in the rain
Directions for last half mile or so in the woods were nonexistent, several runners ran extra
Advertised bathrooms on route were all locked up
We may have missed the food at the end but did not see much

 

Frances Wa from Houston, TX (6/19/2014)
"Great Hidden Gem of a race!" (about: 2014)

50+ previous marathons | 1 The Dam Marathon & Half Marathon
COURSE: 5  ORGANIZATION: 5  FANS: 5


The Dam Marathon is one of the best inaugural races I have ever run. I highly recommend it. Kudos to Matt (the RD), the wonderful volunteers and the people of Oakridge, OR for hosting this great new event!

ORGANIZATION & LOGISTICS:

" Matt (RD) replied to all email inquiries
" Sent race communication updates as race day got closer.
" Packet pickup was available on race morning if you couldnt get there the day before.
" Allowed an early start so that we could finish early and get on the road to our Sunday race
" Easy logistics  motels, places to eat, race start and finish are all within 3-5 miles of each other
" Short 2 ½ drive from PDX
" Great race to do as a double with Vancouver WA marathon (< 3hr drive) the next day

COURSE:

" Perfect cool weather for a race  45F at the start and 65F when we finished
" Flat, serene and very scenic course run around beautiful Hills Creek Lake located in the Willamette National Forest.
" Road portion is open to traffic but it was minimal and not an issue.
" Crushed gravel section for 8 miles  wear gaitors!
" Well marked course - mile markers at every mile and were visible from a distance
" You get to run across the top of the Dam which is kinda cool and different!
" Mile 23 is VERY fast. It is downhill all the way.
" Nice Finish  the last mile you run on a trail and emerge out of the woods right into the finish line chute area. It's like having a curtain open for your grand entrance.
" Aid stations every 2 miles with Powerade and water. Bonus: it was not advertised but there were cutup bananas, bagels, energy bars and energy chews at every aid station as well.
" The AWESOME Volunteers!  we cannot do these races without them!

SWAG:

" Unisex race shirt with race logo on the front and I Ran the Dam Marathon on the back. You could choose either khaki or blue. The shirt is not a tech fabric wicking shirt, it is 100% cotton, but it is generously sized and comfortable.
" Drawstring bag (yellow) with the race logo
" Dam Marathon bumper sticker

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT:

" Small, flimsy medal  the back is engraved with the name of the race but no year. I almost hate to be critical of something so minor because you dont know how many people are going to come to an inaugural event so medals are not a race priority. Hopefully as the race grows and there are more participants, it would be great if the medal were more substantial and was shaped like the race logo. I am one of those runners who like unique medals that are representative of the race.

" Limited restroom facilities  there were only 3 places to go at apprx mile 2, the halfway point and mile 24ish. We missed seeing the one at mile 2 because we were looking for Port-a-Potties. The restrooms were REAL bathroom facilities that are maintained by the forestry services. As the race grows in size, they will need to add more port-a-potties&..say every 6 miles.

COMMUNITY:

I cannot say enough nice things about how welcoming, friendly and hospitable the residents of this lovely place are.

" Cascade Motel - very clean and charming. The owners, Elizabeth and Dan, graciously gave us late checkout so that we had a place to shower before our 3hr drive back to WA.

" Big Mountain Pizza  walking distance right next door to the motel. Ive never seen a pizza with as HUGE a mountain of toppings on it. It was delicious and if you prefer the traditional carbo loading meal of spaghetti, they had that too.

" Bobby (I didnt get a last name)  as mentioned earlier, we took the early start so we werent able to catch the shuttle from the finish line at Green Waters Park to the start of the race so we parked our car at the start of the race instead. After we finished, several people including Al (the Fire Chief) helped to coordinate a ride back to our car for us. Bobby was the lucky one who volunteered to drive 3 post-race smelly runners back to their car. Thanks Bobby!!

If youre thinking about doing a race in Oregon, please do this one and help it to grow each year! They did a fantastic job and it is only going to get better each year.


 
 
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