2022 Gorge Waterfalls 100k Preview

by Chase Parnell — March 31, 2022

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This weekend I’m heading up to pace a friend at the Gorge Waterfalls 100k. Recently taken over by Daybreak Racing and Freetrail, it would appear they’re making a big push to make this the marquee event in the Pacific Northwest. It’s a Western States and UTMB qualifier with 11,000 feet of vert. The elite fields are stacked and the finish line venue sounds like a blast. Looking forward to reconnecting with the larger ultra community and seeing if I can’t drum up some inspiration for endeavours later this year. Here’s a little mini preview to spark some interest. 

Men’s Preview

David Laney – My money’s on Laney. Despite the 11,000 feet of total vert, this is a runner’s course. You can fly in the Gorge. Nice singletrack at low elevation should favor the runners that can turn it over. David Laney has had a nice resurgence over the last year after a couple of rough ones. In February of this year he smoked the FOURmidable 50k with the 6th fastest time in the race’s 10-year history. 

Joe “Stringbean” McConoughy – Collegiate runner turned thru-hiking FKT specialist turned ultrarunner has been tearing up the scene lately. In recent races I admittedly wrote him off as not really a contender against the top ultra running pros but Joe’s performance at Javelina 100 last year flipped the script. He finished in 14h 13m for 5th place overall. I still don’t know that he has the speed to hang with someone like David Laney but he should be able to charge late with his big endurance. He’s in for Cocodona 250 next month so it’s hard to know how specifically he’s been training for this one. We shall see!

Keith Laverty – Keith and I go way back! After a couple years running for the Ducks he trained with us mortals on the UO Running Club back is 2007-2008. He’s been running competitively this entire time and continues to develop as an ultrarunner. I think this course suits him well. Living in the Seattle area, he should be comfortable on this terrain and has enough experience to race smart and potentially nab a podium spot. He’s a 2:24 marathoner and coaches for TeamRunRun. Excited to see him fly around this course. 

Drew Macomber – Drew is ready to pop a big result and this might be the race. He’s a local Bendite with a lot of talent. He’s fast, a great climber, and he has the potential to win the whole thing if the stars align. He won a little 11k tune-up a few weeks back, he was 10th at Canyons 100k against a DEEP field last year, and he seems to be just plugging away, getting better with each passing season. He’s also one those absurdly gifted humans, in addition to great runner, he’s an artist and plays the guitar. Not fair. 

Women’s Preview

Hillary Allen – Hillary has been out on the course a ton lately, putting in big weeks of running and cycling. She’s a world class mountain ultra runner so it’ll be interesting to see how her skillset transitions to terrain found in the Gorge. And good Lord, looking at her Strava, she’s already put together about 900 running miles and 1200 cycling miles this year. I suddenly feel very lazy. Hillary has a pretty wild come-back story after a near-death experience from a fall in a race in Norway. Read all about it in her book. 

Beast Coaster Ellie Pell is taking the west coast by storm in her ramp up to Western States. She started with a really solid 5th place finish at Chuckanut 50k and now she’s putting together a Gorge 100k — Lake Sonoma 50 — Western States trifecta. What a schedule! Ellie qualified for Western by finishing 2nd at Bandera 100k earlier this year so she must have some good speed that should serve her well at the Gorge. 

Meghan Peyton will be interesting to watch. She’s brand new to ultras and she’s diving right in to a tough 100k. This is usually a recipe for disaster but she’s no stranger to high-level competition. She competed in the 2020 marathon Olympic Trials in Atlanta and has a marathon PR of 2:36. She tore it up a couple weeks ago at the Mastadon 10 miler here in Central Oregon, finishing behind only the legendary Renee Metivier. She could crush! But someone tell her to go out easy!

HollyAnn Swann – Dark horse pick here from Wester Virginia. Collegiate runner who runs big mileage but also supplements with cycling and swimming. She appears to win essentially every trail race she signs up for and based on her Strava, she’s out there getting after it EVERY SINGLE DAY. Cool she’s making the trek out west to compete at this level. 

Wrap Up

There are so many other top contenders I could’ve highlighted but these are the ones that stood out for me personally. We also have more long-course specialists like Coree Woltering and Alex Borsuk toeing the line and I’m sure many up-and-comers who we don’t even know about will make a big splash. Take a look at the fields on ultrasignup and let me know what you think! And oh, there’s a 50k too featuring Tyler Green, Keely Henninger, Jason Schlarb, Leah Yingling, Taylor Nowlin, and many more. Wow, maybe I should’ve previewed that one! Should be a fun weekend! If there’s service, I’ll share a couple clips on instagram and twitter from the mile 48 aid station. #LFGorge