Mount Angel Course Tour

The team wanted “something different” this fall, so I pointed you toward the Oregon Marathon and Half in Mount Angel. It’s so different that, until yesterday, I’d never even visited that town about 20 miles northeast of Salem. This will be the team’s first race ever where we’ll go purely on faith – without any of us ever running the course, in use for the first time on September 13^th.

Yesterday I spent many pleasant hours in and around Mount Angel. This was mainly a scouting mission, but Barbara and I also ate lunch at the classic Glockenspiel (near the race start) and toured the world-famous Abbey Library (sitting even higher than the first big hill you’ll climb). Notes from the drive up and around:

LOCATION. It’s 1½ to 2 hours from Eugene/Springfield, depending on your route and speed. I-5 to Woodburn, then east is the simplest way. Salem is your best bet for Friday night lodging.

COURSES. Only the first, 13^th and 26^th miles are in town. Most of the running is through farmlands – where filberts, hops and food crops dominate the landscape. Shade is scarce, but roads are more winding and scenic than, say, Coburg’s.

HALF-MARATHON. It’s one big loop (with marathoners through 13 miles), starting in downtown Mount Angel and finishing on the track at Kennedy High School. The biggest hill peaks in the first mile, at the Abbey road. From there it’s downhill or flat through 11, before climbing slightly and gradually in the last two miles. Roads are all paved.

MARATHON. Marathoners split from halfers at the high school, and from there run a different second loop. It includes three mile-long segments on gravel farm roads. The highest hill (which I didn’t see because it’s a private lane) tops out at 19 miles. The next-to-last mile features a steep downhill (on gravel), and the last mile has a short climb.