Should foot races be booted from the PCT?
By Yitka, Outdoor
You’re hiking through a grove of spruce trees on the Pacific Crest Trail when you hear voices up ahead. Fifty yards away you spot a few pop-up tents and several dozen people hanging out, cheering. They offer you a cold soda and some chips and cookies. They’re hosting a trail running race, they explain — so watch out for runners coming the opposite direction.
Despite its reputation as a Mecca for through-hikers, the PCT is host to a growing number of trail races, which draw between 75 and 400 trail-runners to small sections of the trail during about a dozen weekends between March and October. The atmosphere of these events may not call to mind the type of meditative experience Cheryl Strayed chronicled in her best-selling book, Wild, but does sharing the trail with a few hundred runners on a given day diminish the experience of the individual? That question is at the heart of an emerging controversy over the overarching purpose and meaning of the trail as a public resource.
In October, a trail-race director in Washington named Candice Burt had hoped to use a 50-mile stretch of the trail for a new 200-mile ultramarathon she is organizing for August. She contacted the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA), the nonprofit that partners with the U.S. Forest Service to manage the PCT, and a representative “basically told me [the race] wasn’t going to happen.” Even though the PCTA doesn’t issue race permits, the group’s influence over the permit issuing Forest Service is undisputed.
This sort of controversy over land uses has been seen since nearly forever. It still goes on, has for many years, with the Sierra Club, as one example. Controversy is still with us, but things have worked out pretty good. In the 1970’s (I was in my forties) I did the PCT, which as most know (?), is well over 2000 miles. I am recognized by the PCT Association, and used a Trail Name of Flash. It was quite an experience, good for the soul (if not soles!!). I have never run in “contests” in the woods/forests. I did some light weight running now and then, short distances, perhaps around a small to modest Lake, from where I was camped. This was when I was backpacking. Still do some. This was not usually on the PCT though.
There is room for a variety of wildnerness (and non-designated areas) uses. This includes formal distance trail running, and the folks and organizers of these events have been good stewards. I DO NOT want to see such running ‘on the PCT’ be wide-open (anytime, anyplace….). I am OK with a compromise for PCT users, similar to what has been already. I think the Forest Service and the PCT folks will do what is generally best for everyone. Not everyone will be 100% happy.
My wife and I have participated for some years now as Trail Angels, for PCT thru-hikers. We will be doing it again this year, and will be asking those we help what their feelings are.
I think it will all work out OK, end up mostly being Much Ado About Nothing. I hope I am not being overly idealistic here.
In my opinion foot races need to be banned from the PTC for the greater good for all. Just as bike races need to be banned on the neighborhood streets. Keep these races on the highways. There are always unintended consequences.