APRIL UPDATE – SOLD OUT on Ultrasignup. Registration will be open through April 8th – tell your Trail Sisters!
In celebration of finding friendship through the trail running community, we are creating a ladies weekend in Walla Walla. April 13, 2024 will be a 6 hour woman’s race which helps promote Trail Sisters, an excellent platform for women in trail running. In 2014 I met Claire Walla in LA while coordinating the Trail Running Film Fest tour. I was so surprised to see another Walla on the list that I had to investigate. No, we are not related but we discovered we are the true definition of Trail Sisters. We have logged lots of miles, shared countless stories, and laugh often. We have always joked we need to visit Walla Walla, Washington one day….well, it’s happening and we are going big!
Registration
Registration will open to the public Tuesday, November 14, 2024 on Ultrasignup. Early-bird registration is $90 through December 12 // $110 after December 13. Space is limited to 120 runners, with a potential to expand. There will be a waitlist regardless of the cap. REGISTER HERE.
NEW – Walla Walla 6 Hour T-shirt
This is a Walla Trails first! Runners will have the option to purchase a Walla Walla 6 Hour shirt at registration for $30. Soft tech long sleeve shirts, in women’s cut, with the Walla Trails design in palouse colors. Shirts are limited to runners only and will not be available for purchase post-race, so if you like race apparel, add this to your cart! Thank you to UpRooted By Design for the help and printing of these shirts.
Results & Photos
PHOTOS FOR 2023: A HUGE thank you to Taryn Graham for making the trip from North Bend to take photos! She was out there all day and got an incredible collection of captures. If you share one of her photos on social media, please give her photo credit – @woodsy_tg
2022 Result are now posted on Ultrasignup. Ranking is based on time finished which couldn’t be uploaded into the Ultrasignup results.
PHOTOS FOR 2022: A HUGE thank you to Sara Todorovich from Pro Proser Photography for taking photos on short notice! We love the photos Sara captured from the day but here’s what’s so cool – Sara is donating her entire stipend to Blue Mountain Land Trust and is challenging runners to donate a minimum of $1 per photo for each download to put towards this. She is collecting donations for one week via Venmo “@sara-todorovich”. Given that Sara is donating her services, please tag her and/or give photo credit if you share a photo on social media. You can find her at @proposerphoto on IG and The Pro Poser on Facebook. To access and download photos, use the PIN: 3147 YOU HAVE THROUGH FRIDAY, APRIL 29 TO DOWNLOAD AND DONATE!
2021 Results are now posted on Ultrasignup and photos are available to download for free courtesy of Taryn Graham.
Everyone will receive some Trail Sisters and Walla Trails swag and a raffle ticket for bigger prizes, and participants who run/hike all 6 hours will receive a Trail Sisters trucker hat (there will be different ones to choose from). The woman who completes the most amount of loops in 6 hours will receive a Walla Walla weekend gift basket – more to come but think wines, free stay lodging, etc. If there is a tie for most amount of loops, the woman who crosses the finish-line first will receive the gift basket.
Course //Aid Station
The course will follow the Whitetail Trail which is a 5 mile outer loop around Bennington Lake. It’s mostly double track trail with a few single track sections. The elevation gain is around 370ft per loop. Here is a map of the Bennington Lake trail system.
Aid Station
We will have standard aid station food like potato chips, gels, gummies, etc plus some of our favorite go-tos like peanut butter and pickle wraps! We also out aid station food (sorry, no big communal bowls).
Your Entry Helps Support Trail Sisters
Trail Sisters is an important platform for women in trail running and building community. Not only have we met other women to run with through Trail Sisters, but there are numerous articles pertaining to women on the trails. From women’s safety to periods to equal rights in trail racing, there is no topic off limits. We want to support founder Gina Lucrezi who has made women supporting women through trail running her full time gig. Case in point – Claire and I met some Trail Sisters while running in Walla Walla in November – Walla Walla local Gina Ohnstad recognized our TS hats and is now helping us on the ground with this event!
Bergevin Lane Vineyards – wine sponsor
We were fortunate enough to be introduced to Annette Bergevin, the General Manager and Founding Partner of Bergevin Lane Vineyards. Claire and I were able to confirm Bergevin wines are top notch on a scouting trip in November 2019. The beautiful new tasting room is open and runners get special treatment when they share their bib number – $5 glass pour on the Bergevin Linen Line-up and 10% discount on 1-11 bottles and 20% on a case for the runners when runners show their number.
Partners
There are several businesses, local and nationwide, that are supporting Walla Walla 6 Hour!
Snoqualmie Running – A new and much needed running store in North Bend! For any Seattle runners, make it a point to stop by Taryn Graham’s shop (our photographer!) to pick-up any last minute running needs. Snoqualmie Running is also donating to the raffle!
Graze – The place to go for sandwiches in Walla Walla for sandwiches! Graze will donating a gift card and some swag to the winner’s basket. We are brainstorming ways for Walla Walla 6 Hour runners to enjoy the delicious offerings for free or at a discounted rate.
Colville Street Patisserie – Best bakery in town and a great place to stop for coffee! Colville Street Patisserie will be providing gift cards to the winner of most miles and a few other lucky runners who will randomly be selected.
Skratch – We are proud to be serving electrolyte drink from Skratch at Walla Walla 6 Hour courtesy of rep Lynn Carlson! “Skratch labs makes sports nutrition designed to help you perform better without offending your gut or your taste buds because we use real food, starting from scratch.”
Krissy Moehl // Running Your First Ultra – Both Krissy and her book helped both Claire and I finish 100 mile races! From training plans, insider tips, and addressing women’s needs, we are proud to have a signed copy in the raffle!
2024 Schedule:
Friday, April 12th, 2024 at Bennington Lake – 5:00pm-6:30pm, packet/bib pick-up, ask questions!
Saturday, April 13, 2024 – 5:30am – 6:45am, packet/bib pick-up; 7:00am start; 1:00pm finish (Trail Sister’s hats given out as runners finish – make sure to grab yours!)
RAFFLE – when you are finished running, come over to the raffle table to see if your number was drawn!
Directions
From the WTA website regarding Bennington Lake: From Walla Walla, drive Highway 12 east for 4.6 miles to the Airport Way Exit. Turn right to travel across Isaac Avenue onto Tausick Way passing Walla Walla Community College on the left. Make a left onto Reservoir Road, and drive 1.6 miles to the parking area for Bennington Lake. You will pass two other parking areas on the drive that access trails along Mill Creek. Restrooms are available, and parking for horse trailers as well as cars and trucks.
Q&A // Rules
- Are spectators allowed? Yes, but parking is limited! Please limit to one car per runner. We highly encourage carpooling with running buddies or family members. NEW IN 2024 – Permit pending, we shuttles maybe required so carpools of 4 or more will be allowed to park in the parking lot.
- Are men allowed to register and run the 6 hour? In the spirit of celebrating our vision of making this a ladies weekend, the inaugural year will feature a women’s only race.
- Are pacers allowed? Our permit does not allowed runners to have pacers. However, friends and family are welcome to be on the trails (they are open to everyone), and can cheer from different view points, but are not allowed to give aid to runners outside the aid station area.
- Are dogs welcome? We are so sorry (!) but USATF does not allow dogs on course with runners. Dogs are allowed at the start/finish on leash.
- Can I camp at Bennington Lake Friday or Saturday night? No because access to the lake closes at 10:00pm.
- Can I transfer my registration to another race, or are there rollovers? At this time, we are not transferring or doing rollovers from 2023. If you want to “gift” your registration to another runner in 2023, email wallagretchen@gmail.com
- Are there refunds? Yes:
- 50% refund by January 31
- No refunds on or after February 1