My wife and I just returned from the 23rd annual Lostine River Run and we had a great time. The race was held on Saturday, July 3. The small town of Lostine is located 10 miles west of Enterprise, OR. The race includes a 5k, 10k and a 1mile run - the mile run mostly for the youngsters. There were 98 total participants in this year’s events.

The 5 and 10k runs are a point to point course and are very scenic. The course winds through the Lostine valley along the Lostine River. The Lostine River drains out of the Eagle Cap Wilderness and there was still plenty of snow on the mountain tops. The first 3 miles of the 10k have some rolling hills, and the last 3 miles, the same course as the 5k, are either flat or gentle down hills, an excellent course if you’re in the PR stage of your life. The miles for both races are clearly marked, but no splits are called. The race ends in front of the old Lostine brick schoolhouse, circa 1902. A couple of brothers from the Tri-Cities area really smoked the course: one won the 5k with a time of 14:25, and the other brother won the 10k in 31:32.

Forty-five minutes before the race a couple of school buses haul the runners out to the starting lines. We arrived at the starting line and had a ½ hour to burn before the start. If I were to have any complaint about the race it would be that they take you out to the starting line way too early. As a matter of fact I think I’ll send them a note recommending a little later time for this, I’m sure they’ll listen to me, but you do have a lot of time to meet and josh with the other runners.

What’s also nice about this race is that the streets of Lostine turn into a big flea market/craft fair the same weekend as the race, with live entertainment, food…the usual culprits. If you want to make a weekend out of it, there are fireworks over Wallowa Lake Sunday night, and lots of other things to do around Wallowa Lake and Joseph. If you’re into the camping thing there are some great camping sites and hiking trails in the area. This was the 3rd time we’ve done this race and have always ended staying 4 or 5 days hiking, camping on the Lostine River, and hanging out in Joseph and Wallowa Lake.

The race has always been held on the first Saturday in July, so if you’re looking for a place to go over the 4th of July weekend, you might want to consider the Lostine River Run.