Lost Sierra Endurance Race Hits Downieville This Weekend

SIERRA BUTTES — A new footrace will visit Downieville and the surrounding backcountry this weekend: the Lost Sierra Endurance Race. The race, put on by the Bad Luck Run Club, challenges runners to 100 kilometers from Downieville to Blairsden and back, though a shorter 50-kilometer race will also be held starting in Blairsden and ending in Downieville.

One hundred people are expected to participate in the 50 km race, with 40 in the 100 km race. Five aid stations manned by volunteers will be located at regular intervals of five to ten miles on the course. According to organizer Ken Krogsrud, Bad Luck Run Club has tried to keep the race “low key,” not relying on major sponsors or outside groups.

The 100 km race will start in Downieville at 6:00 a.m., with the 50 km race starting in Blairsden at 8:00 a.m. The fastest runner in the 50 km race is expected to be finished by 12:30 p.m., a blistering pace of under 9 minutes per mile. The 100 km participants will have a slower pace, with the last having until 1:00 a.m. on Sunday to finish.