Over the Hill Track Club
Welcome to the Over the Hill Track Club website. We are a recreational club serving Ridgecrest, California and the Indian Wells Valley. Here in the high Mojave desert, we organize a year-round schedule of races, fun-runs and other activities. Most events are open to the public. We are most known for the High Desert Ultra 50K and 30K that we host in early December. Follow us on the Over the Hill Track Club Facebook Page Ridgecrest Running.
We are a 501(c)(3) organization, with the mission of promoting and encouraging running and related activities as a sport and healthy lifestyle within our community. Profits from our activities go towards supporting local youth running groups and community charitable organizations.
A cool sunny morning quickly led to comfortable temperatures for the 4th edition of the Lost Run. Each person was given a card with a topographic map marked with the locations of 5 orange cones. Participants could try for either 3 cones (A Little Lost) or all 5 cones (More Lost). Starting at 8:00 am, orienting their map to north, discerning topographical features such as hills, spurs and some roads, 15 runners and hikers headed south and west into the Rademacher hills in search of the orange cones. Contestants could find the cones in any order, traveling by roads, trails or cross-country. Upon finding a cone, contestants would record on their card the symbol attached to the cone. Awards went to the first participants returning to the start point and having recorded the correct symbols for either 3 or 5 cones.
Megan Zehendner was the first person to come in. She took the first place female award in the "A Little Lost" category, finding 3 points. The next group of runners arrived within a few minutes of each other. Tony Scanlan was the first male in the "More Lost" category, finding 5 points. Close behind was the rest of the Zehendner family, Jason second in the Male "More Lost" division and Shade taking first in the Female "More Lost" division. Wrapping up the final award spot was Brian Veit, claiming the top spot in the Male "A Little Lost" category.
What is the distance? It really depends on how accurate one's navigation skills are and how much cross-country travel is involved. Someone who knew the locations of all 5 cones would take 4.5-5 miles to complete it. If someone had difficulty finding a cone(s) and went back and forth searching, it might add up to 6-9 miles to finish.
A big thankyou to Brian Wolfe, who ensured the points were accurately placed on the map cards. Thanks also to previous Race Director Elisa Zimmerman who, while unable to attend, provided snacks. And thanks to all the participants who were brave enough to challenge their map reading skills to wander to and fro getting "lost".
--Wesley Elmore, Race Director
Lost Run 2024 Results
| "More Lost" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Female | ||
| 1 | Shade Zehendner | 1:35:56 |
| 2 | Amanda Strand | 1:42:17 |
| 3 | Cara Lamoreux | 2:31:16 |
| 3 | Connie Scanlan | 2:31:16 |
| Male | ||
| 1 | Tony Scanlan | 1:29:56 |
| 2 | Jason Zehendner | 1:32:47 |
| "A Little Lost" | ||
| Female | ||
| 1 | Megan Zehendner | 1:05:47 |
| 2 | Jenny McLaughlin | 1:23:52 |
| Male | ||
| 1 | Brian Veit | 1:56:10 |
| Others | ||
|---|---|---|
| Corky Furnish | 1 cone | 2:23:35 |
| Julie Frisbee | 1 cone | 1:55:44 |
| Tom Miller | 2 cones | 1:54:15 |
| Ann-Marie Orozco | 2 cones | 2:00:28 |
| Unofficial | ||
| Carol Wolfe | 1:50:32 | |
| Danny Griffith | 5 cones | * |
| *late start, kept own time | ||
The fifth annual Run with the Burros event is coming up on April 13th in Indian Wells Canyon. This is not an OTHTC event, but it is organized by our friends and club members John Auborn and Karin Usko as a charity fundraiser for their charity California Breakfast Burritos. The run also benefits Forever Home Donkey Rescue and Sanctuary.
This unique pack burro race and trail run features runners with and without burros completing distances of 10, 18, and 26.2 miles. The run honors our local mining heritage with burros carrying pick, pan and shovel through Indian Wells, Short, and Grapevine Canyons.
You can enter on UltraSignup and also access the course maps there. Sign up soon, since only entries before March 15 are guaranteed a shirt! You can learn more about the California Breakfast Burritos here.
4/20/2024
Inyokern 10-Mile Run
TBD
Brown Road Trailhead
This run is a point to point route beginning at the intersection of Highway 395 with S. China Lake Blvd./Business 395 and Old Hwy 395/Brown Road. It follows Brown Road west then north into Inyokern, ending at the Inyokern Sr. center. This event has been in existence almost continuously since 1974. The traditional route, slightly short of ten miles, was lengthened last year to bring it up to a more accurate ten miles. Race Director is Brian Hildreth.
Watch this space for more information as we get closer to the event date.
TBD
Brown Road Trailhead
OTHTC is a member of the Road Runners Club of America.
