Sponsors:

What is the Big Butte Challenge?

The Big Butte Challenge is an enhanced virtual event held over 10 weeks that safely brings people together to accomplish one common goal: to reach the summit of 5 Buttes in Central Oregon. Between March 20th and May 31st, participants hike or run each butte, on their own schedule, using a GPS-enabled activity tracker to submit their efforts. You can participate simply for the accomplishment or to be competitive. At the completion of each Challenge, participants can visit the sponsor brewery for a pint on the house.

How is this different from other “virtual” events these days?

The bulk of virtual events require participants to run a specific distance (10K, Half Marathon, Marathon) but are allowed to run on their own chosen course. The biggest difference with this event is that all participants complete the exact same Butte Challenge route, but on their own! In other words, you are hiking “with” or racing “against” other participants on the same course, just not necessarily at the same time.

How does it work?

You can register for all of the Challenges, or just one.
The Big Butte Challenge consists of 5 butte challenges; participants can complete the challenges in any order, as many times as they like, within the 10-week timeframe.
Course routes are set one-way, from the trailhead to the summit. Only your uphill effort to the summit is tracked and recorded to the leaderboard. Once you reach the summit you can enjoy the spectacular views, take pictures, eat a snack and make your way down the butte at your leisure... You may even decide to take a different way back!
With the exception of Awbrey Butte which is an out and back along the Deschutes River Trail with beautiful views along the way.
You’re competing against other hikers and/or runners, just not at the same time.
If you aren’t familiar with the Challenge route, load the Challenge onto your device by downloading it from the webpage prior to your attempt.
You don’t need to start/stop your activity tracker at the start/finish point of each Challenge. Your Challenge effort will automatically be recorded the moment you arrive at the start/finish point.
Track Challenge effort using your GPS-enabled activity tracker or smartphone.
Sync efforts by either exporting a GPX file from your activity tracker or smartphone. You can also automatically sync using your Strava account.
You must register for the Challenge before hiking/running for it to count in the standings (i.e. no running or hiking first and then registering)
You must follow the published Challenge route closely. If you deviate from the course by 200 meters or more, your effort will be excluded from the rankings.
Efforts must be submitted within 24 hours from the time the attempt has started.
Login and track your progress on the leaderboards and activity feed.
We calculate scores for all efforts during the 10-week timeframe. Participants who have the lowest cumulative time in each category will be eligible for prizes.
It’s not all about being speedy! We will also be giving prizes to the first to complete all 5 Challenges, the best summit selfies and many more fun giveaways.
Post photos #bigbuttechallenge and tag @cascaderelays and our brewery partners.

Event Dates

March 20 - May 31, 2021

Cost

Early Bird Pricing (before March 20)

$60 for all 5 Challenges

$20 for 1 Challenge

Regular Pricing (March 20 - May 31)

$80 for all 5 Challenges

$25 for 1 Challenge

The Swag

Every participant receives:

One custom “I LIKE BIG BUTTES” neck gaiter
One complimentary pint of beer from every sponsor brewery (at the completion of their challenge effort).
One complimentary 12 oz drip coffee from Thump (upon registration for a challenge).
$10 off your $100 purchase at FootZone (upon registration for a challenge)
20% off your next Picky Bars online order (upon registration for a challenge)

Swag Pickup

The Haven Coworking
1001 SW Disk Dr, Bend, OR 97702
Thursday, March 18th 4-6PM
Friday, March 19th 3-5PM

Swag Pickup will also be available after March 19th at The Haven Coworking front desk during regular business hours: Monday - Friday from 8 am to 5pm.

The Butte Challenges and Sponsor Breweries

View and Download the courses here:

Pilot Butte (1.08 Miles) - Worthy Brewing
Bessie Butte (0.7 Miles) - 10 Barrel Brewing Co.
Gray Butte (1.5 Miles) - Wild Ride Brewing
Black Butte (1.98 Miles) - Deschutes Brewery
Awbrey Butte (5.19 Miles) - Bend Brewing Company

Awards

The Big Butte Challenge is really about bringing people together to accomplish one common goal. But in addition to that, we will also award the following:

First to complete all 5 Challenges
Random prizes for “Best Summit” pictures during the 10-week timeframe with the #bigbuttechallenge hashtag and tagging @cascaderelays and the sponsoring brewery
For each Challenge, awards will be presented to top finishers
An award will be given to the male and female with the best time for the cumulative challenge.

Contact

If you do need to contact us with any questions, thoughts, issues, or to share any epic photos/moments, please email us.

Overall Standings

Race Dates: March 20th-May 31st, 2021

Start Time: 12:00 am - Finish Time: 12:00 am

Click Here to Register

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