Mt Tam 30k Trail Race 2015 by InsideTrail.com

Graphic: Inside Trail Racing

InsideTrail.com held it's annual Mt Tam Trail Run  in mid November and I signed up for the 30k as a fitness test en route to a spring marathon PR attempt. I took Friday off work and made a day out of our trip to Stinson by stopping off at cool places to have fun with the kids. I rented the Sandpiper Cottage for the weekend in Stinson Beach and loved it. I got a good nights rest and had a home cooked breakfast when I woke up and everything I needed to have a great race morning was with me at the cottage. No rushing around, no early morning driving, no chance of forgetting any gear. I walked 100 yards out of my front door and arrived just after 8am to the start line feeling pumped and ready to take on this challenge.

Holy Krampus!!!! Running and beer and demons to boot!!!!

 The Krampus Cross Country 5K/10K and Micro Brew Fest is coming Sunday December 13th to the Presidio in San Francisco. The race start is near the intersection of Barnard/Fernandez. All participants receive a pre-race warmup, epic views, awesome trails, adventure, a shot at winning prizes during the race via thei trail treasure hunt, post-run beverages from Hint Water, SOS Rehydrate, beers from a local microbrewery, Crunch Culture Yogurt, snacks from Mamma Chia, peanut butter pretzels, M&Ms, post-run massage from PSOAS Massage/Bodywork, and more!

This one is pretty special as it is the very FIRST event Marathon Matt and Sasquatch Racing has produced in San Francisco! Matt has worked with San Francisco events and held numerous training clubs and fun runs around the city but all of his racing events have taken place outside of the city because of the difficulty in obtaining permits in SF. That alone is enough to get me out and support this race because Matt has done so much for the running scene in general in the Bay Area that I gotta support him in his first ever SF event.

I'm also pretty excited about the free massage and beer as well, lets not overlook that tid bit of info!

If you have 2 hrs to burn on Sunday morning come out and support Matt and the Krampus Cross Country Race in the Presidio. SFTrails has arranged for a $5 discount for the first 10 people who sign up at https://events.hakuapp.com/the-krampus-kross-kountry-5k-10k and use code JOHN at checkout.

Never done a Sasquatch Racce before? Check out the following video to get an idea of the awesome trails, epic views, and excellent people you will experience on race day!

I'll see you in the Presidio!!!!

 

October trail races in the Bay Area

see the full 2015 calendar here

The weather is turning fast and the heat wave of early September is fading fast. The trails are covered with a few extra leaves and we can finally go for a run without carrying 10 gallons of water with us! It's almost October and we have a really nice selection of races at every distance. I think a few of these are very close to selling out due to popular demand vs trail permit limits (Honeybadger!). Looks like PCTrails is re-branding their Stinson Beach event as the Eldrith Gosney Pure Ultra in honor of the 74 year old Bay Area trail running legend. REI (the retailer) is holding an event in Marin. The Sonoma Trail Marathon is an event I am unfamiliar with so if anyone runs this one I would love to here about it.

October

October 3rd- Pacifica Summit Run- 10k, Half Marathon, 30k, 50k- San Redro Valley State Park, Pacifica
October 4th- Montclaire 5k
October 3rd- Rocky Ridge- Ultra Half Series Championship, Half Marathon, 10k, 5k- Read my review from 2014
October 3rd- Sonoma Trail Marathon- Marathon, Half Marathon, 5k fun run
October 10th- Dick Collins Firetrails 50- 50mi
October 10th- Golden Hills Marathon- Berkeley
October 10th- Skyline to the Sea- Marathon & 50k-  Read my review from 2013
October 11th- Honey Badger- 5k, 10k, Half Marathon- China Camp State Park, San Rafael
October 17th- Los Vaqueros Tarantula Run- Half Marathon, 10k, 5k, Kids Scramble
October 17th- Oakland Hills Run- 35k, Half Marathon, 10k
October 17th- REI Run Series: Marin Headlands- 10k, 5k
October 18th- Coyote Ridge Trail Run- 50k, Marathon, 20mi, 10mi, 7mi
October 24th- Eldrith Gosney's Pure Ultra- 50k, 36k, Half Marathon, 11k

October 25th- Napa Wine Country Marathon, Half Marathon & 10k
October 31st- Zombie Runner Halloween Run- Marathon, Half Marathon, 5mi
October 31st- Stinson Beach Marathon, Half Marathon & 7 mi

The Tick Trailblaze is just a few weeks away!

raceroster.com/events/2015/4381/the-tick-trailblaze-5k10khalf-and-family-friendly-1k/?aff=ZM2GM
Click this link and use code SFTRAILS to get a discounted entry!!!

The Tick Trailblaze 5K/10K/Half (and Family Friendly 1K)

WHEN: SUNDAY, 8/2/15, Half Marathon starts at 9:15, 10K starts at 9:30, Family Friendly 1K & 5K starts @ 9:45
WHERE: 1100 KINGS  MOUNTAIN ROAD, HUDDART PARK, WOODSIDE, CA. 94062
COST: 5K-$35-$50, 10K-$45-$60, HALF-$75-$90

Participant Perks

All participants receive a pre-race warmup from Sweat Republic SF, epic views, awesome trails, adventure, a shot at winning the ARM sponsored ‘Silver Shoe Challenge‘, fuel from Powerbar at aid stations, post-run beverages from Hint Water, SOS Rehydrate, beers from a local microbrewery, Crunch Culture Yogurt, snacks from Mamma Chia, peanut butter pretzels, M&Ms, post-run massage from PSOAS Massage/Bodywork, and more!
We’ll even have a band playing music at the end of the race to round out this family friendly trail party!
Family Friendly 1K runners receive a Tick Trail Blaze woodallion and a Sasquatch Racing Buff.
5K/10K runners receive a Tick Trail Blaze woodallion and a Tick Trail Blaze technical shirt.
Half Marathon runners receive a Tick Trail Blaze medal (that doubles as a bottle opener) and a Tick Trail Blaze technical shirt.
Take a peek at the medals (Half marathoners) and woodallions (1K/5K/10K runners)….


Why is a Tick the event mascot?
We’re very fortunate to have The Bay Area Lyme Foundation as our race series sponsor. The Bay Area Lyme Foundation is committed to making Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure.
Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector-borne illness in the US.  It is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected backlegged tick. Most infections are caused by the nymphal form of the tick. These immature ticks are the size of a small poppy seed, allowing them to easily escape discovery.
Never done one of our races before? Check out the following video to get an idea of the awesome trails, epic views, and excellent people you will experience on race day!

TACKLE THE TRAILBLAZE!

Tune Up Run(s):

-The Tick Trailblaze Preview Run on 7/18 @ 10AM at Huddart Park in Woodside, CA.

Race Bib/Shirt Pickup Events:

TBD @ A Runner’s Mind (3575 Sacramento St.) in San Francisco, CA
TBD @ A Runner’s Mind(1111 Howard Ave.) in Burlingame, CA

Parking Procedures

There is a reasonable amount of parking at Huddart Park in Woodside. Bring cash to pay for parking. Please plan to arrive 30-45 minutes in advance to also guarantee a parking spot. Carpooling is recommended.

5k Run

5K COURSE MAP & ELEVATION CHART

10k Run

10K COURSE MAP & ELEVATION CHART

Half Marathon Run

HALF COURSE MAP & ELEVATION CHART

 

Brazen's (Almost) New Years Eve Half Marathon 2014 race review

Brazen always does 2 New Years events every year. One on New Years day and one just a few days earlier. This year I ran the (Almost) New Years Eve event on December 27th over the holiday break. I have ran this race before and this years event was a stark contrast to my last time running this event back in 2012 and in more ways than one.

 For starters the weather could not have been better. It was cold in the morning. Colder than I thought it would be but not as cold as 2012. I stepped outside at 6:30 in the morning in a pair of tights and a long sleeve shirt and knew within a second that I was way under dressed. I returned to the warmth of my house and emerged with a Nike Combat base layer shirt that is made for cold weather running and I put on an Asics 1/2 zip with thumb holes in the wrists so that my hands were mostly covered. This was much more appropriate for the 32º temperature outside. It warmed up within the first few miles and I eventually tied the 1/2 zip around my waist. For most of the race it was perfect running weather. This was not the case in 2012 when it was again cold but also misty/ rainy. I wore a rain jacket in 2012 and stayed fairly dry (except for the sweat sauna inside my jacket) but remained frozen to the core for the entire race. Keep that in mind when you sign up for this one!

California International Marathon 2014 race review from a first time runner.

 I don't run alot of road races but for that very reason I felt like testing my marathon PR (3:46) in a BIG way. I got the idea back in the late summer that a road race would shake things up and reinvigorate my training. When deciding on which marathon to run I always favor a new course over a re-do and since San Fran and Napa have already been done CIM is the next logical choice. CIM is synonymous with Boston Qualifying and I figured why waste the opportunity. If your going to run it you might as well go for the BQ which is 3:15:00 for 40 year old men. Chopping a half hour off my PR is probably unrealistic but that's my style. Go big or go home. That 2 month training cycle did not go well due to health issues and I went into the race clearly under trained so my plan was to just rely on my grit and expierence. I planned to line up in the 3:15 pace group, hit the 7:15 pace and hang on until I passed the finish line or passed out.

Christmas themed runs in the Bay Area 2013

Christmas time is another unique time for the sport of running. Just like Thanksgiving, runners come out of the wood work to run and volunteer at the many, many runs offered all over the Bay Area. Our sport is cool that way. We raise a ton of money for charity and we dress up in whacky costumes. We have 15 runs available to us this year including costume runs an ugly sweater run (lol) and even an underwear run! Join in the fun and support our local charities by running or volunteering at one of the following holiday themed races.

2014 calendar here

2014 Christmas themed races around the Bay Area

CHRISTMAS 2014

Sunday November 30th

• Run Wild San(ta) Francisco - 5k Run/Walk- Crissy Field- San Francisco

Saturday December 6th

• Holiday Hustle- 10k, Half, Marathon- Harvey Bear Ranch County Park, Morgan Hill
• DAM Jingle Bell Dash- 5k, 10k, Kids Dash- San Pablo Dam, Orinda
• Naughty or Nice- 5k, Kids Run- Hellyer County Park, San Jose
• Santa Skivvies Run- 1.6 mi- UN Plaza, San Francisco
• Strawberry Point School Jingle Jog - 4mi, 1mi- Strawberry Shopping Center, Mill Valley
•  Reindeer Run- 5k/ 10k- Wetlands Edge View Area Trail Head, American Canyon
• Six Flags Holiday in the Park- 5k- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo
• Ugly Sweater Dash- 5k- Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton

Sunday December 7th

• Jingle Bell Rock- 5k- San Lorenzo Park, Santa Cruz
• Jingle Bell Run/ Walk for Arthritis- 1k, 5k- Downtown, San Rafael

Saturday December 13th

• Hark the Hearald Angels Run- 12k, 25k- Angel Island State Park, Tiburon
• The Holiday Run and Walk for Health- 10k, 3mi, 1mi, Kids Dash- Contra Loma Regional Park, Antioch

Sunday December 14th

• TiVo Santa Run Silicon Valley- 5k Run/ Walk- Santa Clara Street, between Almaden Boulevard and San Pedro Street, San Jose
• Jingle Run- 5k Run/Walk- Los Altos
• Winter RUNderland- 5k, 1 mi- Chrissy Field, San Francisco

Saturday December 20th

• Holiday Hustle- 5k, 10k- Trinity Lutheran Church, 1323 Central Ave, Alameda
• Santa's Christmas Gold Rush- 5 Mile Run, Stroll, Walk- Courtyard Marriott, Richmond

Sunday December 21st

• UjENA Christmas 5k run/walk- Hart Middle School- Pleasanton

November 2014 Trail Racing Calendar for the San Francisco Bay Area

Saturday, November 1st

• Zombie Runner Halloween- 5k, Half, Marathon- Los Gatos Creek Park, Los Gatos
• Stinson Beach Marathon, Half Marathon & 7miler- Stinson Beach
• Honor our fallen - 10k- Fort Ord Dunes State Park, Fort Ord
• Annual Almaden Hills Run- 3mi, 8mi, half, 21mi, 50k- Almaden Quicksilver park, San Jose
• Los Gatos Saratoga Observation Nursery School- 5K Turkey Trot- Almaden Lake Park, San Jose
• Roanne's Race- 5k, 10k- Robertson Park, Livermore
• Phil Widener Empire Open- 3.4 mi- Spring Lake Regional Park, Santa Rosa

Sunday, November 2nd

• Diablo Trail Adventure- 5k, 10k, Half, Family Hike- Castle Rock Park, Walnut Creek
• Day of the Dead Run- 1k, 5k- Pinto Lake County Park, Watsonville

Saturday, November 8th

• Lake Chabot Trail Run- 5k, Half, 30k, Marathon, 50k- Lake Chabot Regional Park, Castro Valley

Saturday, November 15th

• Mt Tam Trail Run- 10k, Half, 30k, 50k- Stinson Beach Park

Thursday, November 27th

• Nitro Turkey- 10k, 5k, Little Turkey's Race- Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, Pinole
• Zoom Turkey Trot- 5k, 10k, Half Marathon- Hellyer County Park , San Jose

Saturday, November 29th

• Quarry Turkey- 5k, 10k, Half & Little Turkey's Race- Quarry Lake Recreational Area, Fremont
• Quad Dipsea- Mill Valley SOLD OUT!!!

Rocky Ridge Ultra Half Marathon Championship 2014 race report

Starting arch for the Rocky Ridge

Brazen Racing's Rocky Ridge Championship was held on Saturday, October 4th  at the Las Trampas Wilderness on the outskirts of San Ramon. Up for grabs was $1,000 for 1st Place, $500 for 2nd place and $250 for 3rd place. Rocky Ridge is also the Championship Race for the Ultra Half Marathon Series that has been taking place all year long. The podium in the series also has $1,000, $500 & $250 cash prizes and if you are lucky enough to take a podium on the day and in the final series standings you walk with both checks! That makes it a possible $2k payday for the top 4 guys in the series Nick Scalfone, Harlan Lopez (+3:43), Lon Freeman (+3:53) & Selvin Henriquez (+4:53). Three of these four will definitely walk with the Ultra Series money but they will most certainly be challenged for the regular championship money by the top talent that always shows up. Guys like Leor Pantilat, Galen Burrel, Alex Varner & Sergio Reyes show up on race day and set course records not to mention earning a nice payday!

Hilarious picture from Not THAT Lucas's blog

#45 rockin the devil horns

 One of the first articles I ever wrote (and it shows) was on the Rocky Ridge 2012, my first exposure to the race. The course is widely accepted as the most difficult half marathon in all of the Bay Area with 4,000 feet of climbing and a slightly longer 13.7 miles. When I ran this race I could not believe it was as difficult as it was. I distinctly remember being under educated on the course elevation profile so that when the third big climb of the day came late in the race I did an insane giggle as I walked up the massive incline ahead of me all the while thinking about the sadistic mind of the person who designed this route. Since writing that article I've written about a lot of tough courses on this blog because I have an affinity for them but this race stands in a league of it's own. This race is the mile for mile toughest race in the Bay Area.

 The course record is held by Team Nike Trail Elite runner Alex Varner at 1:33:27. My first and only time running this course yielded a 2:46:40 which was 9th in my age group. I'm hoping to beat that time but I have my doubts going into the race because of the extreme weather differences. In 2012 it was very cool, foggy, misty and almost rainy at the top of the ridge. Today is likely to break heat records at the forecasted 95°.

I arrived at the race at 7am. There is not a lot of parking available at Las Trampas so if you have kids like me you will want to get there early. If its all the same to you then park near the corner of Bollinger Canyon & Crow Canyon and take the shuttle. Bib pick up was quick & easy but the porto potty lines were long. For a race of this magnitude I would suggest a few more. My wife, toddler son and our tiny Maltese Billy all came along this morning to cheer me on. They got themselves set up with chairs and toys and such as I made my way over to the starting corral. After a roaring rendition of Happy Birthday for Frank the Tank on his 80th birthday we got a few race announcements of the usual sort from Sam and the countdown commenced.

I started in the mid pack with the goal of running very conservatively for the first flat section so that I could run the first big climb rather than walk it like I know most will. My plan worked and about half way up that first big beast runners started walking and I passed on by. It was a tough climb but not so bad that it wasn't worth the energy expense. On the other side you have a quick drop and a rise and then it is all down hill (sort of ) for the next 4 miles or so. My downhill seemed to be in good condition, lucky for me. Sometimes you can't take all that body weight loading up on your quad so you lean back and slow down. But if your legs feel solid like petrified tree stumps then you can mash downhill at wicked speeds so long as you don't out run your feet and eat rocks. I flew past aid station #1 around the 3 mile mark and kept up a fairly decent pace all the way to the bottom of this downhill stretch where aid station #2 was setup.

 I did a quick bottle refill and grabbed a GU since I had already eaten the Sports Beans I had brought. I did a slow jog out of that aid station as I tore the GU package open and took a taste. Immediately my stomach went sour so I put my refuel plans on hold. Some of the steepest sections of the course are here between miles 6 and 8.5. Most of it can not be run and as you climb higher and higher into the sky the trail turns steeper and steeper until forward motion becomes really tough. About half way up this climb I took a big squeeze of that GU pack I had been holding and my stomach protested even louder than before. I spit out the GU and tried like hell not to vomit. I didn't let loose but I did start weaving back and forth like a drunk and for a moment I thought I might pass out. The sun was blasting down on us by this point and I was in a bad place. This is where I started to see people standing and sitting on the side of the trail looking absolutely vacant and well overcooked. I was about to be one of them. Passers-by would ask the weary "you okay?" and inevitably they would half-heartedly murmur "all good" or something like that but I never saw them rejoin the hiking procession up the hill. Accept one particularly fit looking female who had been killing it all day long. She passed me by early in the race and was cranking out some energy the last time I saw her. Now she's on the side of the trail looking like death. I passed by and asked if her and the guy next to her were okay and she immediately fell in line behind me as the guy stayed put and answered "all good!" in a much to cheerful voice. This particular section has a double top summit that will break your spirit. When you finally break over what you think is the summit and start heading downhill it doesn't last much more than a quarter mile or so and then turns back uphill sharply. This is just heartbreaking but the upside is that the climb is only 1/2 mile long and then the real descent starts. I felt better in my stomach by the time I got to the top and I could not wait to get to a trash can to throw away that GU packet.

 The downhill between 8.5 miles and 9.5 miles is some of the steepest quad shredding descents of the day. Too bad I couldn't let my legs go like earlier.  They were just to beat up and so I had to do a shuffling hopping kind of gait to get down the hill. At the bottom is a short rolling hill section that ends at an aid station.

I quickly refilled my bottles at this aid station but decided not to grab any more sugar products. This aid station marks the beginning of the long paved path to the top of rocky ridge. From points all along the bottom of this very steep incline you can see your final destination way off in the distance with tiny little people marching along high into the sky. I was absolutely sure their was no way I was going to be able to walk up this hill. Nobody had the legs to run it and most people, myself included struggled just to slowly walk to the top of this ridge. One creative fellow walked a zig zag pattern back & forth on the paved path to lessen the steepness of the climb even though he increased his distance by a mile or more. When you finally reach that tiny place way up in the sky that you've been aiming at for the past half hour, the course levels off and you stay up on that ridge for about a mile and a half. This is the most welcome relief I have ever felt in a race. It is not exactly flat but the hills are manageable up there and around half way across the ridge, just after the 11 mile marker is the final aid station.

I came into this last aid station running on fumes. It is 2.7 miles to the finish and almost all downhill from here. I refilled my bottles and took a big sponge on the head and walked out of this aid station with another runner I had seen many times throughout the year, Jason Ngai. I met Jason at Wildcat and ever since then I have noticed that we always finish relatively close to one another. He has won a few and I have won a few. Now we are in the finale walking out of the last aid station together and neither of us look like we want to run up this little hill we were starting out on. Once we crested that hill the race was on. I opened up my stride on the downhill and gained ground on the few runners I could see up ahead of me. The course had another brief but steep uphill that most seemed to be walking. I didn't walk it. My strategy was to push hard and see who followed. Nobody ran up with me and I got right on the heels of two other guys in front of me. The course turned down sharply and I hammered it the best I could to gain some distance on the group behind me. When the course turned up again it was sharp and once again we were all forced to walk. I reached the top still holding my lead on the few guys I had just passed. It was all downhill from here but I was exhausted. I had nothing left. I tried running scared knowing that quite a few guys were just a few seconds behind but I couldn't do it. My quads couldn't take the massive pounding that would be required on a steep hill like this. I had to shuffle and break down the hill and yet try to go as fast as possible. Just as the hill began to bottom out I heard a runner say to me "Come on lets run it in!!!" Immediately I got hit with a surge of adrenaline that resulted in the fastest 50 yard sprint I have ever run and just edging out the mystery voice runner. We high five'd and both said "That was awesome!!!" as we came through the back end of the finish area. That surge of energy flipped my stomach and I aimed for the fence line immediately. I lost what little I had in me and then within a few minutes felt fine enough to go find my family.

 Just when I spun around my wife and son were coming up to congratulate me on such  a dramatic finish. I made my way over to a chair my wife had set up and within a few minutes I chatted with the mystery runner who turned out to be Steve Long. Steve said he had been tracking me for a while and "was able to pass all of those guys but you. I could have passed you at the finish but that didn't seem right so I warned you." That was super cool of him and I told him so. He certainly didn't have to warn me and I think it speaks volumes about the trail community when runners show each other some sportsmanship like this. My wife was kind enough to grab me an It's It ice cream sandwich and a water bottle refill. So I sat and regathered my marbles for a bit as I waited for the results pages to be updated on the display boards.

My finishing time was 3:00:22. Almost 14 minutes slower than my 2012 time. Overall I finished 72nd out of 198 finishers. That is 13th in my age group out of 33. The overall winner was David Roche at 1:39:51 which gave me a time back of 1:20:30. Even though I did not beat my 2012 time and I finished well behind the winner I somehow managed to move up in the Series Final Standings from 31st place to 24th out of 68 finishers. Not exactly the results I hoped for but given the effort I put into all of this I am happy just to have finished as well as I did. I don't know if I'm going to do this again in 2015 (the season starts this Saturday with the Tarantula Run) as I have my eyes set on a few road marathons and perhaps a step up to the 50 mile? Not sure about that one yet. 

Drag-N-Fly half marathon race report 2014

Brazen Racing has some interestingly named races that all tie into their respective event site in one way or another. Drag-N-Fly's connection to the event remains a mystery to me. I heard one person say it was meant to describe the course where you drag your ass up one side and fly down the other side. Over and over again. My wife saw a few Dragonfly's out on the course and thought that might be it. Perhaps. But I think they got creative with the initials D.N.F. because they knew the course was crazy.
 This race is said to have 3000' ft of elevation gain over 13.5 miles worth of very exposed trails during the bay areas warmest time of year. I know people who have attempted this race without really being aware of how tough it was and ended up dropping. In 2012, just a week before I started SFTrails.com, my wife and I ran this race unaware of it's difficult reputation. I remember finishing in 2:33:00 and being absolutely trashed. Ever since then I have spoke of  it as a"top 5 toughest races I have ever run" and that includes 50k's and marathons.

Race Report: Trail Hog Half Marathon 2014

Brazen Racing's Trail Hog Half Marathon was this past weekend on Saturday the 6th. This race is held at the Joseph D Grant County Park which is situated at the foot of Mt Hamilton in East San Jose. To get to this park you need to leave a little early because the drive is very curvy through narrow, hilly roads that tend to be foggy in the morning. GPS and Google will tell you to take Quimby Rd to get there. Don't do it, instead opt for Alum Rock Ave and Mt Hamilton Rd. It is a bit longer but it is more drive-able and more scenic.

 This race was #6 for me in the Brazen Racing Ultra Half Marathon Series. You only need to run 5 to get into the championship race but running more than 5 is to your advantage because Brazen is only calculating your 5 BEST times to determine your place in the standings. I ran this race for that very purpose, let me explain.

The final Sasquatch Race of the year is coming soon!

The final Sasquatch race of 2014, The Honey Badger Half/10K/5K on 10/25 at China Camp State Park in San Rafael is coming soon and I have a discount for ya!.

This race was a HUGE hit last year and it's shaping up to be big again this year.

Sasquatch has post race beer from Marin Brewing Co., an awesome technical shirt, sweet medals for half marathoners, massage from PSOAS Massage/Bodywork, and more.

The $5 discount code is 'SFTRAILS'.

Here's a link to the race...

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/honey-badger-tune-up-run-6-miles-approx-2014-registration-12833111181

September 2014 Trail Racing in the Bay Area.

Ever tried a night run???

September is the month for trail running with 21 races on the Bay Area trails. If you want to see some of the best runners in the bay doing the impossible check out the Headlands race on the 13th. That is a brutal course no matter which distance you choose but seriously the 100 mile racers are just out of this world. If you are looking for a mortal challenge I say try the Drag-N-Fly half marathon. It nearly killed me in 2012! Two night time runs and several charity runs are also available on the trails this month. Pick out a race and get out there while we still have warm weather.

Sasquatch Racing and the Bobcat Blitz of 2014

Sasquatch Racing

Sasquatch Racing is relatively new on the trail running scene in the Bay Area having only been in business since 2013. This past weekend (8/3/14) I finally got a chance to run in one of their events, the Bobcat Blitz at Huddart Park in Woodside. This opportunity presented itself when a mutual aquaintance of mine introduced me to co-founder Matt Forsman under the pretense that I might be able to help Sasquatch Racing get the word out about a mid-peninsula trail race. I love my trails in the peninsula and I want many more races to be held over here so I jumped on board with this promotion right away. The difficult part about promoting this event was that I had never ran with Sasquatch before and so I had no way of knowing what to say about them. If I write a bunch of nonsense and hype and then come race day it is a disorganized mess I'm going to look a bit foolish. The other aspect that made this a difficult race to promote was that I got the introduction to Matt via a Facebook message out of the blue that I just happen to be reading while I was leaving town for 2 weeks vacation. I wouldn't be able (or willing) to do much until my return in early July which will leave me about 3 or 4 weeks to get the word out.

Bad Bass 2014 race recap

Race #5 for me in Brazen Racings Ultra Half Series was the Bad Bass at Lake Chabot in sunny Castro Valley this past Saturday. Up to this point I am in 41st place in the series with an average time back of 57:40. That means I am finishing these races, on average, 57 minutes behind the 1st place finisher. I would like to bring that down (obviously) and this race might be the one to do that with. I say that because of all of the races in the series so far I think this one is the most runnable with the least amount of steep vert. My goal for this race is sub 2 hour for 2 reasons. First of all that time will only be about 30 minutes behind the leader based on previous race results. My second reason is because I ran this course on New Years Eve 2012 and got a 2:03:00, just missing the highly coveted sub 2 hour mark. I want revenge on that shortcoming!

2014 Quad Dipsea registration is coming soon.

Just a quick reminder that registration for the 2014 Quad Dipsea will open  on Friday August 1st at 8:00am through ultrasignup.com.  So mark your calendars, as the race will likely fill on that day. The race will be held on November 29th. Best of luck getting in!

Check out the new trail race in Huddart Park!

Sunday, Aug.3 2014

The Lowdown on the Bobcat Blitz 5K/10K/Half Marathon

WHEN: SUNDAY, 8/3/14
WHERE: 1100 KINGS  MOUNTAIN ROAD, HUDDART PARK, WOODSIDE, CA. 94062
COST: 5K-$25-$35, 10K-$40-$50, HALF-$60-$75

Use the discount code SFTRAILS and save some $$$.

All participants receive a Bobcat Blitz technical tee, pre/mid-race fuel from Powerbar, post-run beverages courtesy of Zico Coconut Water & Red Hook Brewery. Peanut butter filled pretzels, mandarin oranges, bagels, and additional snacks will be provided as post-race. You’ll also receive post-race massage courtesy of PSOAS Massage/Bodywork.

Half marathoners get an awesome Bobcat Blitz medal that doubles as a bottle opener (for the aforementioned Red Hook)

Register Here

Trail Quake 2014 race review

My 4th race in the Brazen Racing Ultra Half Series was the Trail Quake in San Born County Park on June 14th. One more race to go and I will have completed the required 5 races and then it is on to the championship race at Rocky Ridge in October. I remember chatting with a guy at Rocky Ridge 2 years ago about how difficult the race was and he started listing off a few that might be just as hard if not even more difficult. The two I remember him mentioning were the Diablo Trails Challenge and the Trail Quake over in Saratoga.

Diablo Trails Challenge Race Review 2014

The drive from Redwood City started at 7am. The destination was the Castle Rock Park just south of Walnut Creek in the east bay. That would be the starting line of the 2014 Save Mount Diablo Trail Challenge. I made a wrong turn in Walnut Creek onto Walnut Blvd, I was looking for Walnut Avenue. That set me back on my arrival time which should have been 8am but now looked like 8:15 at best. That will leave 15 minutes to get my bib and get ready to run at the 8:30 start time. When I finally got within a mile of the park I noticed all of these runners parking at the high school. The traffic was grid locked but I was determined to get through to the park. When we got there we were told the parking lots were full so we had to turn around and drive back to the high school where a shuttle would pick us up and bring us back to the park. I jumped out of the car, told my wife to do the shuttle and I started off in the direction of the crowd flow. Moments later a guy came jogging by and my worried mind told me that under the circumstances I had better start jogging to the bib pick up too. I was certain the race start would be delayed. With all of the people back at the high school and that long line of cars piled up waiting to be told to turn around there was no way Brazen could start this race in the next 10 minutes. My light warm up jogging covered about a half mile from the parking lot to the sign in booth. I got through the line, pinned on my bib and noticed a crowd starting to form near the start. Sure enough the pre-race announcements started and this race was about to get underway. I called my wife to see if she made it to the shuttle yet and she had not! She too figured the race would have to delay the start. I told her not to worry about it, I would see her at the finish because the race was going to start any minute. I'm dying to know how many, if any, runners missed the start of the half due to this parking situation. I certainly would have if I had either went to the shuttle parking lot as instructed or if I had walked to the sign-in booth not realizing it was a half mile down the road. I got lucky with some key decisions. How many others were not so lucky? If you know of any I would love to hear about it in the comments section below.