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| Saratoga Gap Parking Lot |
What a perfect morning for a race. The sun was out bright and early burning off the fog as I made my way down Hwy 35 heading towards the Saratoga Gap. My wife and son were in the car with me and we talked about where they could possibly park to see me along the course. The course does have a few road crossings and passes through Big Basin Redwoods State Park so those would probably be her best option for catching a glimpse of me as I ran by. The parking lot at the corner of Hwy 9 & 35 was the start area of this race. Most people parked at the finish line area and took the shuttle bus up to the start. This was not an option for me. The finish line where the buses were lined up would add at least an hour to my morning and I was waking up at 6am as it was. Those buses were late to arrive at the starting area so by the time everyone unloaded and got their race bib, it was apparent that the race would not start on time. I hung out chatting with my wife and few 50k runners to pass the time and before we knew it we were gathering up for our pre-race announcements. A little more time was given to the racers who were desperately trying to get through the long restroom lines but within 10 minutes or so we were heading over to the start line which is a short walk away from the Saratoga Gap parking lot.
