Trail racing in the Bay Area for July 2014

July is full of racing, both in the woods and on the streets. Many of the cities around the Bay Area are holding Fourth of July races. Santa Cruz is the only city I know of that utilizes the trails for their Independence day race. Big Events are taking place all over the state like the Badwater Ultramarathon down in Death Valley and the Tahoe Rim Trail up in the Sierras. Western States 100 was at the end of June up there too. Right here at home we have the mega popular San Francisco Marathon. Out on the trails of the Bay Area we have 12 different races to choose from. For me and the Ultra Half Series there is the Bad Bass in late July. Whatever floats your boat in the running world, it's available in July. Enjoy It!

Trail racing in the Bay Area for October 2013

Trail racing in the bay area is at its best in  October in my opinion. The heat of summer is mostly behind us replaced by the crisp, cool autumn weather. A little rain starts to creep in and the dry dusty hardpack gives way to a softer more forgiving trail. The colors are changing and the trees are really begging to be looked at. If your not out in the woods in October you may want to check your status as a trail runner. Check out the upcoming races around the bay and do yourself a solid, sign up for an awesome race.

August Trail Racing in the Bay Area

 If you look up the origin of the word August you will see that it is an ancient word meaning "awesome running choices", no kidding. We have several races that I would love to run this month including the sold out Tamalpa Headlands 50k. I might show up to that one anyway just to cheer on the elite runners. I have committed to the Crystal Springs Trail run on the 10th and now I am doing a rock, paper, scissors thing with myself to see what other event I can run in August. We have every distance imaginable to choose from this month including 100 miles, 50 miles and some odd ball distances like 6k, 12k, 18k, 25k, 30k. We even have a 100 yd dash for the youngsters and a 5 yd "diaper dash" for the crawlers!!! Every weekend has a race for you this month but the weekend of the 3rd/4th is stacked and so is the weekend of the 24th/25th. Choose wisely!

Mt Tam 50k in Marin this Sunday

InsideTrail.com

Inside Trail Racing will hold their Mt Tamalpias event this coming Sunday, November 11th. For those who haven't quite made it up to the 50k yet Inside Trail also offers a 10k, Half Marathon, and a 30k (18mi) event to choose from. Prices range from $35 to $65 depending on the event you register for and this is right in line with what other races of this caliber are charging. These distances work out perfectly for my wife and I. She will run the 30k event and because of the way the course is set up I will run the 30k with her and then leave her at the finish line to head back out for a half marathon to finish off my 50k event. For more info on this course take a look at my "Routes" page. This race course is this weeks "Featured Route".

I have run a few events with Inside Trail before and I can tell you first hand they do a good job. The course is marked well, the aid station offerings are great and those that volunteer for these events and man the aid stations are really nice people and I can tell they are "real" runners by the advice that they dispense to those who are in distress. Inside Trail also gives away a little more than most trail running companies for those who finish their races. They don't give finishers medals to all who cross the line. No surprise their as that's mostly a road race thing. Trail races make you earn your medal. All registered runners will receive a Sport-Tek Competitor technical fabric shirt which is super nice compared to those who still give out the cotton (read: chafe inducing) t-shirt. Overall winners of each race distance will receive a medal and an item from the Inside Trail Racing schwag bag. No clue is given as to what that schwag item is but if you look on their website under the store tab you can see that they offer products from Victory Bags, Hydrapak and Headsweats. Perhaps they give away some of these items? Finishers of marathon distance or greater will receive a custom pint glass regardless of what place you finish. This is perfect for putting on top of the custom drink coaster given out by Coastal Trail Runs! LOL!!!

3" x 3" Ultramarathon 50k sticker

 



The race starts at Stinson Beach and bib & shirt pickup kicks off at 7:30 in the morning. Helpful hint: the snack stand located on Arenal Avenue just outside of the park usually opens early on race mornings and you can get a coffee and donut there to top off your sugar & caffeine tanks. The 50k & 30k races start together at 8:30 a.m. and the half marathon and 10k runners start together at 9:00 am.

The weather can be tricky in the Marin Headlands. You never know what your going to get. I would suggest wearing your arm warmers just in case the cold wind and fog comes in off the ocean. As of today Weather.com is saying sunny with a low of 44 and a high of 62 with no chance of rain. That sounds about ideal for running weather. The trails this will be run on are mostly steep, technical single track with a few fire roads thrown in here and there, and a ladder (LOL). Overall I think we are looking at a great weekend to do a seriously difficult trail race that will reward the runner with views like no other. This is a must run event for those who are on the fence about it. Get registered here if you have not done so already.

See you in the woods,

Jonathan

Gore Power Thermo Arm Warmer - Black In Size: Small (Google Affiliate Ad)

New Pics posted from Rocky Ridge Ultra Half Championship

https://picasaweb.google.com/107801830681230323136

Just saw a post on Brazen Racings facebook page that a bunch of new photos from that day were recently posted. I went and checked it out. Pics looked good and they even have videos! Thats a first for me. If you missed it my report on the race is here.

ASICS Men's GEL-Kahana 5 Trail Running Shoe - Tan/Red (Google Affiliate Ad)