Got there about 10 minutes before the start. We taped up our race shirts with duct tape and checked them. Love small races :)

Also tried to get in portapotty line, but race was going to start, so had to delay it. I've done runs, much less hilly runs, while having to... well use the portapotty. It's not pretty. So, we lined up about halfway back, gun went off, I slowly made my way to the left of the pack while my friends took off, and ducked into the bathroom.

Once that was done, I came out, got back on the road, and turned left, and ran right into a large group of people waiting to get onto the singletrack. Most of this race is singletrack, much of it unpassable. And I was stuck at the back, well almost, there was one woman behind me who said she was walking the whole thing. That sounds horrendous....

So, now I was just standing there. When we did move it was walking. Eventually, got around and started running a bit, but soon got behind more walkers. I was going to go slow today, just not this slow. And I got into the back of the pack walking mentality, rather than pushing it a bit if I was with my friends.

Basically is up for 3.5 mile, then down. And some of the up is steep, as in tall, stair like rocks steep. And some narrow trails, very technical. Not running any of that anyway. First mile came alarmingly slow, although I wasn't keeping track of splits.

About 3 miles in, join the 18K runners, and keep climbing. After that, mostly fire road, but it was very foggy so you couldn't see the hills ahead, or the great views. But it kept the heat down.

One woman and her daughter (i think) were tormenting me. I really didn't want to lose to them, but they were better on uphills. Eventually, at about 4 miles on a flattish downhillish section, I was able to pass them for good.

My garmin turned off somewhere after mile 2, and I lost 20 minutes before I turned it back on, so I had my later splits. After mile 4.5 or so, it was all downhill single track. Some people were FLYING by me. I'd pull off often to let them pass, then move on. I was pretty happy to see an 8:34 final split.

Right before the end, there's a small gully you run down into and then out of. From the finisher's photos, this threw many people off, and they were nearly falling trying to climb up and out of it.

Finished with a big smile, had a great time, of not a great race.

Pancakes at Marmalade, Malibu


In typical fashion, I had a great time, enjoyed it overall, then saw my results and that I was 13/13. My first last place AG finish. Someone has to be there, I guess, and honestly the portapotty fiasco at the beginning isn't really a big enough excuse. I'm not a great runner to begin with, add steep and technical and it's more of a challenge. The good news is there's only one way to go. And I started 172 of 173, and ended 133, so passed quite a few people.

I look forward to doing more of this series, even if I do come in last :)