I was expecting lots of hills and I was not let down! Right from the start the course worked it's way up the canyon and at the first 1/2 it started getting steep and most of us went from a run pace to a hike pace. After climbing for a mile there was a relatively flat spur through a meadow at the the top of a hill. I was hoping for a view of the ocean below however the morning clouds were still lingering and so I could barely see the pier through the fog. The first spur reconnected to the main course and we went off on the second spur along the top of an adjacent hill.

The second spur connected back to the main course at around the 4 mile point and so far it was just a warm up for the main climbs to come. The next 3 miles climbed approximately 1000 feet including two small peaks and descents to reach the highest peak of the course. The sun started to break through the clouds however the dirt road was shaded by the abundant oak trees lining the steep hills. At the top I paused to enjoy the rugged beauty of the terrain and reminded myself this is why I trail run!

Heading down the main hill included a mile of single track as the course transitioned from one dirt road to another. It was a nice and serene change interrupted by the out of place ringing of a cow bell. At first I thought "what the heck is that way out here" before encountering the aid station at the intersection of the dirt road and trail. I paused to enjoy a couple slices of oranges and thanked the volunteers then hit the road.

This dirt road was much better maintained than the first as it was the service road for power lines. Had my legs been fresher I would have been able to run more of it however I found my self walking more than I wanted. My overall energy levels were good despite my tired legs. At mile 10.5 the road reconnected with the main trail and I saw a friend who was walking the course. She took an "action" picture of me running (as well as the other pictures linked below) and we cheered each other on.

The final 3 miles had two more ascents before the final mile downhill stretch. At the top of the last peak the clouds had cleared up enough to reveal the ocean view I had hoped to see! After a steep mile decent I was able to run the last 1/4 of a mile to the finish line.

Try to run more in the later miles when trail/road conditions were good. With more hill training I may be able to sustain a faster pace on the climbs which would help overall.

Stretched my legs and drank some water. Unfortunately the BBQ was long and not moving so I opted to pass on food for the moment. Walked out to the canyon entrance on my sore legs to get picked up then went out for a celebratory beer!


Parts of the trail conditions were a bit too rocky and uneven to keep a fast running pace.


Challenging and beautiful course.