The Miwok 100K (62 miles) was held on May 7, 2011 in the Marin Headlands north of San Francisco.
I am not, as is my custom, going to go into a detailed account of my race. Instead, I'll just report the facts, acknowledge a few people, and post a bunch of pictures that will speak for themselves.
The facts: I completed 34 miles with 7200' of gainin 9:05. I felt very strong initially, and even though I slowed down on the uphills, they never got difficult. I did get very week on the downhills, such that by the end I couldn't manage to maintain even a 12-minute per mile pace for more than a few minutes without a walk break - downhill. The first 15 miles or so went extremely well, and it wasn't until the section between Tennessee Valley and Pantoll when I started to feel the effects of the distance and downhills. However, the climb up to Pantoll, supposedly the longest of the race, felt positively easy. I took it nice and slow, of course.
After Pantoll, I was treated to some of the most amazing trail running I've ever seen: soft smooth rolling singletrack through grassy meadows with views of the ocean 1800' below. After five miles of that we went through the Bolinas Ridge aid station and were then treated to a fireroads through a forest of coastal redwoods that were so tall as to be simply unreal. After a few miles of that, the trail drops dramatically off the ridge down to highway 1, which is where I missed the cutoff and was pulled from the race.
It was great to see many friends at this race - Jeff and Linda, Rick, Sean, etc. - Dusty, you're awesome for sending me encouraging texts during the race - and to people like Jenny and Russ who I know online and said hi. Because of the out-and-back course, it was also fun to see the front runners who I admire so much doing what they do best and making it look easy.
Ok! Pictures!
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| Got my bib! |
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| Rodeo Beach - where the race starts |
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Another view of Rodeo Beach. The hill behind it is the second big
climb. The course continues to the hills on the horizon there. |
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| My father at the Nike Missile Site turned into a museum. Mile 1 is on that hill right behind. |
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| Not part of the course, but nearby. |
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| That hill on the left, 720', is the first climb with incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge. |
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| The coast just south of Rodeo Beach (not part of the course). Lighthouse at the end. |
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| Previous photo, but from the other side. |
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| Near the bottom of the first climb |
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| Looking back towards that lighthouse, halfway up the first climb |
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| First climb is pretty much the only asphalt of the course |
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| The road has an 18% grade! |
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| Above the top of the GGB's towers! |
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| Cruise Ship going under the GGB at 6am. |
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| Singletrack Ascending a small hill at mile 5-6 |
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| At mile 7 we come back across the beach with that has the starting line. |
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| Near the start of the second big climb |
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| We go by this tiny cove after climbing a hundred feet or so |
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| Later on in that second climb, we hit a staircase. |
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Looking back after a good ways up the second climb, we see the starting area
and the first hill on the extreme left. |
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| Looking north from Tennessee Valley. |
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| Looking east after the climb out of Tennessee Valley |
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| Miles and miles of amazing singletrack between Tennessee Valley and Pantoll |
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| Between TV and Pantoll - The singletrack |
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| Singletrack between TV and Pantoll |
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| Singletrack between TV and Pantoll |
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| Fireroad on the way up to Pantoll |
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As we climbed to the higher elevation, suddenly the enormous
coastal redwoods appeared. These trees can be 350+ feet tall!! |
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After Pantoll, we come out into this grassy meadow which overlooks
Stinson Beach and Bolinas Bay, 1800' below. |
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| This went on for five miles |
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It was the most unforgettably enjoyable trail
I've ever head the pleasure of running on. |
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There's an amazing scenic drive right above the trail, by the way..
perhaps too scenic for this fellow. |
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| This trail alone was enough to make me want to come back. |
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| After the meadow, it turned into miles and miles of more redwoods.. |
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| Map of portion that I did |
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| Elevation profile |
GPS Data:
| Time: | 09:05:51 |
| Distance: | 33.92 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 7,194 ft |
| Calories: | 5,860 C |
Timing
| Time: | 09:05:51 |
| Moving Time: | 08:44:01 |
| Elapsed Time: | 09:05:51 |
| Avg Pace: | 16:05 min/mi |
| Avg Moving Pace: | 15:26 min/mi |
| Best Pace: | 07:17 min/m |
Elevation
| Elevation Gain: | 7,194 ft |
| Elevation Loss: | 6,741 ft |
| Min Elevation: | 2 ft |
| Max Elevation: | 1,867 ft
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Great pictures Steve!
ReplyDelete:) Dusty