Mill Valley, CA
Run: 1:07:36 ( 9:56 per mile avg)
Run: 1:07:36 ( 9:56 per mile avg)
First run in 1905, the Dipsea is the oldest trail race in America. The 7.4 mile course from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach is considered to be one of the most beautiful courses in the world, but this beauty comes at a price. The trail includes uneven footing, single-track footpaths, and almost invariably steep terrain, featuring about 4,000-foot (1219 m) elevation gain and loss over the course. The uniqueness of the Dipsea Race course owes largely to the opportunity for competitors to choose from any of several alternate routes on diverging and converging trails, adding a competitive premium for strategy, experience, and familiarity with the course.
It's very competitive to get into this race, and for the first time I actually got in. Once you get in, you can guarantee an entry for the following year by finishing top 750 out of 1500 people. There is a catch though. Some competitors get head starts. For a 31-37 year old male, first time runner, I will be starting the race 51 minutes after the first person starts. I did some math and it looks like based on historical results I will need to get a 1:13:00 to earn a spot for next year. And just out of curiosity if i wanted to get top 3 OA ( first time runners ) I would likely need sub 58:00.
I guess I should start training.
I guess I should start training.
I ended up 10th place out of 126 athletes which was solid performance for running the Dipsea the first time.
Click here see this race in Strava.
Below is a breakdown of my splits.
