I have been doing a few training runs with my new running friend Shaun. He convinced me that I should sign up for this race that he was doing called Mt. Diablo 50K put on by Pacific Coast Trail Runs, another great trail race company in the Bay Area. This was my first time doing a race that had a sky race type difficulty, which means over 10,000 feet of climbing for a 50K. The only difference is that this race was not at high altitude but it was still extremely tough. This was my fourth race of 2019 and since we had a really wet winter it had rained at the previous three. The forecast for this race also called for rain and not just any storm, there was an "atmospheric river" on the way! I can't give a scientific explanation of what an atmospheric river is however I can say that it involves hard driving rain and very high winds along with cooler temperatures. Due to the forecast and a few other reasons they had to re-route the course from how they usually do it. The re-route added in a few bonus miles and some extra climbing so we were going to get a little more bang for our buck so to speak.
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| Shaun Climbing Up Diablo |
I arrived to the race and it was very overcast but had not started raining yet. I was bringing my Houdini rain/wind jacket because I knew it was not a matter of if but when the shit will hit the fan. We got started with trekking poles in hand and began our first climb up Mt. Diablo. We made it all the way to the peak where it was super windy but had not started raining yet. Then we descended down the mountain, also summited eagle peak on the way, and escaped the first loop without getting rained on. Then we started the second climb of the mountain and I got a nice boost of energy starting out on this loop. As we got closer to the peak the rain drops were beginning to fall and the wind was picking up. Shaun and I decided it was a good time to put our jackets on which proved to be a great decision. The rain really picked up as we descended into the Juniper Campground aid station. Upon leaving there we had to put gloves on as the temperature dropped. The gloves didn't stay dry very long however they kept my hands warm. When we got up on the ridge of Eagle Peak it was so windy that we could hardly stay upright. It was raining sideways and we picked up the pace in order to get off that ridge line as quickly as possible.
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| Exposed ridge line to later become a tight rope of death |
By the time we finished that loop the trail leading down to the start finish area was getting really muddy from all the rain. It was a crazy little downhill mudslide to be more precise. We refueled at the start finish aid station. It was mentally tough knowing we had to go back out for a partial loop since we were soaked and cold along with watching runners from other distances getting in their warm cars to leave. Luckily the rain was letting up as we started our climb up to Eagle Peak. This turned out to be a very steep and tough climb which got me warm again. After summiting and crossing the Eagle Peak ridge line it was a nice feeling to be on the way back down with only a few miles of downhill running left. As we got close to the end I realized that we could break 9 hours if we really pushed and we had to pretty much slide down the huge mud slide before the finish line. Ended up crossing with less than a minute to spare! Due to the weather not many people showed up to the race. There was a ton of post race food leftover and it was delicious! Shaun and I ate our food, drank some pop, and reminisced about how crazy the weather was on that tough course. It was the most climbing I had ever done in a 50K and for some reason I really loved it! Driving home was not easy though as there was a lot of traffic and my foot hurt pretty bad so repeatedly having to press the brake was not fun. I made it home and went out to grab one of my favorite dishes, Kimchi Stew, from a Korean fusion place and it definitely hit the spot. Even though the weather was insane I think I preferred it over having a blazing sun on the exposed course. I will absolutely look forward to doing this race again.
Strava Data:
https://www.strava.com/activities/2378595080
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| Glad to be finished! |
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| The route: two full loops and one partial |
