The race started at 5:00 AM which meant we had to get up really early in order to arrive in time to check in and get our race packets. All of us flew in on the day before the race. I felt bad for Ram because his flight got delayed and he arrived really late. I was able to get about 4 hours of sleep the night before the race which was not ideal but it could of been worse. It was cold out at the start line and I was embracing it because I knew it was game over once the sun came out. The run got started right on time and off into the dark hills we went. The pace was steady at the beginning but about a mile or two in we came to the famous river crossing and there was a really long line leading up to it. In fact we stood there for a few minutes waiting and I was getting nervous because I knew how strict the cutoffs were. After we got through the river we were facing a fairly large climb. Our pace was good up this climb and the views of the sunrise and surrounding areas were incredible. I was not feeling bad in these first five or six miles but I was not really feeling great either. I knew it was going to be a long day and I would need calories and it was probably best to get them in early before the heat came.
After leaving the first aid station we had a bunch of rolling trails. Another big climb and then a really nice long smooth downhill which we bombed down to the aid station at mile 23. We had a really good pace going at this point. It was really starting to get hot out as the sun moved overhead. The course is completely exposed and the sun was blazing hard. I think I ate too much food at this aid station because a sluggish feeling came over me. We were facing a huge climb over the next 9 miles and I wanted to make sure I had enough calories. As we started the climb my legs just gave out and all my energy was mysteriously zapped. I could not keep up with Shaun and Ram and they were charging up the climb. They got to mile 31 before I did and they had waited for me. That was a long hot 9 miles with no aid stations in between. The mile 31 aid station had run out of water! That's not a good thing to happen in a race where the sun has been blazing on runners for a few hours and they desperately needed some water. I was glad I had filled up my 3 liter bladder before that climb because I still had some water left. They did have some bags of ice there so I filled up the rest of my bladder with ice. It actually worked out pretty good for me I was still hurting though leaving his aid station. We shuffled to the next few aid stations and by the time we got to mile 40 I was pretty far gone and our pace had dropped off big time. Those guys were telling me how badly people were hurting at that last aid station. One guy decided to dropout of the race and called an Uber! Very comical since we were in the middle of nowhere and I am surprised he had a cell signal! We had a good laugh over that.
I was toying with the idea of dropping down to the 50 mile race, they give you that option at mile 44. Shaun and Ram helped me get that negative thought out of my head. I decided to give the rental car key to Shaun because I was hurting so bad that I couldn't keep up with them and I figured they would finish before me. It was going to be dark and cold by the time we all finished so they would need to be able to get in the car to stay warm while waiting for me. Over the next few rolling miles I fell further behind those guys as I just didn't have anything left and couldn't keep up with them. I wanted them to go on because I didn't want to be the reason they would miss a cutoff and not finish the race. I really gave it everything I had but did not make the cutoff at mile 44, in fact I missed it by 8 or 9 minutes. I assumed that Shaun and Ram had made the cutoff and continued on with the 100K course. The nice thing is they let you drop down to the 50 mile race if you fail to make the cutoff here. So it was 6 miles to the finish, mostly downhill except for a climb out of the aid station. I power hiked almost the whole way because I was so spent. I was happy to cross the finish line and put this day behind me. After I finished it became dark and the temperature dropped big time. I then realized that Shaun had the rental car key..doH! All I had to keep warm was a long sleeve t-shirt and thin pair of gloves. There were no structures with heat at this park. There was some warm soup which I would get a bowl every 45 minutes or so to try and warm up. I basically just sat at a picnic table and shivered for a few hours. I was really hoping Shaun and Ram were going to finish because I know that I held them up throughout the race.
I began to get worried when there was only 10 minutes to go before their cutoff and they had not come in yet. Then 2 minutes later some headlamps came into sight and it was them!! I was so happy they were able to finish and also excited to get the car started and get some heat turned on :)
I am finishing this race report almost a year after the fact and little did I know that about a month later our lives would be turned upside down by a global pandemic. I did get one more race in before the shit really hit the fan and I am about to complete that report as well. 
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| Flipping off the sun just angered it |
After leaving the first aid station we had a bunch of rolling trails. Another big climb and then a really nice long smooth downhill which we bombed down to the aid station at mile 23. We had a really good pace going at this point. It was really starting to get hot out as the sun moved overhead. The course is completely exposed and the sun was blazing hard. I think I ate too much food at this aid station because a sluggish feeling came over me. We were facing a huge climb over the next 9 miles and I wanted to make sure I had enough calories. As we started the climb my legs just gave out and all my energy was mysteriously zapped. I could not keep up with Shaun and Ram and they were charging up the climb. They got to mile 31 before I did and they had waited for me. That was a long hot 9 miles with no aid stations in between. The mile 31 aid station had run out of water! That's not a good thing to happen in a race where the sun has been blazing on runners for a few hours and they desperately needed some water. I was glad I had filled up my 3 liter bladder before that climb because I still had some water left. They did have some bags of ice there so I filled up the rest of my bladder with ice. It actually worked out pretty good for me I was still hurting though leaving his aid station. We shuffled to the next few aid stations and by the time we got to mile 40 I was pretty far gone and our pace had dropped off big time. Those guys were telling me how badly people were hurting at that last aid station. One guy decided to dropout of the race and called an Uber! Very comical since we were in the middle of nowhere and I am surprised he had a cell signal! We had a good laugh over that.
I was toying with the idea of dropping down to the 50 mile race, they give you that option at mile 44. Shaun and Ram helped me get that negative thought out of my head. I decided to give the rental car key to Shaun because I was hurting so bad that I couldn't keep up with them and I figured they would finish before me. It was going to be dark and cold by the time we all finished so they would need to be able to get in the car to stay warm while waiting for me. Over the next few rolling miles I fell further behind those guys as I just didn't have anything left and couldn't keep up with them. I wanted them to go on because I didn't want to be the reason they would miss a cutoff and not finish the race. I really gave it everything I had but did not make the cutoff at mile 44, in fact I missed it by 8 or 9 minutes. I assumed that Shaun and Ram had made the cutoff and continued on with the 100K course. The nice thing is they let you drop down to the 50 mile race if you fail to make the cutoff here. So it was 6 miles to the finish, mostly downhill except for a climb out of the aid station. I power hiked almost the whole way because I was so spent. I was happy to cross the finish line and put this day behind me. After I finished it became dark and the temperature dropped big time. I then realized that Shaun had the rental car key..doH! All I had to keep warm was a long sleeve t-shirt and thin pair of gloves. There were no structures with heat at this park. There was some warm soup which I would get a bowl every 45 minutes or so to try and warm up. I basically just sat at a picnic table and shivered for a few hours. I was really hoping Shaun and Ram were going to finish because I know that I held them up throughout the race.
I began to get worried when there was only 10 minutes to go before their cutoff and they had not come in yet. Then 2 minutes later some headlamps came into sight and it was them!! I was so happy they were able to finish and also excited to get the car started and get some heat turned on :)This was an extremely challenging race for many reasons. First, there was a ton of climbing, even with the 50 mile race I totaled over 11,000 feet of gain which is quite a bit. Second, the sun in southern California is relentless and it's a very exposed course. Finally, the cutoffs are very strict and hard to make. It was extremely disappointing to not finish the 100K which I had set out to do however I have come to terms with it. I am also please to finish the 50 mile course in about 13 hours which is pretty decent for myself. After the race we hit up Chipotle and I ordered a bunch of food as I was starving. The next morning I went to down to demolish the free hotel breakfast and I met another guy who ran the race. Oddly enough he told me that he tried to call an Uber at mile 31 but he ended up cancelling it. It was him!! I met the guy that called the Uber..haha. He ended up continuing on and did the same thing as me, had to drop down to the 50 mile race.
I am finishing this race report almost a year after the fact and little did I know that about a month later our lives would be turned upside down by a global pandemic. I did get one more race in before the shit really hit the fan and I am about to complete that report as well. 
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