Now that the Bay to Breakers is over, the eyes of the running community are focused on the next big Bay Area event: June 14th and the Dipsea Race. This trail race is the oldest cross-country race and the second oldest foot race of any kind in the U. S. It is also well known for its scenic and challenging course, which winds over 7 miles from the center of Mill Valley across the shoulder of Mt. Tamalpais to Stinson Beach.
It all began with a wager in 1904. Two members of San Francisco Olympic Club were headed over to the Dipsea Inn in Stinson Beach for a holiday from the train depot in Mill Valley. They decided to forego the carriage ride and make a race of it. Exhilarated by their accomplishment, they tapped the influence of the Olympic Club to make the Dipsea Race an annual event beginning the following year. It has been held every year since, except for 1932-33 and 1942-46, when much of the mountain was closed for military considerations.
The race today is as challenging as ever. Will Chase , who ran Dipsea in 2002, wrote of his experience:
. . . this is not a running trail … it’s a hiking trail. The only things that should be running on this trail, realistically speaking, are deer. And yet, this is my all-time favorite trail to run. With so much variety to the course, and unadulterated beauty, vistas, challenge, mystery, options, twists, turns, and bushwhacking, it’s pure entertainment the whole way. Sometimes you feel like you’re flying, sometimes you feel like you’re mogul skiing, sometimes you feel like you’re a marine blitzing through enemy territory, and … well … sometimes you pretty much feel like you’re going to either pass out or puke. And that’s what turns a run into an adventure.
That part about passing out or puking could be a factor of the course’s 2,200 feet of elevation gain, 676 steep steps and winding trails with uneven footing and plenty of rocks and tree roots. The race is an open course, allowing runners to choose any route between the start and finish lines, but the standard course is the Dipsea Trail at 7.4 miles.
Because of safety and environmental concerns, entries are limited to 1,500 racers, who come from all over the world. An elaborate formula for handicapping based on gender and age gives everyone a fighting chance to win this race. In fact, according to www.dipsea.org <link> in the 2008 race, four men and two women established new single age records.
Registration for the 2009 event is closed, but you may want to make your way over to Mill Valley or Stinson Beach and watch the runners. The race starts at 8:30 on Throckmorton at Miller Avenue.
May 21st, 2009 at 7:46 pm
There’s amazing variation and beauty on this course. The approximately two miles of unrelenting uphill from Muir Woods to the top of Cardiac is where a trail runner really needs to “dig deep”.