Miwok 100K: initial report

A longer report coming, but this is what I posted last night to our Yahoo NYC Trails & Ultras group...

When you get to see the Golden Gate at dawn and dusk, stunning views of thePacific from grassy bluffs a thousand feet up, start on the beach pre-dawn, it'ssunny all day with practically no clouds...well, this one is truly off thecharts scenic beauty-wise. The 10,000 feet of climb and equal of descent make it challenging, though the footing is decidedly tame by our Eastern standards (as is true of the other California races I've done). The race organization is superb, the aid stations good, course markings easy to follow...you can see why this one had to go to a lottery to fill its 250 slots starting last year!

The relatively smooth footing, and the fact that I held a pretty steady effort all day and had something left in the tank to pick off a good number of folksover the last ten miles or so, made for a very satisfying race (14:34). And even a PR of about 15 minutes (not that this is as technically tough as GEER or Bandera, my other 100Ks, but I'll still take it!). Definitely a nice confidencebooster for Bighorn 100 6/18-19, which was the main goal.

Our friend Glenn Redpath took 8th overall (in a cool 9:06), and was lookingstrong on the two out and back sections where I saw him. (Tony "the naked guy" Tripucka won the race, and yes he was running shirtless even in the predawnupper 40ish weather!)

I saw Cherie three times on the out and backs, the last time as I was a mile orfrom turnaround at 36 and she an equal distance beyond it. She was complainingof having had nausea, and I see from a Twitter post on her site that she hadsome other physical issues, too. She didn't say how she finished and she waslong gone when I got to finish. And results aren't yet posted. Look forward toseeing her report.

Anyway, as far as a tune-up for Bighorn and a destination race, Miwok fit the bill nicely! Hopefully a little left in the legs to get through the North Face Bear Mountain 50K this weekend in one piece. Look forward to seeing many of you out there on Saturday!

More later....

Scott

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