John Muir Trail FKT (3d7h36m)

Running the John Muir Trail was an incredible experience.  My personal account of the FKT effort is posted at iRunFar.com. A special thanks goes to my amazing support crew who really can’t be thanked enough. An excerpt is below, but be sure to read the full report here.  With my extensive travels in the Sierra, the…

Skyline 50k

Last Sunday I had a great experience running the Skyline 50k in the East Bay hills. This race is a classic Bay Area event with 32 years of history. While the course has 4,750 ft of cumulative elevation gain, the route includes 17 miles of fire road and 3 miles of paved road allowing for…

Inside Trail Marin Ultra Challenge 50 Mile

Last Saturday I participated in the inaugural Inside Trail Marin Ultra Challenge, which features 50k and 50 mile distances. It took me literally half of 2012 to do my first race (due to injury), but this was a great one to chose for my first outing. Both courses, designed by Jim Vernon of the Endurables,…

Saratoga Fatass 50k

Every year shortly after New Year’s (this year January 7th) there is a great low-key run along a fantastic 29-mile loop in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains known as the Saratoga Fatass. There is no official start time although most start between 7:30 and 8 am. There are no course markings and only…

Brazen Racing Summit Rock Half

The Brazen Racing Summit Rock run was another great Brazen event at Sanborn County park in the hills above Saratoga. I ran at this gorgeous venue in June at the Trail Quake event and couldn’t resist running these lushly forested trails one more time this year. The course is different than the Trail Quake event as…

Brazen Rocky Ridge Championships Report

Last weekend I ran the Brazen Racing Summit Rock Half Marathon at Sanborn County Park outside of Saratoga, but before I get to that report, here is a report from another Brazen event I did a couple months agao, the Brazen Racing Rocky Ridge Half Marathon Championships at beautiful Las Trampas Regional Wilderness outside of…

Quad Dipsea 2011

The Quad Dipsea is held annually the Saturday after Thanksgiving and completes the legendary Dipsea Trail four times. The Quad entails over 9,276 ft of ascending including literally thousands of steps as the runners traverse the slopes of Mount Tamalpais from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach and back. While the trail is arduous, breathtaking views…

Tamalpa Headlands 50k

I had a great time at the Tamalpa Headlands 50k last Saturday! It’s tough to argue with an extremely aesthetic single loop course traveling through the most famous trails in the Marin Headlands and Mount Tamalpais region including Dipsea, Coastal, Matt Davis and Miwok. These trails are renowned for good reason – the coastal scenery is…

Sanborn Trail Quake Half

Last Saturday I ran half marathon at Brazen Racing’s Sanborn Park Trail Quake event. As with most Brazen events, the distance options include a 5k, 10k and half marathon (Brazen Racing primarily focuses on the non-ultra shorter distances with over 20 events per year to chose from). I have heard great things about Brazen races so I…

Ohlone 50k 2011

The Ohlone Wilderness 50k, always arduous but strikingly beautiful, is a classic point-to-point course travelling from Fremont to Lake Del Valle in Livermore. The terrain of this part of the Diablo Range is characterized by gorgeous grassy hillsides, heritage oaks, and gray pine forest. The high ridges leading up to the 3,817 ft summit of…