Tamalpa Headlands 50K Endurance Race

Details

Distance: 31 miles

Elevation Gain: 6,600 ft

Parking: R odeo Beach, Marin Headlands

Trails: Miwok Trail, Redwood Creek Trail, Deer Park Fire Road, Dispea Trail, Coastal View Trail, Heather Cutoff, Wolf Ridge Trail

Race Report

This last weekend, I ran the Tamalpa Headlands 50K race in the Marin Headlands and wanted to share my results, thoughts and observations from that experience. First of all, the facts. Based on my Garmin data, the race was 31.5 miles and covered 6,624 feet of elevation gain and took me 7 hours and 49 minutes to complete. The winner finished in 4:04! It was overall my sixth ultramarathon and third one this year….and it was by far my most challenging. More on that later. There were 175 runners that started the race and 166 finished and I was 117. I was 23 out of 30 in my age group. Given the tradition of this race among ultrarunners and the quality overall of ultrarunners in the area, I expected a lower half finish. The race was well organized with excellent support on the course, good course marking and course monitoring support with directions at key intersections. There was also some very good, fresh pizza afterwards that was fresh cooked on site.

The race started on Rodeo Beach for the first time since 2008 and actually started in the sand, on the beach. After the race briefing and just before the start of the race, the start line was ceremonially drawn in the sand by a local celebrity ultra-runner and the race director, in his inaugural start as RD, gave a verbal countdown to start the race. The field then ran several hundred yards across the sand to the trailhead to get things started. I did hear a bit of unhappiness about sand in some shoes but in the long run, it did not seem to cause any issues. The trail going up on the the first climb was wide and I did not experience any issues of crowded trails at the start or, for that matter, the entire day. And, as is the culture for ultrarunning, all the runners were courteous when passing and being passed, even on single track sections or the course. The course itself covered some of the most iconic and famous trails in the Marin Headlands and Mount Tamalpais State Park area, with trail names such as Dipsea, Miwok, Steep Ravine, Matt Davis, Coastal View and Wolf Ridge. The elevation changes and trail surfaces alone are a challenge even for seasoned ultrarunners, and there were plenty in the field with dozens of 50K+ races under their belts. For me, as a beginner runner of such courses, this course provided the challenge I expected.

What made this race even more of a challenge for me was that I managed to take two rather nasty trip and falls along the way and twisted my knee in such a way that running downhill was very painful. The first fall happened around half way and the second with 10+ miles to go. In the tradition of good trail running, I was able to get up, brush myself off and continue after each fall but not without each eventually taking their toll and the consequences being a much slower pace than I had expected based on my training. I’m writing this race report just 3 days after the race and as of today, I am still not sure of the condition of my knee or the impact this injury will have on my upcoming training for my run across the Grand Canyon. Stay tuned as I figure this out over the next few weeks and report in future posts.

Back to the race. The equipment I used for the race was my standard equipment I’ve been training with for months….remember, nothing new on race day. I even wore the same clothes I’ve wore for about half my long training runs. A list of the equipment I used is below. This was a cup less race so I used my Soft Flask to fill up with electrolyte offered on the course at each support station and I also carried about 1.5L of water in my hydration bladder in my vest, which I did not have to fill up during the race and it was empty when I finished. I ate the food offered at the stations as well as two Clif Nut Butter filled bars I carried with me. I also took 2 SaltStick tabs and 1,000 mg Ibuprofen during the race at mile 10 and again at mile 20. I felt my nutrition and hydration went well but I still experience some cramping in one quad just above the knee several times throughout the race, mainly after long downhill sections of the course. I am not sure if those were nutrition related or just muscle fatigue from the exertion required for the course and pace.

Equipement List

Salmon S-Lab Advanced Skin 12 Running Vest (3+ years old)
Garmin Forerunner 935 GPS Running Watch
Garmin InReach Mini GPS Tracker / Communicator
Garmin Shoe Pod
Garmin Run Dynamics Pod
Hoka Speedgoat 3 Trail Running Shoes
2XU Elite Compression Long Running Pants
2017 IMTX Finisher Tee Shirt
2018 IMTX Cap
Salmon 500ml Soft Flask
Salmon 2L Hydration bladder
iPhone
Apple AirPods
USB charger and cable
Band aids and blister kit

Final Thoughts

After 3 days of retrospect, I am disappointed I fell and injured myself enough during the race that it impacted my race performance / results. These were not my first falls while trail running and I am sure won’t be my last. Even though disappointed, I do get satisfaction from knowing I was able to mentally push through the injury and finish with a respectable time and in the fact I was still running at the end of the race. One thing I learned when doing IRONMAN races is you should EXPECT there to be problems during a race and be mentally ready for them so you can react and handle them. It’s not a question of IF you will have a problem in an endurance race, it’s WHEN….so be prepared mentally and you have a much better chance of persevering.

I hope you enjoy the photos I took during the race and the slideshow video I made with them as well as the topographical overview of my run I included.

Remember, every run can be an adventure!

Hope to see you on the trail.