SB100: Two Nights & A Daze
Pre-race go-go. The Santa Barbara 100 asks a tough question: are you ready to run two nights and a day? This is what happens when the start is 6pm Friday night, concluding 36 hours later at 0600 Sunday morning. The course is a lot tougher than the low-elevation would suggest, as it runs in the east-west Transverse Range instead of north-south. This means you spend the day running in a complete furnace. There is minimal coverage, very dry and even fewer water opportunities. RD Robert Gilchrist has seemingly overcome a lot of bad PR regarding previously inadequate aid stations, awkward customer relations, and mobile dates. The aid stations I saw at the tail end were well-stocked, volunteers in good morale and attentive to the runner. Pre-race popane lantern Macgyver hack. Needed a locknut, used a Corona bottle cap. Yes, I had time on my hands. The Why I’m Here Part I wasn’t there to do a peripatetic Aid Station QC, but rather to pace Jeanne, who was looking for a re...