92 In The Shade, When You Found It
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| Back when it was still fun and games |
I don’t recommend this as a first-time 50k for most people. There are many long and lonely stretches between aid stations. For me it was a super-harsh 31 mile training run that drew on every last thing I’d ever learned.
TOTAL PROPS
The Shuttle van. Oh Jesus. Richard deserves a medal on this one.Volunteers out in the middle of nowhere.
Mike Epler humping water up to that forsaken Albertson’s Motorway ridge at 22 miles. I topped off because I assumed that the water-only meant somebody would be there, not a lonely water drop later at Mile 26. The following canyon is serious as a heart attack, and to be dismissed at your peril. Got my attention, no kidding.
On the final mile climb to the finish out of Chesebro Canyon, Koko[?] saved my ass w a Coke and apple sauce. I was fading fast, so parched I couldn’t talk. Think about that one.
REWIND
At 25 miles I wondered what I’d bought into. I was feverishly fixating on tall cold glasses of mineral water with fresh lime. Mexican pepino. The convection heat of the last endless eternal hours had sucked me dry. There was no DNF chute to get me out of this.I had 6 miles to go, and that was before the staggering leg cramps slowed me down to a shit-show fast walk. The first attack at 27 miles had me bellowing like a calf. I couldn’t stop. If I fell over, I wouldn’t be able to get up. Nobody was around, so on I went. Salt caps went down like breath mints. I knew it was too late, and I still might make cutoff.
THIS IS THE END
I ghost-walked it in to a 9:01, good enough for that day. Any thought of an age-group finish had dried up and blown away miles earlier.Collapsed in a chair, and tried to rehydrate. Too much at once, yakked it all back up in a watery technicolor yawn that was soaked up by the thirsty dirt. Eventually I started coming back, no need for an IV. Getting in and out of a car was comic — I was reliving the shin-splints of my 2-mile high school days. Spicy Thai Tom Yum Kai put a big dent in that hurt afterwards.
BASIC INFO IF YOU’D BEEN PAYING ATTENTION
The No Name races start and finish in the Agoura foothills north of the 101 freeway. People read the race description and think “so what, low-elevation”.The Agoura back country is harsh. If you’re geologically inclined, you’ll notice alternating beds of sea-bed sediment and riverine rocks. Don’t worry about not getting a view— the canyons run east-west with superior lighting and heat effects. You'll have all day to ponder that.
CORE DETAILS: UPDATE
Full aid at the 11/15 mile node, water only at 8 21, and 26 miles.
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| Aerial view of the 50k |
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| Course profile |
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