Big Sur Trail Half Marathon

A trail race was probably not the best place for my Achilles, but we were signed up and had free tickets to California, so off we went to the Big Sur Trail Half Marathon. The course started near California Highway 1, following Old Coast Road, a dirt farm road that was the original route from Monterey to Big Sur (before construction of Hwy. 1).

The Half Marathon had 2,880 feet of climbing and descending so off we went, mostly awake after a peaceful night's sleep in our yurts at Treebones Resort. The first 2.5 miles included a beautiful redwood grove as we climbed 800 feet to the first aid station. Jodi was in the middle of a cold so she let me run a mile or so on my own during this stretch. i gulped down some water and then served my fellow runners as Jodi caught up. We ran together as we dipped down into a coastal forest and the soothing sounds of the Big Sur River, oak and bay forests lining our path. At 4.5, Jodi smartly opted for a run/walk session as the trail headed up another 1,000 feet along the bluffs high above the Pacific Ocean, where we occasionally stopped to view the Big Sur coastline. i made the climb to the turnaround on my own, but once i reached the top it didn't take Jodi long to catch up. The heat was becoming a factor now, so we took some extra rest in the shade of a van while re-hydrating.

Heading back down the roller coaster was more difficult for me and exposed my two injuries below my ankles. Still, Jodi and i stuck together the entire last 6.55 miles. We finished hand in hand in 2:56:44. We hobbled back to the starting area to pick up our T-shirts, walked and stretched a bit, and headed back to Treebones. We were quite sore (especially our quads) for almost 4 days, but it was worth it.