Diabolic 50: Up, Down, and Up again on Mt. Diablo

On top of Mt. Diablo for the second time, I looked to the valley below hoping to find the finish line. After 9 hours of running and 42 miles of trails behind me, I was excited to finally finish this brutal run. "8 miles to the finish," became my mantra, as I filled my water bottles and proceeded on what I expected to be an easy downhill finish...

Usually I don't get nervous about upcoming races, but Diablo had my stomach turned upside down days before the event. To make matters worse, I hadn't run much the past month as I had been battling shin splints. On top of my perceived physical limitations, I was mentally intimidated by the 13,000+ft. of elevation gain and decline. Yet while I was waiting for Wendell to start the race I found myself forgetting all my previous worries, and I was eager to test myself against El Diablo.

From the start, the course heads straight for the summit. Eight miles of uphill climbing and you find yourself on top of this Ancient Bay Area monument. On the uphill climb I briefly talked to Scott Dunlap, who was also running the Boston Marathon the following week, Ray Sanchez, who ran AR50 as well as a 50K on the same weekend! and Caren Spore, who also ran the AR50 the week before. Impressed with the amount of races that Ray has completed this year (1-2 a weekend) and hoping for some tips which would help with recovery for the Boston Marathon which was 9 days away, I asked him how he recovered from 80 miles of racing on a weekend. His answer? "Keep running!"

I reached the summit of Diablo with John Fors, who was training for the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 mile run. Coming the other way I caught a glimpse of the race leaders (Jasper Halekas for the Marathon, and Graham Cooper and Eric Skaden for the 50 Mile) who were about 1 mile ahead of me. On the summit of Diablo is a lookout tower, and in classic PCTR fashion the lookout served as the turnaround point. The views were amazing, a 360 degree panorama of the Bay! Wikipedia claims that on a clear day, one can see all the way to Mt. Whitney (unfortunately I was in race mode and didn't enjoy the view as much as I should have)!

The descent from the summit follows mostly fire road to North Gate, which is mile 14. From North Gate we continued to descend to the valley below. This section of trail is a loop with a few trees’ shade that gave needed relief from the day's ever increasing heat. The time was 10:30am, and it was already above 80 degrees. I returned to North Gate the second time (19.3 mi.) around 4hrs, and set out towards my next aid station at Rock City.

I reached the Rock City Aid station (Mile 25) at 5 hours, which meant I was on pace for a 10 - 11 hr. finish, which was a predetermined goal for me. Knowing that I was on pace for my time goal gave me a surge of energy that carried me to the Finley road aid station (mile 30.8). Awaiting me at the Finley Aid Station were fellow PCTR runners Ryan Commons and Wil Gothart. Referring to a previous Blog entry about my runs with my dog, Gordy, Wil asked where my dog was. "He is waiting at the finish line!" I answered. Ryan and Wil were as great aid station volunteers as they are racers (they are in a battle for the overall PCTR Ultra race series lead!). Ryan and Wil informed me that I was probably in 12th place, and gave me words of encouragement as I set out to pursue those who were leading me!

I continued to run strongly on the return trip to Rock City, and I felt great on the downhills. On one downhill section I glanced at my Garmin and found that I was running at a 5:30 min/mile pace! Never one to be cautious (why slow down when it feels so good to go fast?) I continued to push my pace, which allowed me to jump up a few place positions. Giving further encouragement-and always fast with the camera-was Chiphing Fu who graciously took my picture.

(Courtesy of Chiphing Fu)

When I returned to Rock City (Mile 37), I made the mistake of asking the Aid Station volunteer what the rest of the course was like. I looked at him, deflated, as he told me first I must climb 5 miles to the Summit, followed by a short descent, and then another climb to the top of North Peak, followed by a series of switchbacks to the finish. It sounded tough, a lot tougher than the smooth downhill finish I was hoping for.

The climb to the summit was brutal. I walked the 5 miles, trying to focus on swinging my arms and not on the dead weight that my legs felt like. The sun beat down on me as I marched, up, and up, and up.... Reading the weather report later, I learned that it was 90 degrees at 4:00pm, which was around the same time I was trudging up the mountain. Maybe it was the heat, or not enough water, but I started feeling nauseous. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to throw-up (trust me, I tried). Before reaching the summit, I was passed again by John Fors and Caren Spore (who amazed me as she was continuing to run uphill 40 miles into the race!). Reaching the Summit I made my second trip up to the lookout, refueled, and tried to catch up to those who had passed me on the uphill.



Descending from the summit I was able to continue a fast pace on the downhill, again passing Caren and John. Descending Olympia and Donnor trails, I was forced to slow down because of the steep switchbacks and loose rock. Compounding the difficulty of navigating the technical trail, my legs started cramping. Pushing to the finish line, I was in bad shape. My vision had started getting blurry; leg cramps were interrupting any running rhythm I was able to muster. I was hiking both the flats and uphill (with my hands on my head like a prisoner of war). Place and time were no longer concerns, survival was my only goal. Trying to avoid passing out (which I felt dangerously close to), I continued to POW hike. Fortunately, there was a short downhill section that I was able to run to the finish (got to appear like I was running!) at 10:39, 8th place.

After getting some tasty pizza in my stomach, and reflecting on the run, I felt fortunate to survive such a Diabolic course (no pun intended)! Multiple times during the race I thought some not very kind thoughts about Wendell and Sarah, who masterminded this evil, evil course! But alas, I know their intentions are good, and having the psychological boost of conquering El Diablo will help me out as I am battling the Cascade Crest 100 mile run in August. Thanks again to Wendell, Sarah, Aaron, and all the helpful PCTR volunteers! A week after the event I think back to all of the adventures I had, and it was a good day doing battle with El Diablo!!