Hardest Run in SoCal

[Simpledog]

Other than marathons, what would be the biggest challenge
for any runner in Southern California?

[Dan Stumpus]

Here's a sampling...just off the top of my head. There's
lots more...

The hardest is obviously the Angeles Crest 100, but here are
some shorter ones:

1. Baldy Peaks 50k. 7/25. 50 minutes from L.A. 11,000' of
climb, 11,000' of descent. Two different ascents to a
10,032' peak (Mt. Baldy). Some scrambling, steep drop
offs, great views, 4 miles of nasty technical downhill.

2. Mt. Wilson trail race in May: 4 miles up, 4 down, short
but sweet.

3. Malibu Bulldog 50k 8/28 -- beautiful scenery, ocean
views, 6 to 8k of uphill (no one really knows). You can
finish this one about 2 hrs faster than Baldy Peaks, but
it's still a leg burner.

4. San Gabriel Mountains 50k -- Very hilly, forest, with a
brutal "come to Jesus" 3 mile climb to the finish.
Midway in difficulty between 1 and 3.

5. Topanga 10k in May -- about 1000' of climbing on
fireroads.

6. Catalina Island Marathon -- A brief introduction to
trail ultras, not that tough, but lots of hills.

There are a seeminlgly infinite number of trails and
fireroads in the mountains to the North of L.A.

-- Dan

[Sms]

This one looks interesting:
http://www.tramroadchallenge.com/home.html

"The Tram Road Challenge is the most beautiful and toughest
6-K in the world. Starting at the desert floor near Sea
Level, the road takes you up to the lower Tram station at an
elevation of 2,643 feet, in just 3.7 miles "

My understanding is that there is no down or flat, only up.

Steve S.

"Simpledog" <SPAMLESSCBURNETT1@san.rr.com> wrote in message
news:xoqGc.20538$ju5.225@twister.socal.rr.com...
> Other than marathons, what would be the biggest challenge
> for any runner
in
> Southern California?

[Rick++]

There used to be a race up Mt Baldy, but I dont know if it
occurs anymore. There are people who run up the mountains.
There are unofficial contests to see who can bag the most
"100 [tallest s.c] peaks" in 24 hours.

[Dot]

sms wrote:
> This one looks interesting:
> http://www.tramroadchallenge.com/home.html
>
> "The Tram Road Challenge is the most beautiful and
> toughest 6-K in the world. Starting at the desert floor
> near Sea Level, the road takes you up to the lower Tram
> station at an elevation of 2,643 feet, in just 3.7 miles "

While that's challenging and substantial uphill for a road
race, methinks they're using the fact that there aren't many
6k's in the world to lay claim to "toughest".

Dot

--
"Success is different things to different people" -Bernd
Heinrich in Racing the Antelope

[Dan Stumpus]

"sms" <smstillman@ieee.org> wrote

> "The Tram Road Challenge is the most beautiful and
> toughest 6-K in the world. Starting at the desert floor
> near Sea Level, the road takes you up
to
> the lower Tram station at an elevation of 2,643 feet, in
> just 3.7 miles "

Yes, that is a fun little race. From the finish line,
take the breathtaking tramride up to the top (8800') and
have lunch overlooking the desert. Top it off with a hike
a few miles up to San Jacinto (11,000'), if you've got
anything left...

-- Dan

[Dan Stumpus]

Yes, there's an 8 mile "run to the top" that climbs up to
Mt. Baldy (10,032'). Haven't done it in years, but I think
it's in September.

Yours truly won the Open division in '83 or thereabouts...I
remember passing a 4:20 miler in the final pitch...and we
were *both* walking...

-- Dan

"rick++" <rick303@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f7422d8e.0407061013.2daa9c43@posting.google.com...
> There used to be a race up Mt Baldy, but I dont know if it
> occurs anymore. There are people who run up the mountains.
> There are unofficial contests to see who can bag the most
> "100 [tallest s.c] peaks" in 24 hours.

[Np426z]

"Dan Stumpus" <dstumpus@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:I9CGc.6739$R36.5909@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net...

> Yours truly won the Open division in '83 or
> thereabouts...I remember
passing
> a 4:20 miler in the final pitch...and we were *both*
> walking...

Oooo...! I think I'll put a little jaunt up Lochnagar on
your Scottish itinerary. We'll start at the Ranger's hut,
along the bottom of the Loch, through the wee woods, over
the stream, then up, up, up the grotty Land-Rover track with
cunningly placed shoe-shredding rocks (not forgetting to
give the one-fingered salute to Prince Charles who was
faffing around on the hill with half the British Army acting
as bodyguard when I was last there) over the ankle-trapping
boulder field to the wild, windy top - cluttered up with foul-
tempered, bearded, unwashed climbers - then turn around and
sprint back down. Guaranteed to make you wish you were back
in SoCal *PLUS* I've never seen a 4:20 miler within 20K's of
the place.

[Dan Stumpus]

"np426z" <np426z@btinternet.com> wrote

> > Yours truly won the Open division in '83 or
> > thereabouts...I remember passing a 4:20 miler in the
> > final pitch...and we were *both* walking...
>
> Oooo...! I think I'll put a little jaunt up Lochnagar on
> your Scottish itinerary. We'll start at the Ranger's hut,
> along the bottom of the
Loch,
> through the wee woods, over the stream, then up, up, up
> the grotty Land-Rover track with cunningly placed shoe-
> shredding rocks (not
forgetting
> to give the one-fingered salute to Prince Charles who was
> faffing around
on
> the hill with half the British Army acting as bodyguard
> when I was last there) over the ankle-trapping boulder
> field to the wild, windy top - cluttered up with foul-
> tempered, bearded, unwashed climbers - then turn around
> and sprint back down. Guaranteed to make you wish you
> were back
in
> SoCal *PLUS* I've never seen a 4:20 miler within 20K's of
> the place.

I shall start training immediately. Thank you for your,
uhhhh, hospitality. There's nothing quite like a steep,
rotten, rocky trail in the morning!

Truth be told, I think Mr. 4:20 could have taken me if he
hadn't gone out too hard, but that's racing.

I hope you will be on-line in one of your many guises when
we start planning our invasion.

-- Dan

[Dangling]

"np426z" <np426z@btinternet.com> wrote in message news:<cchoqs$brq$1@sparta.btinternet.com>...
> > Oooo...! I think I'll put a little jaunt up Lochnagar on
> > your Scottish
> itinerary. We'll start at the Ranger's hut, along the
> bottom of the Loch, through the wee woods, over the
> stream, then up, up, up the grotty Land-Rover track with
> cunningly placed shoe-shredding rocks (not forgetting to
> give the one-fingered salute to Prince Charles who was
> faffing around on the hill with half the British Army
> acting as bodyguard when I was last there)

Oh gee Roger, you left out the part where he tripped and
fell over a cliff, and you sprang into action saving his
life, then you were invited to his castle for a dinner,
where afterward you offered anything you wanted. All I'll
say from here on is the queen mum was involved, vaseline,
and kiddie porno.

[Dangling]

"np426z" <np426z@btinternet.com> wrote in message news:<cchoqs$brq$1@sparta.btinternet.com>...
> >

Save it Roger, we all know there's no such thing as a "hard
run" in southern california.

[Dieshooter]

You're forgetting about next week's Badwater ultra ... 135
miles, starts at the lowest point in Death Valley and runs
across the desert and up Mount Whitney. Three mountain
ranges, 130-degree heat, no shade, occasional sandstorms,
sole-blistering pavement, wind and dehydration.

Yeehaw.

website at www.badwaterultra.com

[jobin]

dieshooter <dieshooter@hotmail.com> wrote:
> You're forgetting about next week's Badwater ultra ...
> 135 miles,
...

But, Badwater is not in SoCal.