Red Rock 50 Mile Race

One of the mentors and the race directors that I look up to the most is Luis Escobar. He has a community engagement, empowerment, and joyful spirit that is tough not to be drawn to and make you want to be a part of his events.

The Red Rock 50 mile race this past weekend was no exception. It had the feel of a Luis Escobar event. Even though Luis took his hand off the wheel directing this course for one of the first times. He let his good friend Mauricio Puerto reroute some of the course and run the volunteer teams from start to finish. So that Luis could go halfway across the world scouting out a course for the Snowman 300K in Bhutan. He was asked by  to help promote and staff some of the support for next year’s race, and when the King asks you to help out… how could he say no?

The race directions are simple. The 50-mile trail run will start at 6:00am at the Sage Hill Campground. It is an out and back format, so you know what you’re in for on the return trek. The course is advanced and intended for the expert trail runner only: remote, long sections with little or no support, minimal aid and minimal markings. There is no map and no official course profile. All participants will be required to carry a minimum of 100oz of fluid and a working light. In many races rhetoric like this might be utilized to hype up the difficulty of the event that really is more or less a walk in the park but for Luis and Mauricio this advice is pretty much essential for you to follow if you want to finish.

I’ve made it a habit to leave first thing in the morning rather than the night before a race for a few reasons. 1) I don’t hardly ever sleep the first night camping so if I head out early and camp, I just lay there saying my mantra in my head, “I’m resting my legs and mind” and then toss and turn until it’s time to arise. 2) At home I can head to bed early and still put the kids to bed and in this particular night headed to sleep at about 9pm which let me sleep until around midnight before waking up and starting my morning.

After realizing I couldn’t go back to sleep, I made some coffee, packed up my last-minute supplies, and relaxed for a few hours enjoying the quiet morning before hitting the road to Santa Barbara just after 3am. The drive went well, and I enjoyed drinking a large cup of coffee, eating my prerace food which consisted of cereal, bananas, and some oranges. There was a pretty nasty wreck on the way with a truck and two cars which slowed us down for about 15 minutes and I can only hope the people involved were physically alright.

After the 2-hour commute to the race start I met up with Mauricio, and my good friend Manly and checked in for the race with about 30 minutes before start time. I met Kaori on the walk to the start and after getting all my lights, water bottles and other equipment ready headed to the trail briefing at 5:45 sharp. My friend Greg Lowe was just waking up for his volunteer shift and it was a joy to see him after all the years at different events. About 8 years ago when I first moved to California, I was a personal trainer at a gym in Santa Barbara and Greg was one of the standout athletes in terms of his intensity level with the group and he is a continual presence at many of the local trail runs.

At 6:00am the 37 racers took their marks and Mauricio sent us off on our way to the journey ahead into the quickly disappearing darkness as daybreak was starting to approach. I tend to chunk races into random bits of distance or time and this event was no different.

The first 12.5 miles was comfortable, and I could feel the increased fitness level of my last three months of training. We began in Sage Hill Campground and started up Aliso Canyon Trail. After a half mile of flat ground, the race took us up an almost mile and a half climb which put all of the runners except maybe the front couple into a fast hike up the single-track terrain. This is actually a great way to start a race for me. It gives you time to ease into your tempo, and get your body acclimated to what you are about to put it through.

Once we reached the top of the first climb it was a gradual rolling hills for a bit and then a very notable downhill which was steep enough you had to be pretty cautious with your footing but the day had broken and I was well into my rhythm by that point. So, it was just enjoyable running down the hill in the same way a skier goes down a slope. When I was at the bottom of this incline the course was fairly runnable and I met up with two new faces; Kate, and Benjamin and we talked and shared stories for half a dozen miles or so which always has a way of making the miles pass by a bit quicker. I stopped a bit longer than them at aid station number 2 which was just past 11 miles into the course to refill my three quarter of a gallon large water bladder, and two water bottles and headed out on my own from there. I pushed hard for a few miles to get my first quarter of the race completed in under 3 hours which I made the 12.5-mile mark in 2:58 which is an incredible start for me for a race of this scope.

After aid station 2 we veered onto the Matias trail which was another gentle rolling section for quite a while and then a persistant climb into aid station number 3 at around 16 miles into the course. This is the section where I ran into Kaori who I had met first thing this morning and we ran and hiked together for almost five miles telling stories back and forth about teaching, trail running, and all the other mid-race banter. We crossed a forest rode and then headed up Cold Springs trail which we stayed on from this point until the turnaround at Montecito Peak.

This section was the section of the trail that people started cursing Mauricio and laughing at the situation we signed up for. There was about 5 miles of the trail that was scattered with shrubs that would snag your legs and you would need to duck overhanging branches which only added to the enjoyment of the warm afternoon climbing up to Montecito Peak. There was also a hillside that we crossed that was pretty much just a sandy slanted slope rather than a trail for about 50 feet, and to top it off was about a 4 mile climb which gave you about 3,000 feet of elevation gain to the unbelievable turnaround point with a view of the water just off Santa Barbara.

I was on my own through this climb which was pleasant but a struggle as I slowed my pace in the heat of the day. I could feel the climb wearing on my body as I did my best to ensure I had enough electrolytes and calories to not bonk during the exertion. Before I knew it, I could spot the aid station at the top of the hill and saw a few friendly faces as I handed off my water bottles. I made the short walk from the aid station up to the water tower where we climbed up the ladder and retrieved our finishers medal from the unicorn pinata they had hanging out up there. The view was incredible and of course the group of us took some photos jumping in the air with the mountains and ocean view in the background. Which is pretty much an essential shot now a days if you do anything outdoors. I had made it to the summit just under the 7-hour mark at 6:56 and felt pretty good about the pace.

After refilling all my water bottles and eating as much as I could of the avocado sandwiches, bananas, small snickers bars, and chips I was on my way. The jog down the hill went much quicker although you still had to dodge a few branches and persevere through the shrubs scratching your legs. On the way down I saw the race director Mauricio who must have sent the other distance runners (half and full marathon) off at 7 a.m. and then jumped on the 50-mile course to see how the runners were holding up. He was smiling and asking each runner what they thought about the route and the day.

It was just starting to get dark again when I hit the aid station at the 35-mile mark and I stopped there for about 10 minutes to restock my supplies, pick up my trekking poles, and arm sleeves that I had accidentally left on the way up the trail (one of the benefits of an out and back course). From there I pushed a pretty quick tempo aiming to hit the 37.5-mile mark before I had to pull out my light. That went as planned and I hit the ¾ point of the course one minute over the 11 hour mark which would give me just under four hours to cover the last 12.5 miles, which was right in my range but I had to stay focused to make it happen. I stopped to take a quick video, some photographs and eat as much of my extra supplies as I could before heading down this rolling section of trail with nice light tree coverage and beautiful single track with mildly rocky terrain under my feet.

I ran into Brett who I had run into a few times on the course and swapped stories of training with kids at home. I have two and Brett had just taken a few years off of trail running after having a set of twins to make a total of five munchkins under eight years old. It was nice to pass the miles with another friendly soul and I enjoyed the fellowship. We hit the aid station and Brett took some time to resupply but I grabbed just a few chips and a piece of avocado sandwich and was on my way going as steadily as I could to get under that 15-hour mark. The last 10 miles was such a magical time to be out on the trails. Running the hillsides after the sun goes down with your light to guide your way has become one of my favorite activities. My legs still felt strong, my stomach had held out the entire day without any issues, and I no longer have that fear of the dark that I did in my youth in similar situations. I must admit the frequent scrambling noises in the bushes, mainly small birds, definitely could make your imagination run wild if you let it.

I ran into the last aid station which had chicken noodle soup and fireball, which is another staple item at ultra-endurance runs for some unknown reason, and was on my way. As I was climbing up the fire road to exit back onto the trail my light began to fade. Thankfully I am a major fan of having backups to everything on me within reason. I quickly swapped out the batteries and was back on my way. I was pretty much on pace and started picking up the pace to bank a few minutes in case I struggled at the end. I got to the point where I had about a 5-minute buffer and then I hit this ridiculously steep hill which climbed up to this lit up cross at the top for almost half a mile. That climb dropped me right back to needing to pick up the pace for the last few miles to ensure I was under the 15-hour mark. I reached the top of the hill which I am sure had people cursing Mauricio’s name all day. Then I was set for the decent to the finish line.

I was amazed how strong I felt at this point in the race and that I was still in runnable shape. I am a decent trail runner but up until this year any distance over 30 miles I pretty much walk in the last sections of the race and on 100 milers usually hike almost the entire last 40 miles of the courses. This year is different. As I ran down the last few miles my 49^th mile came in just under 12-minute mile pace and I felt strong and relatively fresh.

As I rounded the last downhill corner and onto the flat stretch into the finish line, I was so grateful for the course and the people that I had encountered that day. To cover such a beautiful isolated terrain with such grace is something I don’t take lightly. Before I knew it, I was rounding the camp parking lot and headed into the finish line where a couple of dozen people stood hanging around eating recovery food or sitting in the tent having their celebration drinks. I came across the finish line in 14 hours and 57 minutes feeling accomplished with the day and knowing that my body would be paying for the pace well into next week, but worth the push on this last big race of the year before the holiday break.

I took some time to have a few drinks with Tim, and Graham Kelly before taking the 20-minute drive to my good friend and fellow Rotarian Brian Sarvis for a well-deserved rest and recovery!