This coming weekend I’ll be running the 199 mile relay from Calistoga, California to Santa Cruz, California. I’m nervous as hell. You can read more about the 199 mile relay here at the official site.
The logistics: I’m on a team of 12 runners. The 36 predefined legs of the race will be split up between us evenly. Each runner will have 3 legs and total mileage varies between about 14 and 18 miles per runner. In terms of total miles per person it’s nothing too daunting. All of us have run marathons before. But it’s the intensity of each leg and the lack of sleep that will be the real challenge. Our goal finish time is approximately 26 hours.
The legs I’m responsible for running are pretty diverse. The first leg I run will start around 10pm in the hills surround Mt. Tamalpais just north of San Francisco. It will be the first time I travel by foot, at night, wearing a reflective vest and headlamp to light the path in front of me. How sweet is that!? The first leg measures 4.8 miles yet it’s predominantly uphill and has a rating of “hard”. Not really sure what “hard” means though in the context of a 199 mile race. Chances are it’s an understatement but I guess I’ll find out soon.
The second leg I’m running will be at around 6am the following morning. The total distance is 5.9 miles (why not round it to make it 6 miles at 6am and keep it consistent?). Again, this one will be a steady uphill climb however it is only a “medium” rating given that the hills are not as steep. Once finished I’ll hop back into the team van that will be trailing runners at each leg and smash down some peanut butter and jelly. Hopefully get a quick nap in as well.
The third and final leg that I have to run is also the 36th and final leg of the race. It will be a predominantly downhill run of 6 miles, descending approximately 700 feet and finishing on the sun swept sands of beautiful Santa Cruz beach. Assuming that I still have enough fuel in the tank, I’m hoping to fire down the final hill like a couple of Germans in an ice luge trying to take the gold. In all likelihood I’ll be so amped to sample some sunday margaritas on the beach that I won’t need the hill to put up some record breaking times (personal records at least).
That’s the quick and dirty of the logistics of the Calistoga to Santa Cruz 199 mile relay. I’ll be writing an update post after the event is completed to tell you how it went. My anticipation is that it will be filled with high’s and low’s. 20-30 hours spent in a van with little to no sleep will surely be a challenge. However, running at night through random California trails and finishing an epic journey by foot on the beaches of Santa Cruz will surely be a thrill. Check in soon for an update.