San Diego 100 Race Report (2022)

Two years late, but it still lived up to expectations. What made this race unique was that back when I initially signed up for it in early 2020, I was in a completely different place in my running journey. I had completed only a couple 100-milers and a 200-miler, but that was it. After two years of Covid cancellations, it was fascinating to finally be able to try my hand at the race, with far more experience in the 100+ distance under my belt.

Standing around the Lake Cuyamaca parking lot, the pre-race excited and anxious energy palpably filled the space. After checking in, and grabbing a coffee and pastry from the tent, I made eye contact with a runner standing near me. He commented on the now-standard Santa outfit I wear for all my races.

He told me his name was Jimmy and that he had run the race a number of times. I listened to his advice and figured it'd be best to follow it considering my lack of training on the trails and the fact that I was a first-timer at the race.

Start Line Jitters w/ Dad & Jimmy

He made it clear to take it easy all the way into Pine Creek A/S at Mile 36.2 because the climb out of Noble Canyon that follows the exit of that aid station is typically the make-or-break section of the race for most runners. He also pointed out that at this race in particular, the consistently rocky trails tend to chew down runners' feet to a pulp by the end of the 100 miles. I wouldn't fully grasp this until late in the race.

Soon, we listened to some final words of wisdom from the RDs BJ and Angela, and off we went. We trotted around the marshlands around Lake Cuyamaca for a mile or two before joining some proper trails. 

Conga Line!

The initial miles flew by as I chatted with Jimmy and ran into Jose Sosa, a fellow Cocodona finisher who had graciously paced me at Bryce 100 about a year ago. The first climb and descent of the race into Paso Picacho A/S at mile 7.5 were mild, but we kept a causal pace, aware that the sun would start to cook us.

Beautiful views every turn!

Leaving Paso Picacho and heading towards Chambers, I began to notice firsthand how rocky some of the trails were. I had a couple close calls with seeing my ass on that five-mile section and knew I was in for a doozy this race. 

Rocks, Rocks, ROCKS!

The small out-and-back to Chambers at Mile 12.5 was nice because it let me know where I was in the pack. I noticed Jimmy was only a couple hundred yards ahead of me (he had left me in a quick pitstop at the first aid station) and I vowed to catch him by Sunrise at mile 21.

The section between the two was quite runnable with a definite slight uphill gradient. I enjoyed running a part of this section with a British fella who had also been waiting two years to come run this race and was glad to finally make the trip out.

Closing in on Sunrise, I caught Jimmy and we got chatting again and the miles just flew by. We linked up with Helen, a first-time 100-miler from Santa Barbara who just exuded positive energy.

Arriving at Sunrise with Helen & Jimmy

Arriving at Sunrise was a treat because it was the first time we got to see our crews and for me, that meant animals cookies and Body Armor - two current staples for me. 

The next section to Pioneer Mail at mile 28.2 was absolutely stunning. The expansive views of the undulating terrain of the Anza Borrego were something to behold and no picture can do it justice. 

We ran into Howie Stern, the ever-present ultra photographer in this section and that was a nice little boost. But otherwise, the views and good company kept us moving forward.

PC: Howie Stern

Jimmy had warned of the steep descent into Pine Creek at 36.2 miles and we took it accordingly. Again, the issue was not just the steep grade of those downhill miles, but the rocks that filled the trail like debris from terrible mortar bombardment. It was difficult to get into a good flow and I took a couple headers again. 

In this section, we caught up to Helen again, who was using poles, and I began to question my strategy of not bringing poles. But there was no real use in considering that non-possibility anyway.

About a mile out from the aid station, former RD Scotty Mills, and a couple joyous volunteers greeted us with cold rags which were a relief.

Jimmy and I took our time at Pine Creek to rehydrate, cool down, and refuel, which I think was an appropriate decision considering the climb out of Noble Canyon we were about to tackle.

Leaving the aid station, we were presented with a couple inspirational messages to take on our journey. One struck me - "The virtue lies in the struggle, not the prize." A friend from the Bay Area who had attempted this race a couple times prior, but had yet to finish, always told me about this sign when we were in 'the suck' of a race. It was neat to see it in person.

In all transparency, we had slightly cooler temps than is normal for the race, and Jimmy and I were able to take the climb fairly in stride. This is not to say the race was cool but certainly less soul-destroying hot than it could have been. 

With Jimmy having experience at this race, it was nice to know that there would be a stop about 2 miles from the next aid station to refuel on popsicles and ice. Mentally knowing this helped me break down the Noble Canyon climb.

Ice Saviors

Upon arriving at Penny Pines, we were greeted by an awesome army of volunteers and filled up on some chicken noodle soup before heading out to head to the roughly halfway mark of the race - Meadows A/S at mile 48.8.

Penny Pines 1 (PC: Howie Stern)

These miles were slow-going for us as Jimmy was having some digestion and heat issues. After some discussion, we figured out that he simply wasn't drinking enough water, but we were still able to walk it out in decent time to Meadows. 

Meadows A/S (48.8m)

There, I was greeted again by my mother (my one-woman crew) and saw my pacer, Gus, for the first time. He had taken the day off work and driven hours to come help pace me through the night and that made it such a treat to see him. 

Gus!

We filled up fairly quickly and trucked off to Red Tailed Roost at mile 55. These miles were also slow-going with us being in a bit of a mid-race lull. However, the mood certainly brightened as Helen caught us again and filled us in on her oddly specific graduate studies - glad there are scientists in the world, but certainly not for me!

A couple miles before the aid station, we were treated to some beautiful sunset views and turned on our lamps for the night. 

Arriving at the Roost, I put on my jacket for the night and tried to encourage a fellow runner to head back on the course with us, but it seemed he had set his mind on DNF'ing.

Leaving the Roost, I knew we had a long descent to Cibbets, but I was unaware that about 5 miles of it would be nearly unrunnable as it was strewn with rocks (like the Pine Creek descent).

I began to nod off a bit in this section, but the passing headlamps of runners coming back up and Jimmy's company helped to keep me awake. This section was a bit of a novelty in that being such a long out-and-back, it gave a good picture of where you stood in the field. I again ran into Jose, my friend from Cocodona, my dad who was about an hour in front of us, and a number of other runners.

Jose Sosa!

We finally made it to Cibbets Flat at mile 64 at around midnight (about 2 hours before the cutoff). We took a good break here to refuel and left the aid station in good spirits, joined by my pacer Gus. 

Cibbets w/ Gus (Mile 64)

All the way up back to Dale's Kitchen at mile 71.7, I just tried to keep my mouth shut and stay in the herd. We had picked up another runner, Stephen Blea, who seemed happy to spend some miles with us and keep us company. We debated the merits of the changes to the Western States lottery system and cheered on runners still filing down the hill as we inched our way back up.

At Dale's Kitchen, we filled up on some soup but tried not to stay too long as it was cold and we were into the proper graveyard shift. 

The next section to Todd's Cabin (mile 75.3) was fairly runnable and we took off at a good clip. Yet, about halfway through the section, Jimmy took quite a tumble off the trail which certainly dampened the mood a bit - the rocks had found another victim.

We also came across my dad who had unfortunately blown out his quads and would be dropping at Todd's.

This section of the course was interesting because of the short 4-5 mile gaps between aid stations. Accordingly, we were quick at Todd's and I only remember having a cup of yogurt.

We continued trucking along to Penny Pines 2 at mile 80.3. Near the middle of this section, we experienced 20+ mph winds on a ridgeline section of the PCT and enjoyed the beginning of a beautiful sunrise. 

Early Sunrise with Jimmy in front

Gus & Jimmy at sunrise

At Penny Pines, I met a fellow holiday-lover and filled up on some coffee.

I found one of my reindeer!!

The last 20 miles of this race are really not too difficult in an objective sense. But, I can not stress enough, that the rocks really took the winds out of our sails. I had developed a small blister on the ball of my left foot, and Jimmy's feet were swollen like grapefruits. In all honesty, we should have been prepared for this, but even so, I was surprised by how the rocky trails just churned us to bits.

Sunrise with Stephen

Gus's greatest masterpiece

The 4-mile section to Pioneer Mail was nothing particularly special, fairly runnable with some pretty views. But it was also a bit sad because it was the last section we had Gus as a pacer for. He later told me had pulled his hamstring about a week prior and wasn't even able to walk a couple days before the race - what a trooper!

At least, we got caught up to my friend Dan again and shuffled into Pioneer Mail like partially broken toy soldiers.

Arriving at Pioneer Mail 2 with Dan

From Pioneer to Sunrise (84.3m to 91.5m), we reversed the route we had taken early in the race the day prior. Again, this section was beautiful, but the pain in our feet caused us to focus more on finishing the race than taking in the views.

Return PCT trip

We again shared some miles with Stephen and Dan. The winding trail carved in and out of the mountainside and it was torturous to hear the aid station nearly 2 miles from when we would actually reach it. 

Painful miles into Sunrise A/S (~mile 90)

But alas, we made it and all we had was nine miles to the finish. It was nice to be greeted by a whole fleet of volunteers here, along with BJ, one of the co-RDs.

Shenanigans w/ BJ

Dan took off from us here, ever vigilant about the cutoffs (despite the fact that we were hours in front of them). Jimmy and I instead took our time, savoring the last drops of the race.

We walked those last nine miles in slightly over three hours. We told jokes, remembered some of our favorite moments from the race, and sat in the shade while I ate animal cookies and badgered Jimmy to stop being so scientific and boring with his gels. 

Walking it out

It was a fun time, and one 100-mile finish I will never forget.

When we finally reached the lake, and we knew it was less than a mile to the finish, I forced Jimmy to shuffle a little and we jogged it in for a respectable 30:39:28.

PC: Howie Stern

It was a finish to cherish for sure, replete with lots of hugs and congratulations from fellow finishers and the amazing race team. 

PC: Howie Stern

I took some pictures with Jimmy and said my goodbyes as he had to skedaddle along. I know we will meet on the trails again and resurrect that glorious alliance.

PC: Howie Stern

Gus & Papa Gus!

As for me, I hung around with family and friends, waiting for the last finisher to bring it in, and just soaking all of that post-race buzz in. 

Until next time, run happy!