San Diego 100 Mile Endurance Run, 2007, sponsored by the San Diego Ultra Running Friends (SURF), report by Paul Schmidt, RD.

 The planning:  

I began getting ready for this year’s run in January. I sent in the permit applications, purchased insurance certificates, and reserved campsites and a pavilion at Lake Morena before the month was over.  In May, SURF Trail Boss, Ken Bonus organized a work party of 20 volunteers to clear brush and groom a 4-mile section of the course on the Pacific Crest Trail. By June, John Martinez had begun organizing volunteers, Denis Trafecanty had already received several applications, and Ken “Machete” McIntyre was putting together a marking crew. Everything was moving along wonderfully!

 One morning in August, I listened to a voice message from the US Forest Service. It simply stated that due to an extreme risk of fire, all or portions of the Cleveland National Forest will probably be closed during the time when our run was scheduled! Several times since the inception of the SD100, we have had to change the course for closures and fires, we have received this type of information before but nothing so final.  I decided that it would better for everyone involved if I looked for a different venue to hold the run.

My first thought was to move the run to the Cuyamaca Mountains. I have trained in the Cuyamaca mountains for the past 15 years; it has good trails, abundant water, and provides some challenging terrain. I enlisted the help of Larry Pustinger to design a course. Larry knows every trail, rock, and tree in the Cuyamacas and he immediately set out to take on the task. We met at his home in Descanso for a few hours and started the process. Larry went out and measured several alternatives by foot and on horseback. He came up with a great course that is scenic, challenging, easy to manage, and provided exceptional crew access.

I called the SURF Board together and apprised them of the situation. Several members were very reticent about moving the course, but I convinced them that it was our only choice if we wanted to put on a run this year.

I met with Bob Hillis, Supervising Ranger for Rancho Cuyamaca State Park, to discuss a proposal to hold a 100 mile run in the park. Ranger Hillis was incredibility supportive in our efforts to put on the run. He provided great insight about the park and made several suggestions to help us safely manage the run. I cancelled the reservations at Lake Morena , withdrew my permit application from the US Forest Service, and reserved the facility at Camp Cuyamaca for our dinner and staging area. Game on!

Using my very limited skills I quickly put together a new website, while Denis sent out a note to applicants. We were off and running.

Past participants and new applicants were all supportive of the change. The run filled up quickly and we ended up having to turn away applicants for the first time.

 The run:

The conditions for the run were hot and dry with a midday temperature of 82 degrees with gusting winds. These conditions led to the rapid spread of fire in San Diego County over the run weekend and possibly to our low finisher rate (53%).

 Karl Meltzer led from the start of the run to the finish, running a 17:45. Karl has had another fantastic year and he gets my vote as Ultra Runner of the year.  He is a great role model and ambassador for the sport of trail running. He is also very independent asking very little of the RD.  Karl drove many hours to run site, parked his car at the start, slept in his car, ran a great race, graciously supported other finishers, had a nap, and then drove home. This OLD SCHOOL!  I received a lot of emails and phone calls from nervous beginners. They wanted to know details like the exact pitch of every climb, what food we will have at our aid stations, and if they will get their feet wet crossing any streams, etc. Many of them didn't finish! I believe that they are too focused on the details and not on their training program.

Sander Nelson finished second overall and the first male over 40 in 18:40. He was followed by up a coming runner Josh Nordell at 19:39. Kim Holak ran a very strong and steady race finishing 4^th overall. Her time of 19:48 was a two hour PR.  Jen Segger-Gigg was next female finisher coming at 21:53. Other notable performances came from Tamara Johnson and Linda Dewees our first women finishers over 40 and 50 years respectively. Gary Curry, a regular at the SD 100, ran a consistent run finishing on top of the 50 plus division. Journeyman, Bud Phillips was the first finisher over 60 years despite dropping his 19 year old pacer/apprentice at mile 35. Russ Kline, a previous SD 100 winner, completed his 5^th SD 100 in spite of being in the middle of a job change and move.

 The volunteers:

Every RD states their appreciation for the run volunteers, but I would like to give our volunteers some recognition. John Martinez did a wonderful job organizing our aid stations. Our aid station captains were: Jennifer & Dave Henderson – Sunrise Hwy; Glenda Kimmerly & Denis Trafecanty – Pedro Fages; Lisa Parker & Ann Grudziski  – Museum Road; Karen Hamilton, Dixie Madsen & Kendall Webb – Paso Pacacho; Brian & Mary Gonzales – Milk Ranch Road; Steve Bean, Sharon, Madonna, & Jill – Big Bend;  Jeff Conery at Sweetwater Bridge and Kathleen Schmidt, Doug & Linda Guenther – Camp Cuyamaca. Eric Clifton, Noni, and Scott Mills did a great job marking the course, sweeping and helping out where ever they could. They all gave up many hours of their time to help the runners get to the finish line. David Landman, Jim Edgerton, Larry Pustinger, and Ken McIntyre were my go to guys. If I needed something done they made happen!

Wild Bill (WB6BFG) and Ellen (N6UWW) coordinated the radio operators. As a novice radio operator, I can tell you that these guys were fantastic! Every runner was tracked flawlessly from start to finish. These guys worked day and night to ensure the safety of the runners!

 My special thanks to each and every volunteer that made this event a success!

Proceeds from this event will be donated to: San Diego Sheriff's Search & Rescue, San Diego Mountain Rescue Team, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park Interpretive Association, and CAL Fire (via El Cajon Amateur Radio Club)