Run2Top 2010
Image via Wikipedia
It’s a simple little race really, every Labor Day for the past 45 years, a simple little race. It’s known as the Run2Top, a simple little name for a simple little race. And it happens in a simple little place named Mt. Baldy (aka Mt. San Antonio) in Southern California. The goal of the race, run to the top of the mountain and get there before anyone else. A simple race. As any mountain race goes you naturally have to run uphill. For a long time. What makes the Run2Top special is that of all the places in the United States that have trail and mountain races you actually summit the mountain here, and the topper is that Mt. Baldy is higher than the highest point in 37 of the States in the U.S. For those unfamiliar with hiking mountains, or running them, the thing that gets you in the mountains isn’t the wilds, the dangers inherent in nature, or the rough trails, it is the elevation itself. As the elevation climbs so drops the supply of oxygen in the air. Without the supply of oxygen to which we’ve become regulary accustomed our lungs must work harder to extract what is available from the air. Without our taken-for-granted supply of oxygen our muscles do not receive their expected share from the lungs, and without it they tire more easily and rapidly. So it’s just a simple little race, from a simple little village, on the side of a simple little mountain. Simple! Over four thousand feet elevation gain in the span of approximately 8 miles. And very few participants are from locales where they normally live at elevation so it’s a significant phsysiological challenge for all involved. Admittedly, some are more challenged than others but before you go assuming it’s all about age take note that the course record for the men is 1:00:49 and 1:15:32 for the women, and there are men and women from their 20′s, 30′s and 40′s all within 15-20 minutes of those records. Sure 15-20 minutes may be an enormous lead on a road race but this is a mountain and that’s only 15-20 minutes, and even the 65+ crowd has significant numbers breaking 2 hours. So it really is quite amazing, in a “geez! isn’t the human species just astonishing at what they are capable of pushing themselves to do?!”
Image via Wikipedia
This morning I participated in the 45th Annual Run2Top, my second year in row at the race. And though I consider my completion and time this year a considerable achievement over last year’s effort it goes without saying that, since I’m a middle of the pack runner, and an all around “average guy” (shoe size, height, build, tempermant, you name it and I’m the average), I most likely came in somewhere in the middle of the pack here too. Just looking over last year’s results (this year’s are not yet available online) you can see plenty of runners ahead of me, including 55 finishers over the age of 50. Again, quite astonishing just what us homo sapiens can accomplish. Last year I finished 246 our of 489 with a 2:03:03. And though I improved on that time with an (unofficial) 1:57 this year there was still about half the participants on the summit by the time I arrived. But that ‘s OK with me, I’m average and that gives me lots of personal room for improvement. I’m happy with my time. I’m happy with my efforts. I’m happy with improvements I’ve made so far, in only one year of learnings. And I’m looking forward to next year when I can put even more learning to practice on the mountain. Just a simple mountain, from a simple village, hosting a simple race.
Below is the elevation breakdown for the race, the ascent followed by the descent to the Notch.
And finally, here’s why this simple little race was on my mind today:
