Golden Hills Trail Marathon- Oakland, California

Just returned from what now seems like my annual trip to the Bay Area to run this great race. It was my third year running the Golden Hills Trail Marathon with my first year marking my first marathon ever! The race has become one of my favorite races for many reasons. It is a point to point course almost completely on trail (combo of fireroads and single track) with only the last
couple miles on paved bike/ped path starting in the hills of Berkley finishing by a Lake Marina in Oakland. It covers variable terrain with lots of climbing and descending on very steep hills (see profile below). Elevation gain is 4820 feet and loss is 4960 feet. As you can see from the profile, you climb almost 1500 feet in the first 4 miles but at the top of this section (ironically called the seaview trail) you have great views of the entire bay area. My favorite section (besides the seaview) includes running single track through the lush and very dense redwood forest but ultimately, the entire course offers a wide variety of tree species including pine, oak, bay and eucalyptus. The race is very well supported with aid stations every 2-4 miles full of lots of goodies and great volunteers. The marathon is put on in conjunction with The Dick Collins Firetrails 50 which is even more popular than the marathon. The 50 mile race starts where the marathon finishes,they turn around where the marathon starts and we all finish at the same place. Hence, the aid stations are stocked for an ultra race. We end up passing all the 50 milers about 5 miles into the race and it is very inspiring to pass all the runners and cheer them on. Another great perk to this race is the post race BBQ and finish area. They have ample food, drinks, beer, and endless dessert for everyone including family and friends who come to cheer you on. Plus you can get massages and all the finishers get wine glasses with the race logo on the glass, a technical shirt, and 1st place age group winners get a bottle of wine with the race logo as the label. Can't beat that. It was really fun running back on all the trails I ran on while I lived out her. It is really amazing how many trails and open space there is in the Bay Area (a huge metropolitian area).

This year there were record number of marathon finishers 142 with both the female and male course records broken. The 50 miler had 235 finishers. As for my race, I felt great for the most part with only my legs suffering the last 6 miles. My lungs could have gone forever but that is the benefit of breathing almost sea level air. I always seem to meet cool people on this race and end of running a portion of the race with someone which helps pass the time when you are running for close to 5 hrs and keeps your mind off of tired legs. I knew hadn't been pushing the pace over the course of the run but this was ok as my body had not been feeling 100% over the last couple months training prior to the race. I was happy with just having fun and finishing. I succeeded! I finished 15 minutes slower than my PR last year (4:28:31) in a time of 4:43:07 and 2nd in my age group (30-39) and 11th female overall. My brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew met me at the finish line and we hung out at the finish, watching runners come in, eating yummy food and enjoying the sunshine! We then packed into their minivan and drove across the bay to my cousin Liz and her husband Mathew's house in Marin Country to continue the post race celebration.
So now that I have finishing narrating the race, I have to also highlight my other activities in the days leading up to the race and post race. I flew into San Fran two days before the race and stayed with my good friend Crystal and her fiance Russ in Walnut Creek. Crystal and I went to PA school together and she has lived in the East Bay ever since graduating PA school. She works in a Ob/Gyn clinic. Luckily, she had one day off work while I was there so we spent the day catching up, visiting trader joes, going for a short walk with her dog Kali and finishing the day with a gigantic dinner of burgers and potatoes (see below). They were rather difficult to eat because they were so huge but delicious.

Crystal showing off the giant burgers! Yummy!

The day before the race, Crystal let me borrow her Prius so I drove over to the start of the race and ran for a couple miles just to get my legs moving and take a few pictures. These are views from the Seaview trail just about 2 miles into the race.
Views to the east of Mt Diablo which is the tallest mountain in the near area reaching 3,864 feet. When I lived here, I would often run up the mountain (12 miles roundtrip) or take my road bike up the paved road which climbs 3,249 feet in 10.8 miles. I quite a few unique experiences on this mountain including encounters with taratulas both alive and dead, rattlesnakes, coyotes, and even snow! You can see for miles at the top of this mountain and another cool bonus is there are many water spigots scattered throughout the park where you can refill water bottles. Unfortunately or fortunately, it is a state park and dogs aren't allowed so Fisher never got to share those experiences.
More views from the Seaview Trail looking westward towards San Francisco and Mt Tamalpais which rises 2,574 feet just North of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Looking east ward!
After enjoying a short run, I hoped on the BART into San Fran to meet my friend Laura, her mother, and her new baby Hudson. Laura and I played soccer together at University of Puget Sound and she has been living in San Fran for about 5-6 years now. It was great catching up with her and meeting Hudson.
Laura and Hudson.
More views of Mt Diablo driving back to Crystal's house in Walnut Creek.
Crystal and I race morning at Tilden Park in Berkeley. It looks chilly but by 9am start time I had shed down to shorts and t-shirt and wouldn't need any other clothing the rest of the race. Thanks Crystal and Russ for welcoming me into their home, letting me borrow your car and getting me to the race. The next few shots are pictures I took during the race.
You can barely see but San Francisco is in the background. This is about 2.5 miles into the race.
Mt Tamalpais
The Seaview trail. 3 miles.
Heading down into one of the many forests. 8 miles.
The giant redwoods. 13 miles.
The hills of Oakland. Dusty and dry. 19 miles.
More hills of Oakland. This was the hottest and dustiest part of the course. 22 miles.
The finish results. The winning female came in at 3:43:47. The winning male came in at 3:06:39.

Hanging out at the post race BBQ with Russell and Sunny. Like the green hair look? Was trying to provide more shade for baby Russell.
Sunny chillin' on dad's shoulders. Thanks to Ben and Jenny for supporting my running addiction, meeting me at the finish and driving me around!
Back at Liz and Mathew's house. The morning after the race.
Getting prepared for fatherhood!
Getting prepared for motherhood.
Brother and sister.
Breakfast out on the patio. Ben made almond waffles! Yummy!
Family time!
Brother and sister time!
Sunday after a late breakfast, I headed into San Fran with Liz and Mathew as Mathew was off to see the 49ers play with his English buddies and Liz was hanging out on the rooftop of a friend of a friend's very expensive house in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood to watch the Blue Angels fly show over the Bay. (It was fleet week in the city).
The British fan club all decked out!
Liz's friend's Bernese puppy Jefferson.
I was able to hang out long enough to see this amazing house and the unimpeded view from the rooftop before I had to get to the airport. Views of Alcatraz, boats, and the smoke path of the Blue Angels.
Lizzie and me.
Golden Gate bridge view from the roof.
Girltime, wine, hors d'oeuvres, sunshine............the high life!
Lizzie celebrating!
Wish I could have stayed longer hanging out with the girls but I had to catch my flight. I had to walk with all my gear about 1.5 miles to the BART station as it was much faster than driving or taking a taxi with all the traffic in the city for Fleet Week. Then it was an easy 30 minutes to the airport on the BART! Worked out great! Thanks to Lizzie and Mathew for all their hospitality!

It was a great trip and cannot wait for next year. Maybe I'll attempt the 50 miler next year!