Mt Baldy Race Report by Roberto – SCR Member

mt baldy 1Hope you all had a good Labor Day.

While I did enjoy the time honored tradition of dipping in the pool, having a few beers and eating some good food off the grill, I started it unlike any other in my life.

I joined Steve Mackel and some other PTC folks for the 43rd Annual Mt. Baldy Run to the Top…8 miles on fire road/single track trail, takes you from 6000 feet up to 10,064 feet on the summit. YEAH baby!

This is a great race with amazing scenery and very cool, grassroots vibe. This is also the hardest running ‘event’ I have ever done. I managed to run about 7 miles of the race and then BAM….I bonked. Between the fuel tank going dry and the altitude (about 9000 ft) I
started to experience some tunnel vision along with a little wooziness, not something you want on a trail with a decent drop on both sides

I walk/jogged the next 1/2 mile and then encountered
mt baldy 2‘The Wall’ …OUCH!

At this point in the race everyone is walking, and each step was a struggle. Walk a few steps, catch your breath, repeat. Longest 1/2 mile of my life!!! I managed to get to the top without passing out and it was all worth it…the world is a different place when viewed from 10,000 feet. After pounding some water and eating 6 oranges worth of orange slices (childhood soccer game flashback) and taking in the views and talking to some folks, we headed back down….4 miles to the ski lifts, all down the same trail we just ran up. This was brutal, my legs were shelled and going downhill on fatigued muscles is a bitch. Got to the ski lifts, met some friends there, had a couple of beers and jumped on the lift back down to the cars and headed home to a much needed shower and power nap, then we were off to a BBQ at a friends house.
Mt Baldy RC
Between thoughts of the girls and Alethea, I thought a lot about Labor Day weekend last year and my ‘brother’ Manny and the accident he suffered that ultimately took his life 2 months later. I thought about how much I miss him and how he’d call me ‘crazy’ for dressing in spandex and running up a mountain…to be followed by a genuine “that’s cool bro”…and toasting me with a cold beer in hand.

I toasted him on top of that mountain and said a prayer for all of you.

Here’s to life,

Roberto, SoCalRunning.com Member

September 11, 2008 | Filed Under Uncategorized 

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