Dirty Secret Trail Run
Cool, CA
- 10.3 Miler, 5.8 Miler
- Trail (Unpaved)
- Official race website
Stream crossings, foot bridges, and baby heads what do they all have on common? You will find them all out on course at the Dirty Secret Trail Run. OK we don’t mean literally seeing baby heads, but you will come across Baby Head Alley named after the rocks that line … MORE
Local Historical Weather (May 11):
| 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
| H (°F) | 79 | 77 | 67 | 82 | 70 |
| L (°F) | 52 | 52 | 50 | 51 | 53 |
Find Nearby Lodging (hotel, rental, etc.):
Just a Little Dirty & Not Too Steep
Overall, this was a fun and relatively easy trail race through open grassland sprinkled with wildflowers and small sections of riparian forest. I ran the longer of the two courses … MORE
Overall, this was a fun and relatively easy trail race through open grassland sprinkled with wildflowers and small sections of riparian forest. I ran the longer of the two courses (10.3 miles), which was a mix of fire road, double track, single track, and short sections of pavement. Most of the hills were rolling and quite runnable. There were only a few somewhat technical, rocky sections of trail. There were also a couple of shallow stream crossings, which could be rock-hopped with minimal skill, and some unavoidable mud in the last mile or two; however, the course was not as wet or dirty as I anticipated after a season of record rain.
A local friend was able to pick up my packet for this event with a copy of my ID, which was much appreciated since I do not live locally. Packet pick-up was reportedly quick and easy. They also offered race morning pick-up.
The color, design, and material of the shirts were superb – one of my all time favorites. I arrived about half an hour prior to the start of the race and found only short lines for parking and port-a-potties despite a sold out field. Kudos to the organizers for making sure there were plenty of both. I carry my own hydration and fuel, but I noticed there were well-staffed aide stations every few miles. There was good energy crossing the finish line, and plenty of bottled water there as well. It may be worth noting that finishing medals were not included at this event. I don’t personally mind; however, it did occur to me that the race name and logo could have made for a particularly cool medal.
Post-race food consisted of pancakes and strawberries, but I cannot attest to the deliciousness of this because the line was 50-60 people deep and I decided I was too hungry/inpatient to wait. I’m a middle of the pack runner, so I suspect I arrived during peak pancake demand, still it would have been nice if the pancake table were better staffed. The only other minor downside of this race was that there were bottlenecks along the last couple miles of single track. I generally like to push my pace at the end of a race, so this was a bit frustrating and rather unusual for the end of a trail race in my experience, but nothing that would keep me from recommending this race to others. In fact, I think this would be an excellent first-time trail race.
I would definitely run another race hosted by Fleet Feet Sacramento in the future. In addition to the highlights mentioned above, the race photos were free and the proceeds for the race go towards funding an after school running program for youth at no charge to them.
Gorgeous Course / Minimum Production
The well-marked course was beautiful with ~1,400' gain, crossing some creeks. Aid stations were minimal carrying only water and Nunn water. No photographer and no medal but cool race shirt … MORE
The well-marked course was beautiful with ~1,400′ gain, crossing some creeks. Aid stations were minimal carrying only water and Nunn water. No photographer and no medal but cool race shirt and pancakes at the finish.