Everything right about trail running is found here: a celebration of community, the strength of the human spirit, the environment, and a very challenging event. This trail race takes us back to the beginning of ultra-running: a purposely small and intimate event, capped at 200 runners. We have changed the …
MORE
Everything right about trail running is found here: a celebration of community, the strength of the human spirit, the environment, and a very challenging event. This trail race takes us back to the beginning of ultra-running: a purposely small and intimate event, capped at 200 runners. We have changed the name from Eldrith Gosney’s Pure Ultra to “Eldrith” because all great women are known by one name. We love you Eldrith.
At 75, Eldrith is a legend in the Bay Area running community. She started ultra-running long before the internet tracked results and no one knows how many ultras Eldrith completed. We know of 172 events in the last 27 years that she completed, including:
– 150 Ultra Marathons
– Four 100-mile trail races, including Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run
– Forty-five 50-mile trail races
– Fifty-nine 50km trail races
– 12 Quad Dipsea finishes, and she is the current 70-79 age group record holder
Running “An Eldrith”: The true “Eldrith Training Run for the Quad Dipsea” starts at Stinson Beach and runs up the Dispea Trail to Cardiac Hill, then down into Old Mill Park of Mill Valley. She would then complete a “Double Dipsea” returning to Stinson Beach. Then, its back up to Cardiac Hill on the Dipsea and then reversing direction, she heads back down to Stinson Beach… and that’s “”An Eldrith”.
Utilizing some of Mount Tamalpais’s most beloved trails – Dipsea, Heather Cut-off, and Steep Ravine – Eldrith Trail Run & Pure Ultra has strung them into a unique and extremely challenging run. Eldrith has four distance options:
50K Pure Ultra: As Eldrith says, “This course is not for weenies.” It starts at Old Mill Park in Mill Valley and heads up the Dipsea Stairs and trail to Cardiac Hill in Mt. Tamalpais State Park running through Muir Woods National Monument. Then you will continue down the Dipsea Trail to Stinson Beach. After you will return up Dispea Trail and but turn left up the gorgeous Steep Ravine Trail where you will encounter the famous ladder. Back up to Cardiac and then down to Santos Meadows and the Heather Cut-off Switchbacks. This is a gentle down and back up to Cardiac before you head back to Old Mill Park. But wait, now you need to head back up to Cardiac Hill and back to earn your PURE ULTRA status and receive your coaster.
36K: Similar to the 50k, rather you will not run back to Cardiac for the second time.
24K: It starts at Old Mill Park in Mill Valley and heads up the Dipsea Stairs and trail to Cardiac Hill in Mt Tamalpais State Park running through Muir Woods National Monument. Then you will continue down the Dipsea Trail to Stinson Beach. After you will return up Dispea Trail and but turn left up the gorgeous Steep Ravine Trail where you will encounter the famous ladder. Back up to Cardiac and then down to Old Mill Park.
14K: Starting at Old Mill Park you will run up the world famous Dipsea stairs and trail to the equally famous Cardiac Hill Aid Station. Then you will run back down to the finish for what will be a very challenging 14K.
LESS
Steep Climbs, Amazing Views, Bacon!
Any race that offers breakfast food as the post run meal, definitely gets my money! Pacific Coast Trail Runs (PCTR) has had a busy year revamping their image and are … MORE
Any race that offers breakfast food as the post run meal, definitely gets my money!
Pacific Coast Trail Runs (PCTR) has had a busy year revamping their image and are doing an awesome job with their races. This was only my second race by them, but it won’t be my last.
They offer awesome woodallions in the place of medals and we got a really nice tech shirt as well. They also hand the runners a bag of samples and their bumper sticker which says “Go Run a Trail.”
This race is named after Eldrith Gosney, a 75 year old Bay Area legend in the ultra running community. It’s her training run for the Quad Dipsea and the two races have a very similar amount of elevation gain, over 9,300 ft.
This race was originally supposed to be in October and due to the fires in Northern California, it was postponed. I registered for the race after the date was changed and I was so happy I was able to do it! I also looked at the elevation gain for the 34k when registering for the then 47k and was very surprised when I discovered my mistake!
The race starts and finishes at Old Mill Park in Mill Valley. Due to a broken bridge, the race had a modification and the runners had a stretch of road to run on. This lead to the 47k being over 32 miles instead of over 29 and becoming a 50k! Thankfully the elevation didn’t change and stayed over 9,300 ft of gain which was more than plenty.
The 50k runners did the same route as the 36k, but we had an extra out and back to Cardiac Hill from the finish area. The 36k course had 3 sections and stopped at Cardiac Hill aid station three times: We went from Old Mill up the Dipsea stairs to Cardiac Hill, down the Dipsea trail and almost to Stinson Beach, back up the Dipsea to Steep Ravine Trail and then to Cardiac again, then down Coastal Trail to Heather Cutoff where we ran through Santos Meadows, turned and ran back up the same way to Cardiac, then headed back to Old Mill the same way we left. The 36k runners got to stay and eat, while the 50k runners headed back up the stairs and went to Cardiac one last time.
The Cardiac aid was fully stocked with awesome snacks and there was an aid for the 50k runners at the finish to eat from before heading back out. Everything was so great and the volunteers were so helpful like always! The scenes on these trails are incredible, but nothing beat running down those stairs and across the bridge into the finish chute one last time and getting to eat a recovery plate of pancakes and bacon! Also, there was beer and wine for finishers!
It was a really great day and although it was a very challenging race, it was more than worth it!