Valley Crest Half Marathon - RunHalf Marathon

Only one of the usual top two in my AG for this race showed up. I had hopes of dueling with the usual winner and, indeed, stayed with him comfortably through the big climb up from the start to the fire road where all but 1/2 mile of the course runs, but he left me on the first descent and I knew I was destined for no better than 2nd in the AG.

I've been running with a trail running club since after my first ultra (a 50K) in the fall and we had quite a few runners entered. I spent a good chunk of the first third of the race running stride for stride with a club member who ended up 2nd overall woman, but she separated from me at an aid station and I never caught up to her. (I'd beaten her in the last trail race we'd both done, but she was feeling it today.)

I've run on this road ("dirt Mulholland"...the closed-to-traffic section of Mulholland Highway) a zillion times over the years. We live in the flats down below it, so it is a go-to route for marathon training runs. Footing is generally good and the track is very wide, but it is never flat---the course had three major grades, each of which you had to climb and descend and it finishes with a nasty 3/4 mile ascent, followed by a treacherous, rocky slope back down to the finish at a parking area below the fire road.

My PTT and back injury both held off enough that I was able to race to potential. I was targeting 1:40 or better (my PR on a flat road course is 1:35:30)--at the summit before the final 1/4 mile drop to the finish, I was at 1:38:45. I decided it wasn't worth a broken arm (or neck) to try to get in by 1:40...settled for 1:40:08.

Nothing, really. I missed some training while nursing the arch injury, but still had a ton of fitness from LA Marathon (and had both marathon and 5K PRs this spring).

Walked around a bit, but portapotty was--frankly--the first priority. :)

This was my first ever age group podium finish at a race longer than 10K (I did finish 2nd in a trail 12K, previously, but they only gave medals for 1st at that one). Got a cute little acrylic plaque and a pair of Injinji toe socks (which were in my wife's size...and she loves them, so she got them).


Arch and ankle injury necessitated switching back to an older--and relatively heavy--pair of motion control shoes. That, along with the sore arch and ankle, probably cost me a little.


One of the more established trail races in LA. Course is not USATF certified as a half marathon (and is shown as long on the Map My Run course map on the race website). Very much a grass roots, trail run/ultra run vibe, but well-organized.