Dipsea
From WikiRun
| Dipsea Race | |
| Location | Marin County, California, USA |
|---|---|
| Website | http://www.dipsea.org/ |
| Founded | November 19, 1905[1] |
The Dipsea Race is the oldest cross-country trail running event --and the second oldest foot race of any kind-- in the United States. The 7.1 mile (11.4 km) long Dipsea Race has been held annually since 1905, starting in Mill Valley, and finishing at Stinson Beach, in Marin County, California. The race is conducted by the Dipsea Race Foundation. Since 1983, the race has been held on the second Sunday in June. The 99th Annual Dipsea will be run on Sunday, June 14th, 2009.[2] The race was founded in 1905 by members of the San Francisco Olympic Club.
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Course
After traversing a few blocks in Mill Valley's downtown, runners climb 671 stairs leading up the side of Mount Tamalpais, and then pass through Muir Woods National Monument, Mount Tamalpais State Park, and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The start is at the intersection of Throckmorton and Cascade Drive in Mill Valley. The Dipsea Trail is the most direct route connecting the town of Mill Valley with the village of Stinson Beach, on the Pacific coast. The climb over the southern shoulder of Mount Tamalpais reaches its apex around the top of Cardiac Hill, 4.1 miles into the race.
Competitor must choose from any of several alternate routes on diverging and converging trails, adding a competitive premium for strategy, experience, and familiarity with the course.
An age-handicapping system often produces younger or older winners, which adds to the unusual intrigue and suspense created by the race's permissible shortcuts, like 'Suicide' and 'The Swoop'. Most participants, with the exception of 'scratch' runners, are given a head start based on their age and gender. The oldest and youngest runners are given up to a 25-minute advantage over the fastest competitors, making it possible for virtually any age group to win.
Because of the nature of the course, the field is limited to 1,500. It is a popular race, and as many as 3,000 people apply for entry every year. This makes it difficult for people, particularly those who have never run it before, to get accepted into the race.
Other races on the Dipsea Trail
Two other races use the same course route: the Double Dipsea, held in late June, and the Quad Dipsea, an ultramarathon, which takes place in late November. Despite the use of the Dipsea name, these two races are not officially affiliated with the Dipsea Race.
Quad Dipsea
The Quad Dipsea is a 28.4-mile (45.7 km) trail ultra, held annually in November on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. The Quad starts and finishes in Mill Valley, following the Dipsea Trail westward to Stinson Beach, out-and-back twice over the same course as the Dipsea Race and the Double Dipsea. The race has 9,276 feet (2,827 m) of both climb and decent. First held in 1983 with only 8 runners, the race is now limited to about 250 runners.
Foundation
The Dipsea Race Foundation is a charitable non-profit Section 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to "foster national amateur sports competition by sponsoring, maintaining and perpetuating, through charitable contributions and endowments, the Dipsea Race, the Dipsea Trail, the Dipsea Hall of Fame, and educational scholarships." The Foundation was established in 1997, and recently spent $160,000 to rebuild the steps at the start of the race course.[3]
External links
References
- ↑ Pacific Sun, June 3, 2005, "All Hail the Dipsea!", accessed August 18, 2007
- ↑ http://www.dipsea.org/
- ↑ http://www.dipseafoundation.org/ Retrieved 2008-06-10.