When I told someone the premise of the Cirque Du Griffith Park, thinking that maybe they’d like to participate, their immediate reaction was, “BORING!!” I could see why they’d think that. The idea of going around a 2.5-mile loop for 6 or 12 hours with no change in direction could sound, yeah, downright boring. Luckily for me, I didn’t share the same reaction because it was anything BUT boring.
There were a couple of reasons why this race interested me:
- It was local! To my knowledge, there isn’t another timed race actually in the city of Los Angeles. Therefore, this was to be the only timed race in the area. If you wanted to do a timed race, you would need to travel outside the city.
- I’ve never done a timed race before and have always wanted to! There are no set distances to complete. You can do whatever mileage you want, or however many your body will give you. And like the reason I stated above, if I wanted to do one, I’d have to travel 50+ miles over to Riverside or further out to Arizona. This race was enormously convenient, so now was my time!
By the way, this wasn’t a “race” per se. It’s billed more as an event. The only racing we’re doing is racing the clock. At least that’s the idea behind this, but for simplicity’s sake, I’m calling it a race.
The Strategy
Going into this race I didn’t have any set mileage goal in mind. I figured the 50K distance would be easily attainable if my body felt good, and if I felt great, and I mean GREAT, maybe 50 miles would be within reach. But honestly, I was going to be happy and grateful for any amount of miles I got on this day.
The best thing about these timed races is, there are no DNFs! You can’t not finish the race! No stress. No pressure. No worrying about cutoffs. However, there was one cutoff that we needed to be aware of. If you don’t complete the loop you’re on when your 6 or 12 hours are up, that loop doesn’t count.
Other than that, I was going to run when I wanted, walk when I wanted, or hop, skip, and jump when the need arose. Ok, that need never came along. But if I decided to walk the entire time, so be it. I was going to talk to people, relax, keep moving, and stop when I felt like it.
But one thing I did want to make sure of is, that I wanted to practice eating and hydrating and getting through these hours without suffering dehydration and nausea.
The Weather
June Gloom showed up and it was so lovely! I honestly love June. The morning was filled with cloudy overcast skies which lingered around longer than I expected. All week I noticed the clouds would burn away anywhere from 9 AM to 11 AM. On race day, the sun postponed its arrival until around 12:30 PM.
With a 7 AM start time for the 12 hours, we were able to enjoy some of the gloom before it warmed up. If you were participating in the 6-hour, you could start at any time before 1 PM. And if you waited until 1 PM to get going, well, you were all fun in the sun!
The only time the sun and heat came into play was when we hit a stretch of the course where you could feel both.
The Course
We circled 2.5 miles around a golf course along a tree-lined dirt path, and regardless of any rumors you may have heard, I hit 2.5 miles on my watch. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
The path was flat, as in about 65 ft of elevation gain per loop. When we left the aid station/picnic area, the loop had a slight incline, but overall, flat.
I left the course a few times.
About two loops in, I started to feel a hotspot creeping up on my left foot. Because I didn’t think this dirt path was going to bear much resemblance to the regular trails I’m accustomed to being on, I figured I could get away with my regular running shoes. I was wrong. Something didn’t feel right. Fortunately, I decided to bring my trail shoes as a “just in case” precaution and I’m so thankful I did!
When I changed into my trail shoes, my foot felt immediately better. There were some areas where the dirt was lighter and softer which made my feet move around more in my regular road running shoes than they do in my trail shoes. My feet would’ve been headed for disaster if I didn’t change them. At the end of the race, I only had one small blister, and it was the same blister I get on the same foot, in the same spot, every single time I do long(er) mileage. It says, “Hello, it’s me again!! Did you miss me?”
The Food
Once you cross the timing mat, you can see on the screen where the amount of loops and miles you’ve completed pops up. You can then decide to either continue – if you don’t need to stop for anything – or you can exit the path.
In the picnic area, you could set up your chair, tent, cot, or anything else you need for the day. Your friends and family could hang out there, and you could hang out with them for a bit, or use the porta potty, or get food. Luckily, the porta potties and the food were not near each other.
Ahh the food. It was a smorgasbord!
Pancakes, cookies, watermelon, bananas, crackers with peanut butter, candies, Pringles, and other potato chips! And for those who wanted them, quesadillas, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Not to mention the water, Gatorade, and Coca-Cola. Oh, and pickle juice. It was a feast! There was so much food there, it’s a good thing we were out there exercising!
For the entire race, I subsisted on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (that I made and brought), Pringles, Coca-Cola, Ginger Ale, and of course, water. That’s all I had. I did drink a little bit of my CarboPro near the beginning of the race but didn’t finish the bottle. I didn’t consume one gel, nor any Run Gum. I took a few salt tabs along with the food, but that was it. All solid food, and yes I’m counting Pringles as food.
And here’s the important part, I didn’t get nauseous! I made sure I stayed hydrated and kept fueling up.
The People
When I started the race, I was with a couple of people – Martine and Kristi. We ran and then walked. And then I started walking with coach Andy Noise. And then it was me, Andy, and Martine. And then it was me, Andy, and Melody. And then, me and Kristi. And then it was just me. Finally, I ended my final loop with Martine.
It was the people who made this so enjoyable! Okay, I would’ve still enjoyed myself out there, but they made it so much more fun! Conversations passed the time quickly, and the loops flew by!
Even during the loops when I was by myself, there were other runners and walkers out there offering words of support and encouragement. These are the people I see at other trail races because our community is still small, even though it’s growing. But on this day, we were all doing this together, and it was awesome!
The Experience
Overall, I had such a great time! Honestly, I don’t know if I could’ve picked a more fun and fabulous event for my first timed race.
When I finished 30 miles, I decided to stop and rest. My dogs were barking, and I needed a few minutes to recoup. Well, my few minutes turned into 30 minutes, but I was okay with that. When I got out of the chair and back onto the path, my feet felt so refreshed, and my body felt good.
On that loop, I was adding up the math. When I finished it, I told my friend Ta’Mara, “I’m going around one more time and then I’m done,” to which she replied, “Okay two more times.” She’s so funny. But I had already decided. One more loop.
I continued on and soon after I did, Martine was right there with me. We finished the loop and I said I was done. I finished with 35 miles. The time was 5:30 PM. Technically, I still had another hour and a half to go the full 12 hours.
Yes, I could’ve finished two more loops which would’ve given me 40 miles for the day. When I did all the math. I finished 35 miles in 10.5 hours. However, I also took a 30-minute break, and if I added up all the minutes I used up using the porta potty, changing my shoes, getting my PB&J sandwiches from my bag, standing around talking to people, and hovering around the aid station, that would’ve tallied up to about another 30 minutes or so, which would’ve given me 35 miles in 9.5 hours. It didn’t matter. I was happy with what I had.
I also walked most of them. I did very little running that day. However, I utilized some walking muscles that I don’t tend to use as often and my hip flexors were extremely sore the next day. Usually, my quads tend to take the brunt of the soreness, but not this time.
All in all, regardless of the time it took, or how many miles I did, I had a great experience and would do this race again! Loved it!
Thank you to race director Nancy Shura-Dervin for organizing this fun-filled event in Griffith Park! Thank you to all the fantastic volunteers and everyone who had a hand in this race to make it happen! Finally, congratulations to all who participated in this race!
Thank you for reading!
Great read. That was my first timed run and I wanted to do my first 50 miler. I completed 50 miles in 10:50 and waited for my wife who also completed her first Ultra and 50 miles at 11:45. What an amazing experience with such great people. Hope to meet you in person at an ultra. Enjoyed your article
Thanks for the race recap. This 6/29/2019 event will be my first ultra and timed event. I already think I am gonna have a good time.