Mark your calendars: The Fremont Peak Run has returned! Located in the Gavilan Mountains south of San Juan Bautista, Fremont Peak offers beautiful views of Monterey Bay and the valleys and mountain ranges around it. On Sunday, July 6th, we'll run to the 3,169 ft. summit and picnic at the top. 

This supported, all-uphill road run is a longstanding Track Club tradition. Sag wagons will carry fuel, water, and picnic supplies. The main route is 11 paved miles from parking area to summit, but there are a number of ways to shorten or extend the run if you want to do a different distance. As always, all abilities welcome. Please don't hesitate to call or e-mail Diane Delucchi (delucch@yahoo.com/831-345-9399) if you have any questions, or if you want to volunteer to drive a sag wagon— we'd love to have your help!

Details: We'll meet on Sunday at 7 a.m. at Aptos Station (i.e., the same place we meet for our regular Nisene runs) and carpool/caravan south to the start location for the Fremont Peak climb on San Juan Canyon Road. Bring something to share for the picnic! 

Directions to Fremont Peak State Park: From Highway 101, about 11 miles south of Gilroy, take the eastbound Hwy 156 exit. Go 3.0 miles to a traffic light, then turn right onto county Hwy G-1 (San Juan Canyon Road). You can get a map of the area and learn more about the park here.

One weekend, two races, four distances, and 395 runners— that's what we've been up to lately, by the numbers. For something like 33 years, our Nisene Marks Marathon, Half Marathon, and 5K has been held on the first Saturday in June. This year that happened to be the same weekend as the second Sunday of the month— a.k.a., the day we've been putting on the Aptos Women's 5-Miler for something like 33 years.

Saturday's lovely weather was just right for our long and hilly train races— not too hot, and no weird, late season deluge, either. (A relief for those of us who remember 2011!) First-time Nisene Marks Race Director Peter Fish, along with the Santa Cruz Host Lions, put on a great event covering miles of dirt fire road and trail. Those who know this race from the inside understand just what an undertaking it is, with volunteers hiking water in and making multiple runs into the rugged hills of the park to flag the course, set-up aid stations, and dismantle everything at the end of a long day. And then there are the volunteer gigs— some of the crew for this race leaves Race HQ at 6 a.m. and doesn't come back until early- or mid-afternoon! Though the longest distance raced on Saturday was 26.2, the big elevation gains and losses (~2000 ft. in the HALF!), the "really out there" feeling you get running single track deep in the redwoods, and the commitment of the volunteers give the Nisene Marks Half and Marathon a bit of the feel of an ultra— and they tend to attract a great group of participants. Saturday was no exception, and we're grateful to all of you who came out to run and to help. 

Results for all distances will soon be posted on our website, but in the meantime we want to give a special shout-out to Sean Curry and Katie Ross-Smith, our top finishers in the marathon (with times of 3:15:08 and 3:51:34, respectively), our half marathon winners Patrick Parsel (1:23:24) and Heather Cook (1:44:44), and our 5K winners Mark Moehling (19:01) and 13-year-old Margo Donahue (20:13). 

On Sunday, the Aptos Women's 5-Miler drew an enthusiastic crowd to Aptos Village Park and Nisene Marks. Local standout Nikia Brautovich practically flew up the fire road and back down the Buggy Trail, winning the race in 31:44. The AW5M is the oldest women's-only race in the county, and one of our many traditions is to recognize the mother-daughter and sister teams that complete the course with the lowest combined times. This year, those distinctions went to sisters Terry Turner and Kate Lavezzo (combined time 1:26:41) and SCTC fasties Ramona and Alexandra Young (1:16:00). (We asked Ramona and Alexandra how many times they've placed in the mother-daughter division; they couldn't remember. Suffice to say, they're veterans!)

Another AW5M tradition— resurrected last year by Laura Chiorello— is the raffling of a handmade quilt. Laura picked this year's fabrics to coordinate with the cranberry red shirts (and while we're here, thanks Erin Murphy for helping us with graphic design). Additional raffle prizes were generously donated by AnnieGlass, Monterey Bay Catering, Alladin Nursery & Gift Shop, and Marty Franich Ford & Lincoln. Our Nisene Marks Races also received generous donations from a number of businesses in our running and Santa Cruz communities, such as Whole Foods and Shamma Sandals. Both events were sponsored by Fleet Feet Aptos, which just opened a new store in Monterey— stop in and tell Russ and Tina "hi" and "thanks" from the Nisene Marks Marathon, the Aptos Women's 5-Miler, and Santa Cruz Track Club!

This year we challenged AW5M participants to run the Nisene Marks 5K the day before. We dubbed this event (brainchild of Peter Fish) "The Nisene Double," and nine women ultimately completed it. Champion among them was Margaret Fahl, with a combined time of 54:05! (Margaret was also second overall in the 5K and third overall in the 5-Miler.)

And then there was the other Nisene Double— the one the Track Club had to pull together and complete as a team to make these two races happen in the same weekend. Much like anything else in running, the Other Double demands stamina, spirit, and chutzpah. Fortunately, SCTC has those qualities in spades— plus enough energy left over to get together for a barbecue afterward. Of course, everyone was buoyed by the appearance on Sunday of some of some of our favorite ladies, Lara Berg, Gretchen Hales, Petra Huemer, and Olga Héllen, who we only get to see about once a year. They brought a couple of new friends, whose names we didn't catch... (We're hoping Tish Bertino, Michelle Zelena, and Kari Huemer can help us fill in the blanks.) Another person who helped make this all possible: Our timer, the indomitable Mark McConnell, who gave up his weekend so that everyone would know precisely how long it took them to run around in the woods a bunch.

While we compile the photos, post the results, count the money (which by the way goes to the vision care programs of the Santa Cruz Host Lions and the Advocates for Nisene Marks State Park), wash the dishes, re-pack the shed, and hide the evidence, we would like to say a GIANT "thank you" to the volunteers who showed up bright and early and braved heat, cold, bugs, poison oak, and (dare we say) boredom at some way-out-there aid stations (and some closer-in ones, too); who directed foot and vehicle traffic; who marked the courses with staggering precision and care; who cheered for strangers until their voices were hoarse, and sliced untold quantities of oranges, and did a few hundred other things that together made a couple of great events go beautifully. As Diane Delucchi would say, "GO TEAM!"

You've probably heard about it on Facebook by now: The Nisene Double. This challenge came about in the course of some logistical correspondence between the race directors of the Nisene Marks Marathon/Half Marathon/5K and the Aptos Women's 5-Miler. At some point Nisene Marks RD Peter Fish pointed out, "You know, this year, women have a chance to run two races in the park in one weekend. How often does that happen?" 

Answer: Not very often. So we're encouraging the women of Santa Cruz County— runners, walkers, and hikers— to take advantage of the opportunity and sign up for both the 5-Miler and the Nisene Marks 5K. This "Nisene Double" is sort of the same idea as the 10K/5K "doubles" that have been springing up lately, but you actually get to sleep in between, and you get two shirts. All participants who successfully complete the challenge will also get their names announced at the 5-Miler awards ceremony, and a small surprise prize (surprize?). And by "surprise" we mean the kind of surprise that is actually all over Facebook at this point, because the Race Director of the 5-Miler sometimes has a hard time keeping secrets.

Into it? Here's what you have to do:

1. Sign up for the Aptos Women's 5-Miler and the Nisene Marks 5K (use the mail-in reg forms or sign up on race day if you're a current SCTC member and would like your member discount).
2. Show up for the Nisene Marks 5K on Saturday, and run or walk it.
3. Show up for the Aptos Women's 5-Miler on Sunday, and run or walk it.
4. Receive surprize and feel awesome.

That's it— super-simple. We'll cross-reference the lists and find our challenge participants. FYI, both of these events support really great causes: The Nisene Marks Marathon supports the Santa Cruz Host Lions' efforts to provide eye exams, glasses, and vision-related medical care to people in our community with low incomes; the Aptos Women's 5-Miler supports Advocates for Nisene Marks State Park (i.e., the group that helps maintain the trails, installs benches, and makes sure all those seasonal bridges go in and out every year) as well as SCTC's youth and adult athletic programs. So there are a few more reasons that doubling up on races will make you feel double-awesome. 


Hope you decide to join the fun!


NOTE: We can't really recommend that you "double up" on the 5-Miler and, say, the Nisene Marks Marathon. We get that if you're into ultras, 29.3 miles in a weekend might just be no problem for you, but please use your best judgment and don't take on more than you can handle. Also, please e-mail santacruztrackclub@gmail.com to let us know if you're super-doubling... we won't be looking out for your results if you don't!