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RideCamp@endurance.net
Re: RC: Swanton 100, August 2000
In a message dated 08/16/2000 8:32:40 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
kadence@ix.netcom.com writes:
<< This ride is tough... 100 miles is too much to describe blow by blow
like I usually do, but in summary... It was MUCH too tough while I was
doing it, but I'll do it over and over again to add a date plate to the
wonderful redwood plaque Lud makes! This was my first 100, and I had leg
problems starting out that made it tougher, so that skews my opinion.
Everyone says it's tough, though. I think there is over 12,500 feet of
elevation GAIN, and what goes up does go down. Some of the trails are
every bit as treacherous as Tevis... this is one tough but spectacular
ride. >>
Our son-in-law, Dennis Rinde, who is a 2:12 marathoner and long-time ride and
tie pro, just finished his 5th consecutive Swanton Pacific 100 R&T with our
daughter Ellen. During three of those five years, Ellen was his girlfriend.
After 3 years of partnership, he married her and the next two years were run
with her as his wife. The way I figure it, and they must have, also, if you
can survive doing a 100 mile R&T together and are still talking to each other
and loving each other, the marriage will also survive...very nicely. Anyway,
the point here is that Dennis, who has run this trail for 5 years, says this
year's route was easier than the previous ones. We were forced to seek other
ways down and over the mountains by the washout of a couple of strategic
bridges and fills, and we think we'll keep the present route...the riders who
talked to us afterwards said they liked it. The ones who didn't like it,
didn't tell us so. It did eliminate 2-3 miles of pavement and the view of
the ocean bathed in moonlight while riding down Westridge was described as
spectacular. We've been told we needed more lightsticks in the forests,
advice well taken and to be implemented next year. I'm not sure I agree with
Linda that some of the trail "was a treacherous as Tevis". There were a
couple of difficult spots, but these should be improvable or marked better
next year so as to avoid accidents at night. However, if one were to stray
too close to the edge of the cliff overlooking the Big Creek Falls, that
could be dangerous, but the trail is at least 7 feet wide, so even I can ride
that bit, and it's only about 15-20 long. It's also in the open, so there is
more light by which to see the trail at that point. (For those who don't
know me, I have an absolute terror of falling off of cliffs or
mountainsides.) Linda is absolutely right about Julie...she is a remarkable
person. I remember her from the first days of our involvement with the
Castle Rock ride, which she founded. She was a bit of a legend even then,
and I remember thinking,"I can't talk to HER, she's SO important". It would
be akin to the fluster one would feel upon meeting the Queen of England. But
she wrote me one of her very thoughtful notes after our first attempt at
managing CR, and that broke my reserve. We've been good friends ever since
and I've gained so much wisdom from her.
Barbara
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