Re: RC: Swanton 100, August 2000

[BMcCrary27@aol.com]

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