A Good Day for the Double Dipsea
Ted Vincent

     As the first runners were approaching the Cardiac Hill water station in this year's Double Dipsea, aid station workers Bill Woolf and Wendy Newman were discussing whether or not the day would stay nice and cool or progressively turn warmer.  Luckily the temperature didn't get much higher that it was at 9:30 as runners approached for "water on the left and the sports drink--Revenge on the the right."

     Heat is occasionally a problem at the Double Dipsea.  But there was a fog bank off shore and it was close enough to provide a cooling breeze that was still blowing as the last runners passed over Cardiac on their way back to Stinson.

     In the race back to Stinson the lead runners at Insult Hill were Steve Lyons, Diana Peterson, Marjorie Schultz, and Russ Kiernan.  The same four came through Cardiac in the same order.

    Times in this year's race were good overall, in part due to trail improvements.  The trail was widened on the open stretches between Cardiac Hill and Steep Ravine, which was nice for the slower runners who could move over to make room for the faster runners, and also avoid the grass and poison oak along the way.  Parts of the trail that were washed out gullies or mud holes were covered with crushed rock.  And the race was shortened by about six feet by a new bridge over the stream in the previously rutted and muddy Windy Gap trail (the trail going to Muir Woods just below the highway crossing at the top of Mill Valley).

     Shirley Matson led the volunteer crew at the Windy Gap road crossing.  She greeted most of the front runners loudly by name, while also yelling instructions to her crew of red flag wavers who held back cars along the point on Panoramic Highway.  Traffic problems can develop with the 50 yards of highway between the top of the trail and the road the runners take down to Mill Valley, so flagging can be a tricky job at Windy Gap.  Plus, the runners are in no condition to decide which side to run on the road and cars want to get through.  Shirley and the flaggers, Roger Gordon and Ian Watson were true artists in keeping everything flowing.

     Among the other flaggers were Fred Haber and John Elsbree who were at the Muir Woods road crossing/water stop.  Actually they were non-flaggers since somebody forgot to provide them with their flags.  They improvised and stopped traffic by waving their arms and yelling "Stop, Stop, an SUV has just squashed a GEO Metro and we're waiting for an ambulance."  Jane Colman on the other hand did get her flag, and after waving it all afternoon she found out the next day that she could hardly grip anything with that hand.

     Back to the race.  The first to reach Windy Gap were the now tightly bunched foursome that led at Cardiac.  Coming up fast was Bruce Mace, and not far behind was Benard DeMal.  It took the leaders around 18 minutes to run from the top of Windy Gap down to the 676 steps, and then back (800 feet of descent and ascent).  There was lots of loud cheering at the turnaround as noted by aid workers:  Conrad & Kathryn Von Blankenburg, Annabel Marsh, and Patrick Lee.

     The grueling climb up 1,300 feet from Muir Woods to the top of Cardiac established the order of the first finishers to reach Stinson.  First place went to Bruce mace who reached Cardiac less than a minute ahead of course veteran Kiernan, who was then followed by four women:  Peterson, Schultz, DeMal, and then Lyons.  Our DSE regular Cliff Lentz took seventh.

     Lentz started 21 minutes behind the first wave, "taking off like a rocket as if the race was a 100 yard sprint" as on volunteer described.  At mile 3 Cliff turned an ankle, but toughed it out anyway.

     Cliff wasn't the only one in the "bruised" group.  Jim buck survived a full somersault and Amy McDonald (36th place) did a full "superman" face first slide.  Julie Ziegler gets the "Good Samaritan" award for taking time to scrape Amy off the dirt.  Even with the stop Julie finished in 26th place.  And then there was Eradio Sanchez who tried to tackle the course sight unseen.  Sanchez should probably be happy with his 118th spot finish.  Not only was he unfamiliar with the weird terrain, but he was a scratch runner, and he also turned an ankle and had to stop and rest until the pain subsided.

     There were lots of good comments and stories to go around.  Among the runners who got lost was an unidentified male who was in about 20th place until he was about a 1/2 mile from the finish.  Then he zoomed past the second turnoff from Panoramic Highway.  Our compassionate course monitors had put a little flag at that turn, even though those who are racing down Panoramic at that point are taking one of the many unofficial shortcuts.

     We did receive a nice comment from one of the first time runners from Michigan who phoned a report to the club the next day.  He said it was a wonderful race and that he couldn't stop thinking about it.

     Thanks to all the volunteers who helped at the aid station with food, drinks, and cheers galore.  Special thanks go out to our sponsors:  Calistoga, Cliff Bar, and Tecnu.

     A couple of last minute notes:  The Cardiac Hill and Route 1/ Panoramic Highway crews want to apologize to the last runner, 69 year old Tony Stratta, for not waiting before packing up.  An extra applause might be in order for Melody Schulz, age 57, who came in fourth overall.  And among the up and coming stars there was the winner of the First High School category, which went to Andrew Garrett, age 13, a frosh at Redwood High School.