2018
El Cajon 33 miler race recap by Julieann Storm, 2018 Women's 33 Mile Winner
The race started at 5AM at the trailhead up the hill from the parking lot, it was warmer than expected
and that was a bit worrisome. Only about ½ the runners that were signed up actually showed up for the
race. At 5 Am the race started and we down to the parking lot and back up to the aid station (start line).
Mornings are my favorite time of day and climbing this mountain with the lights of the houses below
was peaceful and the sunrise as it came up from behind the mountains did not disappoint. The views on
this climb are breathtaking. I could hear two runner friends, Joe and Michael, behind me during the first
climb and pushed myself to stay ahead of them but by the top they had caught up to me and we
punched our bib at the top with a star to mark lap 1. We began our run back down and they were
moving pretty fast, I kept up for the first two miles and started feeling my right knee so I backed off and
concentrated on light steps and good form. I finished the first lap in just under three hours, took about
5 minutes at the aid station to eat, drink, and get what I needed including my trekking poles and started
the second climb. I still felt great but the steep sections were slower going this time. It felt like
everyone was ahead of me, with the exception of one runner, and as I scrambled the last ½ mile to the
top everyone else was on their way down. I kept going my pace and completed the second lap in 3:15. I
rolled into the aid station, drank two coconut waters and ate some PBJ, one of the volunteers helped me
fill my pack and bottle and I thanked everyone stood up and left out of there with 6:33 on the clock. I
had 3:27 to do this lap. I felt great, my legs were still strong and I began the climb. Joe started out
behind me coming out of the aid station so I was back to keeping him there, and then about 1.5 miles
from the top I passed another runner. I dropped my pack off the trail for the last ½ scramble to the top
and noticed this time I didn’t meet any other runners on this section. I punched my bib with the heart
marking the last lap and began my descent. About 1/3 mile down I met Joe and Michael, Michael wasn’t
looking too good but they both seemed in good spirits knowing this was the last lap. I continued down
the mountain determined to finish under 10 hours. I met the sweeps on the way down and they took
my picture. I picked up the pace slightly on the downhill sections, and running uphill as well all but the
steepest grades. I ran into the finish at 9:49 which means my last lap was 3:16. THE RD, Trevor, then let
me know that I finished third overall and first female. It turn out all the other runners ahead of me
dropped after the second lap. I have never felt this good for an entire race, I hit a bubbly endorphin
high at mile 2 and it never left me. It was totally an amazing day. Thanks you “Jones” brothers for being
crazy enough to think this one up and then actually putting this together.
The race started at 5AM at the trailhead up the hill from the parking lot, it was warmer than expected
and that was a bit worrisome. Only about ½ the runners that were signed up actually showed up for the
race. At 5 Am the race started and we down to the parking lot and back up to the aid station (start line).
Mornings are my favorite time of day and climbing this mountain with the lights of the houses below
was peaceful and the sunrise as it came up from behind the mountains did not disappoint. The views on
this climb are breathtaking. I could hear two runner friends, Joe and Michael, behind me during the first
climb and pushed myself to stay ahead of them but by the top they had caught up to me and we
punched our bib at the top with a star to mark lap 1. We began our run back down and they were
moving pretty fast, I kept up for the first two miles and started feeling my right knee so I backed off and
concentrated on light steps and good form. I finished the first lap in just under three hours, took about
5 minutes at the aid station to eat, drink, and get what I needed including my trekking poles and started
the second climb. I still felt great but the steep sections were slower going this time. It felt like
everyone was ahead of me, with the exception of one runner, and as I scrambled the last ½ mile to the
top everyone else was on their way down. I kept going my pace and completed the second lap in 3:15. I
rolled into the aid station, drank two coconut waters and ate some PBJ, one of the volunteers helped me
fill my pack and bottle and I thanked everyone stood up and left out of there with 6:33 on the clock. I
had 3:27 to do this lap. I felt great, my legs were still strong and I began the climb. Joe started out
behind me coming out of the aid station so I was back to keeping him there, and then about 1.5 miles
from the top I passed another runner. I dropped my pack off the trail for the last ½ scramble to the top
and noticed this time I didn’t meet any other runners on this section. I punched my bib with the heart
marking the last lap and began my descent. About 1/3 mile down I met Joe and Michael, Michael wasn’t
looking too good but they both seemed in good spirits knowing this was the last lap. I continued down
the mountain determined to finish under 10 hours. I met the sweeps on the way down and they took
my picture. I picked up the pace slightly on the downhill sections, and running uphill as well all but the
steepest grades. I ran into the finish at 9:49 which means my last lap was 3:16. THE RD, Trevor, then let
me know that I finished third overall and first female. It turn out all the other runners ahead of me
dropped after the second lap. I have never felt this good for an entire race, I hit a bubbly endorphin
high at mile 2 and it never left me. It was totally an amazing day. Thanks you “Jones” brothers for being
crazy enough to think this one up and then actually putting this together.
El Cajon Mountain Ultramarathons – by Marcus Lostracco. 2018 44-miler 2nd Place
My alarm went off at 3:30am and my body just said “no”. I laid there in bed feeling utterly exhausted after having done 7 hours of activity the day before (6 hours cycling 1 hour running – 70 miles/6.5 miles). I was ready to just give up on the idea of doing this race and get some much-needed sleep. However, my motto of the week had been “no excuses”. And this was a prime scenario for initiating action and living up to that mantra. I slogged myself into my car and was on the road by 4:10am. My google maps arrival had me at 4:56am (the race started at 5).
On arrival to the El Capitan Preserve I was still a zombie. I got sleepily slid my shoes on began trudging up the hill to the start line only to see a herd of headlamps charging right at me. I guess I missed the start! I had not made the connection the start line was a half mile up the hill! I was not worried, just hopeful the race director (Trevor Jones) would let me get my late start. I nonchalantly walked up the hill as all the runners were running by me. I couldn’t help but think they wouldn’t be running this hill on the next go-around! At the race check-in I picked up my bib number, prepared my pack with 2 bottles, some fuel, and some warm layers (it was chilly at the bottom – thermostat was reading in the 30s in my car). I hit the restroom to do my morning business and then did the “dog-leg” out-and-back back down to the road that everyone else had done. It was 5:25am so I was already a good bit behind at this point. Back at the starting area I hit the restroom again – a amusingly slow start for me! Starting in 15th out of 15 participants in this race in its inaugural year.
El Cajon Mountain is characterized as being the toughest hike in San Diego County. Many people attempting the 11-mile and 3,500 ft gain out-and-back trail take over 6 hours to complete it. It is notorious for being brutally steep, viciously hot, and “uphill both ways”. I had only hiked it once back in 2016 when I first moved to San Diego and I remember it took me about 4.5 hours. The race had 2 official formats – the 33 mile version, where you had to complete 3 repeats of the trail within 12 hours, or the 44 mile version (4 repeats). I was registered for the 33 mile race, but I had the option was there to step up to the 44 mile category if I was within the time limits. Allegedly, the elites (Fabrice Hardel and Guillaume Calmettes) were going for 5 repeats! It would be throw down on El Cajon Mountain today! In order to complete the 33 mile version, it would require an average of 4 hours per repeat, and the 44 an average of 3 hours would be necessary. The main catch was – you had to be out for your last repeat by 2:30pm and the overall cutoff was 5pm. I wasn’t doing myself any favors by starting a half hour late!
By the time I finally got on the actual trail, I was still trying to wake up. I think my body was protesting the activity. But my spirit was lifted – I was happy I made it to the race and I was able to enjoy the trail to myself on this quiet morning. The sun was rising above the rugged, rocky, but lush granite hills of the beautiful Cuyamaca region of San Diego County, casting a bright morning light across the landscape. I came upon a gnarly oak tree and took a photo of it – it would serve as a nice landmark for me for about 25 minutes in and about 25 minutes out. From here the climb goes from rolling ups and downs to more steady steep climbing and more rough trails. Soon I would reach the halfway point, a big red stop sign. I’m not too much of a fan of it – it’s a very prominent ugly feature but it serves a purpose to persuade unprepared hikers to reconsider moving past this point as the climb becomes much steeper and, in the summer, much hotter.
Just past mile 4.5 the leader of the race charged by me on his way down. I did not recognize him, and he was really moving fast. Not far behind was Fabrice, followed closely by Guillaume. They seemed to be hustling to keep up with the guy in front! I was enjoying being at the back of the pack as a spectator watching everyone come down as I was still going up to the top. This allowed me to go my own pace and get motivated every time I would see someone coming the opposite direction. I started to size up the competition as more runners came by. I was becoming eager to pick each runner off one by one. Sooner than later, I was on the summit at 6:50am. That’s about 1:35 to the top from the gate at the bottom. There were hole punches in a box at the top with different shapes to denote the lap we completed. I gave my bib number the star-shaped hole punch for the first lap, as instructed. I took a nice 5/10-minute summit break, taking in the views. I was still so damn sleepy! Oh well, time to go down!
The descent went quickly for me – I did not pass anyone but I was starting to feel my body responding. Around mile 2 on the trail, the leader came by once again. Fabrice and Guillaume were now about 5 minutes behind. Was this guy going to pull away with it? From here I got back down fairly quickly and I was at the gate by 7:55am. I arrived there and passed 3 people off the back, so I was now in 12th overall after the first lap. My buddy Johnnie had come out to bring me coffee! What a guy. It absolutely helped, and I finally felt like I was awake. I chatted with him for a bit before marching back up the hill to the aid station. I refueled at the aid station, dropped my warm layers (definitely would not be needing them), filled my bottles (they were empty), and filled an extra bottle for a total of 3 bottles and some fuel. I was now really pumped up for my second lap and I was feeling great.
Pretty soon I passed another pair of runners putting me now solidly in the top 10. The guy in front (from Mexico, named Ivan) was still looking good. Fabrice and Guillaume close behind. I cranked away on this lap, passing several others. By my count now I was in 7th place. I was at the summit by 9:24am time up was 1:24 including chat with Johnnie and break at the aid station. I took a shorter summit break this time, punched the circle hole punch and then made my way down. I soon passed another guy, moving into 6th. Towards the gnarly tree, Guillaume passed me going the opposite direction, with his poles out going for his 3rd. He had dropped Fabrice and Ivan and was looking strong. Next thing you know I passed another guy and then soon I was passing Ivan! He had completely blown up and was struggling majorly, moving very slowly up the hill to finish his 2nd lap. I gave him some of my water. On return to the start I made it down to the gate by 10:30am. 1 hour down.
I was back at the aid station now and there was a group of people accumulated, looking defeated and worn out. I was preparing myself for the next lap as I knew it was going to be really tough, since it was now in the heat of the day. Fabrice had dropped out as well. I guess this is where you would say the 2nd and 3rd lap separates the men from the boys. This time I refilled my bottles (all 3 were empty) and picked up a 4th, loaded up on fuel, and was off. Leaving the aid station I was now in 3rd overall and I was kind of surprised.
The third time was the hardest. On some of the steep pitches I felt some big waves of fatigue hit me. I drank more caffeine Nuun water and took an energy gel and tried to sustain my pace. Guillaume passed by me coming down in the same spot I saw him on every lap, followed closely by the guy in 2nd. He was looking good and I was sure he was going to catch Gui – if not on this lap, definitely on the 4th! I was able to reach the top by 11:55am, staying on pace with my ~1h30m ascents. I took a summit break where there was an older hiker also taking in the views at the top. He offered me water and said he had given a few others water on the trail. He was curious about the event, but I didn’t tell him much since it was not really an official thing. He offered me some coffee beans which I accepted. I had never thought about eating coffee beans just straight up like that – it helped! I felt a little boost of energy I needed to get my legs moving for this descent. I got my bib number punched with the heart-shaped hole punch and turned around to go down once again.
I was not feeling well. The heat had gotten to me and the fatigue had caught up to me. I was trying my best to stay consistent and steady. I then came across Guillaume, again around the 2-mile mark on the trail as he was going up for his 4th. He asked me if I was stopping after this and I said no. He was happy to hear that. I then wondered if the other guy had stopped, and sure enough he had! Phillipe had enough after 3 apparently and was crowned the winner of the 33 mile version. I was back at the gate this time by 1:15pm, still staying on pace with my 1:10ish descents. After a longer aid station break to chug water and refuel, I informed Trevor I was going to go for 4. He seemed surprised but all for it. I got myself going by 1:40pm. I knew this last one was going to be slow, but I also knew I was capable of completing it in the 3 hours and 20 minutes I had left to do so.
Heading out for the 4th time felt kind of cool that now it was just down to me and Guillaume. Last ones standing. I passed some hikers for the 4th or 5th time and they asked if I was done yet… I said no, this is my last one. I didn’t say how many I had already done. I’m pretty sure it took them 5 hours to do it once. I was grinding away on this final climb of El Cajon mountain. Something was happening with my breathing at the start of this lap. It felt like athletic-induced asthma or something. It became hard to breathe, and I wondered if I should continue. I decided to walk and take deep breaths to see if it would get better. Physically, I felt better than my 3rd lap but, due to this breathing stuff, I was not moving fast. I was using everything I had to maintain a consistent pace going up. Eventually I was able to run again, and the breathing issues subsided, but never really went away. Again, Guillaume and I crossed in the same spot we always did. Had I started on time this might have been a close race! We gave eachother our respects and carried on. I soon passed a couple of the volunteers (who were great) – they were on their way down from the summit after collecting the hole punches. I have a feeling they were surprised to see me up there! I got to the top around 3:20pm. I knew I had plenty of time to get down. I enjoyed the view form the top one more time, and I think this time it was the best. The late day sun shining, the cool breeze coming by, the subtle sounds of nature, views of the ocean, downtown San Diego, and the rolling eastern countryside – all to myself. Very rewarding.
Coming down I had one mission – do it safely! I knew if I kept an easy pace going down I would be fine for making the 5pm cutoff. At this point I became aware I was the only person on the mountain, and if something were to happen, I would have to deal with it myself. I was watching the terrain carefully for rocks and especially for rattlesnakes – this is the time of day when they like to come out! The descent went without any issues and I was soon finding my way past the stop sign, past the gnarly tree, and down the jeep road to get back to the start/finish. I was surprised to find a large (10ish) group of people hanging around at the finish! How cool. And even cooler to be one of two finishers of the 44 mile version. Guillaume made a joke about going out for a 5th, which I couldn’t really tell if he was kidding or not. It was great to share the “podium” and the experience with him. Trevor, the RD, seemed super impressed to have 2 finishers as well. He did a really great job for it being his first ever race he has organized. For $15 it was probably the most fun race I did all year (minus the UTE 100). I was really happy with the result – and as a bonus, I got a DFL (Dead F*cking Last) award! Sotol! How perfect. As an award for finishing there is no t-shirt, medal, belt buckle, hat, socks, whatever. You get a rock. Pretty sweet.
I hope this race sees a bright future and it was a great pleasure to participate and complete it in its inaugural year. Next year I hope to come back on time and more fit to go for the elusive 55 mile version!