Chris Lundy wins the 115th Dipsea outright, 7.4 miles of stairs and trail to the beach
On the handicapped race from Mill Valley, Lundy's adjusted 45:43 beat every man in the field; Eddie Owens was first man and second overall in 47:30.
Photograph: the Dipsea Race finish area at Stinson Beach, seen from Highway 1 in 2012, by Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsChris Lundy won the 115th Dipsea Race on Sunday. The race goes 7.4 miles from Mill Valley, over the shoulder of Mount Tamalpais, to Stinson Beach, and it is run on handicaps: most runners get a head start based on age and sex, the oldest and youngest getting the most, and the first person across the line wins, full stop. Lundy's adjusted time was 45:43. Eddie Owens was the first man home, second overall, in 47:30.
The Dipsea is held on the second Sunday of June every year. The course starts with the long flights of stairs out of Mill Valley, passes through Muir Woods and Mount Tamalpais State Park, and climbs and drops about 2,200 feet. Runners can pick among alternate routes, which is why the regulars talk about the shortcuts as much as the training.
A woman winning the whole race is not a novelty here; the handicap system is built to make it possible. What stays rare is beating a field that all know the trail and all got a head start calculated to beat you.
The best races in the country are the ones where the rules are older than the shoes.
Sources: Dipsea Race; iRunFar; Wikipedia.
