By Bill Westphal
Special to Altadenablog
The annual Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run (AC100) will be held this weekend (8/28-29). Canceled last year after the Station Fire, the race organizers have received a Special Use Permit to conduct this year's race.
This
Ultra-Marathon begins Saturday morning in Wrightwood at 5 AM and
continues non-stop until the 2 PM cutoff time, Sunday, at the Finish
Line at the Loma Alta Park Equestrian Center here in Altadena.
In addition to the Start and Finish Line, there are 16 Checkpoints along the Race Course. Each checkpoint is staffed with volunteers that include Race Support Personnel to provide needed refreshments and nourishment to the runners, Medical Personnel to assess the physical and mental condition of the runners and provide aid if necessary and Communications Personnel to track the runners from one checkpoint to the next.This is a grueling race and runners go to great lengths to condition themselves both physically as well as mentally. The course record of 17 hours, 35 minutes and 48 seconds was set by Jim O'Brien in 1989. Can you imagine running 100 miles through the mountains and valleys of the San Gabriels in just over 17 hours?
Read more about the AC100 at http://www.ac100.com . There,
you can also view live results during the race and this year the lead
and tail runner's progress will be posted via twitter on the
"AngelesCrest100" Twitter account.
As
in years past, I will be volunteering at the Sam Merrill checkpoint
providing radio communications for the health and safety of the runners. The
Sam Merrill Checkpoint is at the 89 Mile mark of the course and is
located near the site of the famous Mt. Lowe Tavern at the intersection
of the Mt. Lowe Motorway and the road to Inspiration Point.
