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This was the first year for the Calico 50K Trail Run. It is run in the Calico Mountains adjacent to the Mojave desert. It is a beautiful desert mountain area with the name being given for the variety of colors in the terrain. The start/end of the race is in the Historic Calico Ghost Town, which is a county park with many tourist shops and staged gunfights every half hour. We arrived the day before the race and picked up our race packets in Calico. Our first impressions of the beautiful terrain were mixed as we didn't know if we'd be going over or around the Calico Mountains. We spent the night in Barstow, a comfortable 15 minute drive from the start. We woke to the sound of heavy rain in the middle of the night and were not sure what to expect on the trail during the race. We were already expecting cool tempuratures; wet conditions as well could make for some undesirable running conditions. As it turned out, the rains had little impact on conditions, with only a few puddles remaining during the race. No mud in these rocky mountains. No climb/descent information had been given for the race. Looking at the map provided by the web site, it appeared as though most of the elevation contour lines were crossed in the first half. As it turns out, the contour lines in the second half were simply obscured by the shading to represent the mountains. The second half would prove to offer the lion's share of the climb/descent. When the race started, two figures immediately took the lead and stayed there, together, until they were out of site. Apparantly first and second place, Guillermo Medina and Jorge Pacheco, respectively, made a battle of it the entire race, finishing just 16 seconds apart; only about 50 yards at the pace they were running. Bettering the third place finisher by 25 minutes, it is possible that the race run by Guillerma and Jorge produced a course record in this first running of Calicao that will stand for some time. The race has a gentle beginning. By the second aid station at around 11 miles, no climbs beyond a gentle uphill had been met. Not knowing what the elevation profile was for the course, I ran this section fast, thinking there may be an opportunity for a fast time. Shortly after the second aid station, however, things started to get a little more interesting. There are several rock fields with bowling ball sized rocks. These rocks can be loose and they are sharp, as I found out when I fell and caught myself myself, finding two bloody palms as I got back to my feet. Keep your eyes on the trail! The third aid station at 17 miles is logically the half way point. Here you are treated to a spectacular view, being at what is one of the highest elevations in the race. From here, you begin a long downhill. It boasts more of those treacherous rock fields that forces you to slow down but overall is fast, allowing those thoughts of a fast time for the race to once again present themselves. The last several aid stations come relatively quickly as they are somewhat closer together than the previous and are on a part of the course that is very interesting. There are lots of climbs, descents, turns, and interesting rock formations to keep your attention. As you leave the last aid station, you feel like you are on top of the world, and you can just about see the finish from there if you're familiar with the course. This race ends with a non-trivial climb about a quarter mile from the finish. The combination of exhaustion and smelling of the barn door makes for mixed emotions. But at the top you run across a little wooden bridge and have a 250 yard downhill dash to the finish among the curious tourists visiting the park. Even the last official finisher, 70 year old Pat Devita, was able to sprint it in. This race benefits the Desert Discovery Center in Barstow, CA, so there were no expensive finisher's medals like you might find in a marathon. Rather, each finisher is given one of the souveniour "wooden nickels" sold in the park, nicely crafted into a simple necklace with "50K" written on it. Your entry fee is being well used. This race is about a seven hour drive from San Jose, so the San Fransisco Bay area was not well represented. However, the race is worth making the trip and hopefully they'll see more entries from there in the future. Key Information
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