Saturday, June 11, 2011

Two women and some big hills

On Sunday the 101st running of the Dipsea Race will take place over on the hills of Marin County. I'll be staying well away -- my idea of a good time to wander those trails is a quiet weekday, not when hundreds are blasting through as fast as they can.

Still, the race is a wonder. Here's the story of last year's edition -- a race won fair and square by an 8 year old girl.



Melody-Ann Schultz, 68, narrates the tale of her struggle to catch Reilly Johnson. Both women beat everyone else in the field, benefiting from an age- and gender-adjusted head start. None of the young or mature, male or female, could catch either of them.

You can read more about the Dipsea handicap system here. As a past winner, Reilly Johnson will have a one minute penalty added to her age-graded start if she is running on Sunday. It's just the way the rules work. The race directors want competition.

The race is a grand local institution!

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