Getting a dirty dozen done

Some people really like timed races. Hours on end slogging along on a one mile course is their idea of fun.

I'm not one of those people.

Which means running the Brazen Dirty Dozen Endurance Race should be pretty low on my bucket list. But then there's no way Brazen's going to put on a standard timed race and there's no way any slogging will be allowed.

The Dirty Dozen event includes two timed races, 6 and 12 hours, and four distance races, two 5K and two 10K, timed to coincide with the ends of the 6 and 12 hour races. This put runners with fresh legs out on the same course with runners that have been slogging going strong for the last 6 or 12 hours.

And an all-day barbecue. It was less an endurance race and more a running festival.

Mrs Notthat's inner cowgirl came whooping and hollering to the race. Photo by World Famous Etep.

The festival was held at Point Pinole Regional Shoreline - the same place we've done numerous races in a wide variety of weather conditions, a lot of them cold and wet. So we brought a tent to use as a changing room and shelter. And some chairs. And a wagon to haul the stuff back and forth (it was about a half mile to the parking lot).

Our hideout sign; photo by Brazen volunteer paparazzi Atir (not her real name).

While I ran the 12 hour solo, Mrs Notthat and Weird Haired Mom teamed up for the 12 hour race, which meant that while one of them was running the course, the other was hanging out, eating BBQ and cheering in other runners as they came through.

Not a Canadian signed up for the 6 hour race, and decided to do some pre-race loops for a warm up. Or maybe she was just dodging my camera.

Eirelav (not her real name), whose heart is in Berkeley but is currently keeping her towels in Miami, came out to run this race.

Seriously - someone get this woman a pony!

The course was 3.37 miles long and had a variety of surfaces to run on. There was a nice stretch along San Pablo Bay.

And a fun little bit of single-track that was added just for this race.

Which revealed this pier that I didn't even know existed.

The twin arches made an awesome sight each time we finished a loop. (The 5K and 10K races used the arch on the right while the timed events used the one on the left. This led to a bit of confusion later when some 12 hour runners opted to run one of the 5K races so they could get its unique "blob" medal - after many hours of going through the left arch, they had to remember to end that loop using the right arch. Hi there WHM!)

There were two aid stations - the one in the festival area and this one at about the halfway point of the loop. And that's Eirelav's squeeze Yrrej (not his real name either) working that aid station for the whole 12 hours. (I also liked how the station became a bit migratory, moving to follow the shade as the day wore on.)

Photo by Not-Normal Sirhc. 

We all looked pretty perky early in the race.

The Brazen Sherif and her trusty steed Spokes wandered the trails all day, looking for varmints or slogging. And also putting out a wide variety of motivational signs as the day went on.

The Neraks (not their real names) taking a break. They were part of a three person team, which meant a LOT of time was spent doing quality control on the BBQ. I became intensely jealous of the team concept after about six hours.

The most famous runner there was The Walking Diva, Guinness world record holder for most marathons in a year. I loved that she had a slice of pizza in each hand while out on the trail. I am in total awe!

Ardnassac and Mrs Notthat slowed down and walked a loop with me. Which was all well and good until my arch nemesis, Yram, came up behind us. Yikes!

At the end of Mrs Notthat's loop, she tagged WHM, who clearly had gotten plenty of rest during that slow loop.

Photo by Needs Cool Name.

It was quite sunny and warm during the middle part of the day.

Photo by Alegna (not her real name)

But quite cool at the end. Note that my arch nemesis is photo bombing this picture - but that's OK since I beat her! (Granted, she had a very specific goal and reached it relatively early and could have easily beat me if she wanted, but still; I BEAT HER!)

Photo by Not-Normal Sirhc

The awesome Enitsirhc getting her first 50K done and The Endorphin Dude showing their bling. (The ED was one of those that switched races for one loop just to get that "blob" medal.)

So, yes - this was a timed, looping race. But it was different and a lot of fun. MANY runners hit distance PRs, including many that will be getting their name in Ultrarunning Magazine for the first time! Mrs Notthat managed to get a bit over a marathon distance in 6:13:09 - the longest she has gone since 2010!

A huge thanks to the people at Brazen and all the wonderful volunteers that put in such a long day - everything went flawlessly and and a whole bunch of fun was had by all.

And unlike last year, the medic never looked twice at me (that I know of).

That's it - move along…

PS: You can see more pictures here.