Do more than live

“So if you’re dreaming about California,  It don’t matter at all where you played before, California’s a brand new game”

– All the Gold in California by Larry Gatlin and The Gatlin Brothers

There as so many interesting locales for a running vacation around the World.  Several books on this subject have been published, including Kimi Puntillo’s Great Races, Incredible Places – 100+ Fantastic Runs Around the World which has been reviewed here on Monumental Effort.  But arguably, the Mecca for running destinations in North America is the beautiful state of California.  Whenever I do research to determine my racing schedule, each year I seem to be drawn to races in The Golden State.  Of course there is the granddaddy of ultra races, The Western States Endurance Run, which appears on most ultra runners “Must do” lists.

Two-time WS 100 Champ, Hal Koerner crossing the American River

Unfortunately, I have yet to be selected in the WS100 sweepstake but I will attempt to run a qualifier and continue applying to the lottery for as long as it takes.  I have been fortunate however to visit California on more than one occasion and I have even had to pleasure of running there.

Each year the biggest and most competitive ultra races are held in California.  The aforementioned WS100, along with Miwok 100K, the American River 50-miler, Way Too Cool 50K and San Diego’s 24-hour are usually amid the most attended races in their respective distances and perhaps draw the most competitive fields.  According to Ultra Running magazine’s annual “Big List”, nearly one-third of the Top 100 Ultras each year are held in California.  In 2008 there were over 7000 finishers of ultra events in California.  Texas was second in this particular report with 1758 finishers but with the cancellation of the SunMart Trail Endurance Runs, this number has definitely dropped considerably since.

source: UltraRunning, March 2009, page 37

Moreover, California counts 64 marathons including one of the most desired courses, the Big Sur Marathon, along with two of the most popular marathons:  the Los Angeles Marathon (6^th largest in the US in 2009 with 14,128 finishers)and San Diego’s Rock n’ Roll Marathon (7^th with 13,328 finishers). This trend does not only apply to marathons and ultras.  The website www.runningintheusa.com lists 836 total races of various distances in California, by far the most of any state.  Furthermore, there are over 150 different running clubs in California.  Texas once again comes in second with a measly 79 clubs.

Big Sur Bridge

So what makes California such a runner’s paradise?

Population and Demographics: With a population of approximately 37 million, there are as many people in the state of California as there are in all of Canada.  California is the most populous state and this amount represents roughly 9% of the entire U.S. population.  It is also the fastest growing state with a relatively young population.  Nearly 25% of its population is under the age of twenty-five.  With such a large population base, this inevitably translates into greater demand and more participation in almost everything including running.

Geography and Climate: California is America’s 3^rd largest State with an area of 423,971 Km² (163,696 square miles), but its geography and climate are much more diverse and hospitable than both Alaska and Texas who are bigger.  In terms of diversity, we find in this state the highest (Mount Whitney at 4,425m or 14,505ft above sea level) and lowest (Death Valley at 85.5m or 282ft below sea level) geographical points of the contiguous United States.  Interestingly, parts of both of these regions are tackled in the grueling Badwater 135 run!  California also has dozens upon dozens of mountain ranges, thousands of kilometers of scenic coastline, a number of arid deserts, lush valleys and majestic forests with some of the tallest and oldest trees in North America.  With this kind of topographical variety on such a large area, we invariably find numerous State Parks (http://www.parks.ca.gov) and countless trail systems (http://www.californiatrails.org) to explore.

As for temperature, California is blessed with an assortment of different climates from mild Mediterranean in Northern California to subtropical conditions in the low-lying central inland valleys.  With the exception of the high-altitude mountain summits, the mercury rarely dips below freezing in California.  How great would it be to cast away your tights and toques to run outdoors in shorts and t-shirt year-round?

All this said, California is not immune to political and social strife or to natural disasters such as earthquakes and wildfires.  Also, with such a large population, California obviously has many big cities which inevitably leads to unemployment, poverty, crime, and violence.   I consider myself a proud Canadian and I am very thankful to be living in this great country, but if you are in need of a holiday and would like to include a race during your getaway, I strongly suggest exploring California.  With so much to chose from, you will certainly find a venue to suit your needs and interests.  I personally plan on -and very much look forward to- returning to California in order to run some of the “classics” but I also intend on exploring some of the more obscure races and places.  I understand that there are many fascinating and beautiful destinations right here in Canada, but a strong Canadian dollar coupled with airfare from Buffalo to most U.S. destinations considerably lower than flying within our country, I am encouraged to continue seeking out races south of the boarder.

Vince at Miwok

If you have run in California, we would love to hear your M.E. story about it.  We have already received accounts of WS100, but perhaps you have experienced a different race or destination.  What do you recommend in California?  Please share your adventures by posting a comment or submitting a report.

Gotta run, Vince

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