We had an amazing day on this route, which is a great way to see both the classic frontside and the lesser-traveled backcountry trails of Santa Barbara in one run. We decided to run unsupported because water sources are plentiful this time of year, and the first mixed-gender team to do this route did it essentially unsupported as well. Running in the clockwise direction allowed us to tackle the biggest climb right away, let us run the flatter backside trails on fresh legs, and gave us an easier final descent to the finish.
A few notes on our route: we took the standard first left turn onto Arroyo Burro from Jesusita, rather than continuing to the paved section farther up the trail. At the bottom of Romero, we took the second (lower) right turn onto the catwalk. We did not use the shortcut on West Fork Cold Springs trail. Finally, we took the brief singletrack section at the top of Inspiration Point rather than using the road. With the exception of the West Fork shortcut, none of these variations add or subtract any significant distance or elevation. Previous attempts on this route have used a combination of different options, so all should be considered valid.