What a sweet, sweet lollipop of a route! I'm stoked to be submitting the first time for the lady cats.
"First Crack Trail" (the left .7 off of Sullivan, which apparently has other names by locals depending on if you run or MTB) was a haul. Shit gets steep! But you know West Mandeville Fire Road's chiller uphill is waiting for you. The final push to the Nike Missile Tower was tough-- but the stretch on Mulholland to the crazy goat path that drops you back into the canyon is a morale booster. After a big week of fitness and no rest leading up to this run, I was happy with how fast my legs were able to carry me from this point to the finish-- minus the grueling final pavement climb back to the fence before killing my watch.
To my fellow trail running women-- can't wait to see what beast times get dropped on this marvelously challenging 9.6 mile course!