Coyote Two Moon - behind the scenes

Today a very nice runner told me I needed to update my blog, so here ya go, Mark! :)

Before getting to the primary focus of this post, let me say that my latest "adventure" didn't quite pan out. The good news is it was the result of the (freak!) weather and not injury. So, I spent a day or so feeling sorry for myself and then got over it. I will return to complete what I started and will provide a full report then.

The weather here, on the other hand, has been absolutely GORGEOUS!! I love California in the winter and feel so fortunate to be living here. :)

Chris and I (mostly RD Chris) have been super busy getting ready for Coyote Two Moon 100m/100k next weekend. As you can see from the schedule, C2M is no ordinary ultra (!), with prerace get-togethers--running, bowling, partying--beginning Wednesday, with the main event beginning on Friday (for some) and going through Easter morning. The rest of the program is here. Being a Chris Scott event, it is of course unique. Okay, maybe I'm a bit biased, but no one would argue its creativity and ingenuity. Probably the most differentiating feature is the staggered start based on estimated finish times, with everyone--in theory--finishing within a four-hour window. That means the fast guys will be trying to catch everyone ahead of them throughout the entire race while the slower runners get first dibs on the aid station yummies. You can read more about the staggered start on the program. It will be very interesting to see how it all pans out!

We have some Big Dogs entered, including perennial Hardrocker/Wasatcher Betsy Nye, VHTRC standout Derrick Carr, my ultra hero Eric Clifton, 2007 W$ winner Hal Koerner, 2007 VT winner Andy Jones-Wilkins, 2006 Ultrarunner of the Year Karl Meltzer, rock-star Grand Slammer Hiroki Ishikawa, consistent top 10'er Justin Angle, and sub-24 Wasatcher Roch Horton in the 100 miler. The 100k roster boasts the likes of my other ultra hero, Pat Devita, Amy Sproston, David Goggins, Tom Nielson, Josh Brimhall, and Tracy "Snake Legs" Moore.

Big dogs aside, Coyote Two Moon is less about "The Race" and more about camaradarie in the dirt, part Coyote Fourplay (RIP), part a new and different challenge. The mountains above Ojai are spectacular, with some surprisingly kick-ass climbs. In my opinion, the only harder 100s out there are Barkley, Hardrock, and maybe HURT.

We are anxiously anticipating the festivities of the coming week and welcome all the runners, friends, and families. And a HUGE thank you to all the folks who are--and have been--coming out to volunteer, especially the Zombies, Gillian and Don (who put in about 1,000 person hours). We couldn't do it without you.

Here's a little visual as to what we've been up to the past few months in preparation for C2M...


Course marker party! We are trying something new here, too: both regular surveyor's and reflective tape tied to wooden clothespins, to be reused year after year. That's me (having tied one too many markers), Jeanne, Wild Bill, Ben, and Sook.

Checking out the start/finish area, Rancho Grande, with (front row) the twins, Marla, Gretchen (these four will be doing the Thacher aid station), and (back row) Bill, Mark, H'ard, moi, Drew, and Jack.
The same group as the previous shot clearing trail... Heehee, kidding. :p

Shoveling SNOW on 3/15! There was one pesky section of the ridge road that receives very little wintertime sun. Consequently, about 1/4 mile of hardpacked snow was exceedingly slow in melting, so we finally took matters into our own hands and chopped and shoveled our way through. The snow wouldn't have been a big deal for the runners, but the ability to drive between our on-ridge aid stations made clearing the way for vehicles essential. (And, no, as a matter of fact, we didn't have any qualms about utilizing child labor.) That's (front row), Otto, Otis, me, and (back row) Mike, Chuck, Mark, Brian, Cecil, Debbie, H'ard, and Bill. Chris took most of these photos so he's not in any of them. We did a great job clearing the road!

Bill, Laurie, and I slog back up the Horn Canyon Trail after doing the final brushing out and treadwork on this badly overgrown trail. This is the most technically challenging of all the different trails on the course; just ask Bruce Grant. We did a total of three work trips on just this trail, with a rough estimate of 240 person hours!

While dropping off water at the ridge aid stations, our vehicles got stuck in the snow twice and sustained two flat tires! Sorry about that, H'ard and Mark.

The Patagonia order arrives! We came home one afternoon to all these boxes on the front porch. If only the neighbors realized the value of the contents... (O_O) All this stuff had to be sorted and reconciled before being brought to the stitchers and the screeners, then resorted and re-reconciled for bag stuffing. Yes, the house is a total mess.

Good luck to all the runners this weekend!