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Mt. Baldy's 43rd Annual Run-To-The-Top

Posted on September 03, 2008 by: Traveler

  • Looking down at registration area.
  • Parking lot and Mt. Baldy Rd. beyond.
  • The line was huge just prior to start time.
  • Late register area.
  • Pre-registration lines.
  • Getting ready.
  • Colors.
  • Up Falls Rd. just past the residences. San Antonio Falls are in the background.
  • Just past first water station. Fire road leading up to Baldy Notch.
  • Runners along fire road.
  • Passing under the ski lift.
  • Almost up to the base area of Mt. Baldy's Ski Resort.
  • Water station at Baldy Notch.
  • The morning marine layer still filled the canyons below.
  • Now the trail passed along some skinny ski runs.
  • Up toward the highest chairlift and the true start of the Devil's Backbone Trail.
  • The Devil's Backbone of Mt. Baldy.
  • The trail snakes off to the left up ahead.
  • Looking down toward the Angeles Crest Highway.
  • Hardest job on the mountain.
  • Looking down toward the canyon that Mt. Baldy Rd. travels up.
  • Traversing the Baldy Bowl area.
  • Summit up ahead.
  • The altitude slowed most competitors to a steady walk.
  • Looking down at the final (steep) section.
  • Twenty yards to finish.
  • No time for rest... it's still four miles back down.
  • Water station at summit.

Closest City: Mt. Baldy
State: California
Country: United States

Memorial Day 2008:

I have hiked up Mt. Baldy from a couple different routes so I figured I would be prepared (mentally anyway) for the terrain that the 43rd Annual Run-To-The-Top would cover. The mountain KICKED MY BUTT!!! We used to joke in the military about going on a "Fun Run" which usually meant a hellacious endeavor. I can't even say I was running to the top of Baldy's 10,064 ft. summit because I didn't make it too far before my pace slowed to a quick stroll. Off and on jogging and walking is how it went for most competitors. I made it up the eight mile route (which rose a little over 4,000 feet) in about 2 hours, 15 minutes. Really though, I entered the race to simply finish so I was happy with my time. Maybe next year I'll actually compete with other competitors. Interesting to note is the fastest time to the summit is held by a teenager... and HER record has stood firm for almost twenty years! I wonder if she still competes in her thirty's???

The route begins at the Mt. Baldy Ski Resort parking lot and travels for about a quarter mile down Baldy Rd. to Falls Rd. Then we began the climb up the, at first improved, road and then connected to fire roads leading up the first four miles to the base of the Mt. Baldy Ski Area (Baldy Notch). Not to confuse, but if you were going to ski this area in winter, you have to take a ski lift from the parking area up to the ski area. There were water stations every two miles so this was the second water station at Baldy Notch. For the next two miles, the course snaked around a couple different ski runs before coming to the out-of-bounds area leading to the Devil's Backbone Trail. Third water station down and the steepest two miles left. The whole time I was getting passed and then passing the same competitors as they slowed down. OK, so maybe more people passed me than I passed up... I already said I was only racing to finish. The final pitch was the steepest and hardest as you have to contend with the altitude. I was pleasantly surprised to see a water station on top with bananas and oranges. The sugar burst was what I needed because there were still four trail miles left. The race was over at this point but I still had to make it back to the complimentary ski lift down from Baldy Notch to the parking lot below.

It was pretty cool to see a couple hundred people on top of a ten thousand foot summit (just a little different than my first time up while hiking the Baldy Bowl Trail in April). There were some serious racers among the group and, not surprisingly, some skipped the ski lift down and ran the full sixteen miles back to their cars.

My legs are still sore two days later (especially my shins from jogging back down), but I can't wait to compete in next year's 44th Annual Run-To-The-Top. See ya there!!    

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Member Comments:

  •  

    Kelsoluski Said...
    Wow, Wayne, this looks super intense but super cool. Makes me want to do Half Dome again...and when I say "DO half Dome" I mean walk it...not run!!

     

  •  

    River Princess Said...
    Ok, so maybe I will actually run with you next year and not spend the night before drinking...

     

  •  

    River Princess Said...
    Ok, so maybe I will actually run with you next year and not spend the night before drinking...

     

  •  

    River Princess Said...
    Ok, so next year I might actually train and do this run with you it does look like it was beautiful.

     

  •  

    River Princess Said...
    Ok, so maybe I will actually run with you next year and not spend the night before drinking...

     

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