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Submitted by pbrosnan
July 8, 2014
Review
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AS A DESTINATION RACE. Well-organized professional race but comes with the Eastern Sierras as your playground too. This year we came up earlier from San Francisco and stayed longer after . Definitely a photographers vacation spot. We Did some trail hiking (Ansel Adams Wilderness, Devil’s Postpile and the Pacific Crest Trail) and a photo excursion day to Bodie a CA historical Park about 10 miles from Lee Vining and Mono Lake — just north of Mammoth on 395. In Yosemite on the Tioga Pass road, stopped at Saddlebag Lake and Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite for a photo hikes as well.
The 2014 Half course was even better IMHO — by adding a Lake Mary Loop at about mile 2 ; instead of 6 miles straight down hill, you run around the edge of a clear mountain lake. Gave my quads a breather. I still had to walk — I chose the 7 mile marker to actually walk backwards for about 100 steps. I walked some of that slightly uphill mile 12 that seems like to should be so easy but is NOT somehow ….walked but took in the vistas of the mountains. The support was fabulous all along the course, even for the back of the pack. The start included foil insulating wraps — excellent idea because the elevation combined with early morning hour was cool, but the temps were climbing this year. Well- done Mammoth folks!
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Submitted by pbrosnan
June 24, 2013
Review
Outstanding race day support and logistics in an awesome natural setting. Cool weather perfect for running. STUNNING first 5 miles starting Horseshoe Lake at 9,000 feet down past Mary’s lake, Twin Lakes and the Mammoth valley. Did not like the small pieces of out and backs thru some condos and the skate park — maybe straighten out those with some better straightaways or trails . Once again, the people at the start, throughout the entire course (Including the service staff at one of the hotels who came out in their uniforms to cheer on the runners!) and at the finish were the best! Elevation was a killer (!) tho I enjoyed running some of the same course used by the Olympic endurance runners. HIGHLY recommended as a destination race — and you can zip down the road a bit and take in Mono Lake and the Northern Yosemite scene as well.
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Submitted by arlahile
June 24, 2013
Review
Bottom line: Well-organized, medium-sized event (about 1000 finishers), great destination, drop-dead gorgeous course, but don’t expect a PR due to the elevation (start at 9000, end at 7800 ft). Details: option to mail packet, otherwise easy-peasy packet pickup. Gourmet pre-race dinner compared to most pre-race pasta/slop meals. (baked trout, quinoa salad, garnet yams, red and yellow watermelons.) Shuttles to top from several area hotels ran smoothly, plenty of toilets at the start, easy bag drop, coffee and water available as well – nice touch. Note that this is a TOUGH course, if you don’t live or train at elevation, I ran almost 20 min slower than normal (!!) despite working much harder than normal. First 5 miles drops you about 1000 ft in elevation and will trash your quads if you don’t train for it. By mile 6 you’re in town and the course starts to roll a little. At home, those rollers would barely merit any notice, but at 7700 – 7800 ft of elevation they feel like huge mountains, everyone was really sucking air! Most of the people around me (wave 2 out of 5) were walking! However, it’s worth it because this is also a STUNNING course, even the part through town which is mostly on paved bike paths that either run through nice wooded areas or offer beautiful vistas. Probably the most beautiful course I’ve seen, and that includes dozens of half marathons, marathons, and ultras in 13 or 14 states. Recommendation: go early, acclimate, enjoy the area, run the in-town portion of the course so you know what you’re getting into, then relax and take in the scenery while you ponder that your path follows the daily training runs of elites.
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Submitted by charisseb
June 23, 2013
Review
Spectacular views and an EXTREMELY well-organized event. This was my first trip to Mammoth and I’m always nervous about inaugural events. The packet pickup was easy and convenient, pre-race communication was clear, race morning shuttles ran smoothly, and the race started on time with no problems. The course was over 70% fantastic downhill with just a few small hills to keep things interesting. For those who weren’t used to running at 9000 ft. elevation (like me), this race proved to be a bit more challenging than expected. The stunning mountain views, lakes, and greenery made up for all of the walk breaks I had to take to rest my weak sea-level trained legs. By far the best race I’ve participated in bar none… I just wish I’d been strong enough in my elevation running to have gotten a better finish time.
