August 18 – that is the date I’m planning to run the Wildwood Trail end to end. I think I’ve been on every part of the trail by now, but not all in one day.
This will be my final big test before the Spartan Ultra at Lake Tahoe on Sept 30. I’m still really looking forward to this big test – 50k of mountain trails and 60+ Spartan obstacles!
I’ve got one 50K under by belt, the Valencia Trail Race on March 31. That race was a blast, testing legs, stomach, and mind. My Brother Bob and I made it through that race in a nice and slow 9:24:29.
For the Wildwood trail run, I will take my time, run as much as I can and really try to dial in my nutrition. I think the Spartan race will be a much bigger energy drain, so nutrition will become even more important.
I’m leaning towards running the Wildwood Trail from North to South and ending up at the zoo and Hoyt Arboretum. Seems more triumphant to end it in the parking lot, by the sign that says “Start of the Wildwood Trail.” Or maybe I’m just backwards?
I’ve got a couple of friends who want to run some parts with me – and I’ll ask for a support car to meet me at about mile 22 with water and food. It should be fun to figure out where and when to meet people. The good news is there is cell service through most of the trail, so texting and calling can help coordinate.
There are a couple of blogs I’ve found that talk about doing this, but I’ve been surprised at how little info there is online.
Here is a pretty good write up by Greg Hickman from his run in 2016. He had a friend run some with him, then drive a car to leapfrog ahead to meet up again. Sounds like they had a nice system going.
Matt Gorski 