Featured photo by: Joe Viger
The Tamalpa Headlands 50K will be back this August! As you prepare your summer racing calendar, consider taking part in this historic West Coast ultra on August 19, 2023. The race started in 1998 but hasn’t been held since 2019 due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The course boasts one of the most picturesque trail running landscapes, the Marin County Headlands, which offers hundreds of trails including the Dipsea trail along with world-famous views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco skyline. The proximity to “The City by the Bay,” makes this race an easy one to travel to, and the venue provides participants the chance to get quickly lost in the natural environment of the Marin Headlands.
Writing New Race History
The race’s return is due in large part to support from UltraRunning Magazine and Jeffrey Stern, the magazine’s assistant editor. Stern, who is also an accomplished running coach and professional trail runner for Salomon Running, ran his first ultramarathon at the 2017 Tamalpa Headlands 50K. The race instantly earned a special place in his heart. After reaching out to the owners of the event about the race’s future, the conversation turned into a sponsorship agreement between the race and the magazine. Through this agreement, the race was revived and Stern was given the opportunity to be the new race director.
2016 Tamalpa Headlands 50K. Photo by: Joe Viger
Stern looks forward to directing one of his favorite races, “It’s a world-class loop of so many things, fast fire road running, steep climbs, flowy single track, and technical sections with roots and rocks. It’s a little bit of everything. The views are wonderful. The Pacific Ocean, San Francisco, The Golden Gate Bridge, and the Santos Meadow in Mt. Tamalpais State Park are a few highlights. The race also brings a tight-knit trail community. The atmosphere is incredible and it feels like a mini festival right there on the beach after the race. I remember thinking back in 2017 that this is what ultrarunning is all about. I knew after the race that this was a sport that I wanted to get into. So to have it come full circle, six years later and be race director for this event is a dream come true for me.”
The race has also had a colorful history, serving as a challenge for some of the country’s best trail runners and hosting the USATF 50K Trail Running Championships in 2013, 2015, and 2016. National-class athletes who have competed in this race include Dylan Bowman, Megan Roche, Andy Wacker, Patrick Smyth, Eric Senseman, Tim Frericks, Alex Varner, David Roche, Mario Mendoza, Kasie Enman, Nikki Kimball, Ann Trason, and Krissy Moehle. This race brought together some of the best competition in the West and it will be exciting to see this level return to the event in 2023 and beyond. Current course records are held by Andy Wacker, 3:37:20 (2015), and Megan Roche, 4:20:51 (2016). Should either course record be broken this year by the winners, a $500 incentive will be awarded.
Local legend and 2013 National 50K Trail Champion, Alex Varner, had to say this about the event’s return in 2023, “I’m super excited to see the Headlands 50K back on the race calendar for 2023. It was my first ultramarathon and traverses some of the best trails the Headlands have to offer. I had such a fun experience there so it’s really a welcome development that this is back in action.”
2016 Tamalpa Headlands 50K. Photo by: Joe Viger
A Race For Everyone
Although there is always a strong elite athlete presence at this event, Stern says that in addition to bringing the elites back to this event, he wants to ensure exceptional race experiences from the front to the back of the pack in 2023, “Ultra running and trail running is all about bringing in new people and celebrating the entire field from the front to the back. With that in mind, we not only have a prize purse for the elites (to hopefully entice some some people from around the country to compete) but we are offering age group podium prizes, special mid-pack awards, and what I’m calling my reverse podium back-of-the-pack awards for the last three finishers. There’s also a free kids race, so it’s really an event for the whole family and all runners, no matter who you are. Come and enjoy the Marine Headlands and mountains!”
A $3,500 total prize purse will be split evenly between the men’s and women’s podiums:
1st: $1,000
2nd: $500
3rd: $250
All runners are eligible for course record prize money; USATF membership is not required.
Stern has assisted in organizing small cross country meets through coaching at a local high school, but this will be his first major event as race director. He describes the role and his gratefulness for the volunteers and fellow race organizers who have helped him bring this event back to life in 2023, “I am realizing that it takes a whole village and it’s about more than just the race director when it comes to putting on an event. I don’t want to take credit at all. I might be the director, figurehead or contact point for the race, but when it’s all said and done I’m going to have hundreds of people to thank for helping me put this on. It’s been eye-opening and I’m looking forward to the challenge. Having so many people involved from start to finish will be a super special shared experience.”
2016 Tamalpa Headlands 50K. Photo by: Joe Viger
Interested in learning more about race directing? Check out this incredible story about race director, Briston Rains, who founded Texas Outlaw Running Company at age nineteen, and his tips for new race directors.
Interested in checking out trails in the San Francisco Bay Area? Check out this Falcon Guides title: Best Trail Runs San Francisco authored by ATRA President Adam W. Chase and ATRA Executive Director Nancy Hobbs.
