A few months ago I signed up for a race called the “Dirt Inspires Women Trail 1/2 Marathon.” This year marked the kickoff for the race, and it was a massive success. Three hundred women gathered in Nisene Mark’s State Park in Aptos, CA to run 13.1 miles through a dense redwood forest. The trail follows a fire road mixed in with a fairly technical single track trail; the total elevation gain is 2425′.



The race started in Aptos Village at 8:45 am, and the vibe was supportive, and encouraging with just the right amount of competitiveness. From the village, the route wound up steep hills (a mix of fire road and single track) until mile 8, where it steeply drops into mile 9. After mile 9, the course continues back on the same mix of fire road plus single track that the runners started with, and finishes on a steep down hill back into the village.



The race was serene with hundreds of women storming through the redwood forest like a train. After a few miles it thinned out, and I was able to make friends with women along the way, encouraging and watching out for each other. Coming into the finish line was tough. The steep hill in the beginning of the race definitely took a lot out of me, and as I came close to the finish I had trouble trusting that my legs wouldn’t buckle as they pounded the pavement on a steep 3 mile decent into the chute. I finished on a high, and thoroughly enjoyed my first trail race. You will definitely see me reporting again soon from the trail!