The Dipsea Race is a trail running event in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

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. It is the oldest cross-country trail running event and one of the oldest foot races of any kind—in the United States. The 7.5 mile (12 km) long Dipsea Race has been held annually almost every year since November 19, 1905, starting in

Mill Valley Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 census. Mill Valley is located on the western and ...

, and finishing at

Stinson Beach Stinson Beach is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, on the west coast of the United States. Stinson Beach is located east-southeast of Bolinas, at an elevation of . The population of the St ...

, in

Marin County Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...

. Since 1983, the race has been held on the second Sunday in June. The Dipsea celebrated its 111th running on Sunday, June 12, 2022.

History

In 1904, the Dipsea Inn opened on a sandspit north of Willow Camp (later

), built in anticipation of tourists arriving on proposed rail extensions. After opening, it was visited by a group of

Olympic Club The Olympic Club is an sports club, athletic club and private social club in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. First named the "San Francisco Olympic Club", it is the oldest sports club, athletic club in the United States. Established o ...

members , including, Charles Boas, and Alfons Coney, who had a cabin near Muir Woods. Someone proposed racing from Mill Valley to the Inn. Coney and Boas, took up the challenge, setting off on a day in 1904, with bets placed by Club members (Fastest from the train depot at Lyton Square in Mill Valley, to the newly opened Dipsea Inn). Boas won. On a rainy November 19, 1905, the first Dipsea Race was held, on a 7.4-mile course, with 110 runners, by members of the San Francisco

, from the Mill Valley train depot to the then-new Dipsea Inn, on a sand spit now called Seadrift, in the

Bolinas Lagoon Bolinas Lagoon is a tidal estuary, approximately in area, located in the West Marin region of Marin County, California, United States, adjacent to the town of Bolinas. It is a part of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. In 1974, ...

between

and Bolinas, taking place annually, only being cancelled a few times in its history: 1932-1933 due to the race not being able to earn enough funds to be financially viable due to the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, 1942-1945 due to

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, and 2020 due to the

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. In 1977, the race was almost cancelled as the previous year saw an overwhelming number of participants due to the

running boom of the 1970s The running boom of the 1970s occurred in high- and middle-income countries. It was particularly pronounced in the United States and occurred in other countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and in Europe. The boom was primar ...

- the local government was worried about overcrowding and also did not want to close down nearby streets. The Marin County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to cancel the race until changes could be made. The race ended up being delayed and held in October instead. A “Women’s Dipsea Hike” (called a "hike" to avoid an AAU ban on women’s long-distance races.) took place 1918-1922. In 1907, the final run on the sand was eliminated. In 1983, the race date was changed to the second Sunday in June. The course of the trail was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2010, as Dipsea Trail. Due to the

, the Race committee announced that the 2020 Dipsea Race would be cancelled for the first time since 1945. The committee later announced that the 110th race would be postponed from June to November 2021.

Course

The Dipsea is well known for its scenic course and challenging trails. The race starts on Throckmorton Avenue in Mill Valley, near Miller Avenue, in front of the old train depot (now a bookstore). After traversing a few blocks in Mill Valley's downtown, runners climb 688 stairs (now 700 stairs, after the renovation of the middle section in Nov 2017) leading up the side of

Mount Tamalpais Mount Tamalpais (; ; Miwok languages, Miwok: ''Támal Pájiṣ''), known locally as Mount Tam, is a mountain, peak in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tama ...

, and then pass through Muir Woods National Monument, Mount Tamalpais State Park, and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Dipsea Trail is the most direct route connecting the town of Mill Valley, located near the northwestern shores of Richardson Bay, with the village of Stinson Beach, situated along the

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. Stinson Beach is a popular tourist destination, located about a 30-minute drive north of San Francisco on

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, via the

Golden Gate Bridge The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California—the northern tip of the San Francisco Pen ...

. The ascent over the southern shoulder of Mount Tam reaches its apex around the top of Cardiac Hill, about 4.5 miles into the race. Among the challenges facing participants are the Dipsea Trail's uneven footing, single-track

footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide ...

s, and almost invariably steep terrain, featuring about 2,200-foot (671 m) elevation gain and loss over the course. The uniqueness of the Dipsea Race course owes largely to the opportunity for competitors to choose from any of several alternate routes on diverging and converging trails, adding a competitive premium for strategy, experience, and familiarity with the course.

Course mileage

Race details and champions

The Dipsea's

handicapping Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which th ...

system often produces younger or older winners, which adds to the unusual intrigue and suspense created by the race's permissible shortcuts, like 'Suicide' and 'The Swoop'. Most participants, with the exception of 'scratch' runners, are given a head start based on their age and gender. The oldest and youngest runners are given up to a 25-minute advantage over the fastest competitors, making it possible for virtually any age group to produce a race winner; previous winners include children as young as 8, and men and women as old as 72. Dipsea Race Jack Kirk 2004

Because of the nature of the course, the field of competitors is limited to 1,500. It is a popular race, and thousands of people apply for entry every year. This makes it difficult for people, particularly those who have never run it before, to get accepted into the race. As of June 2022, the defending champion is 29-year-old Eddie Owens, in his first Dipsea victory. The previous twelve champions are Mark Tatum (2021), Brian Pilcher (2019, 2016, 2015, 2009), Chris Lundy (2018, 2017), Diana Fitzpatrick (2013, 2014), Hans Schmid (2012), Jamie Rivers (2007, 2011), Reilly Johnson (age 8, 2010), Roy Rivers (2008), Melody-Anne Schultz (1999, 2003, 2006) Russ Kiernan (1998, 2002, 2005), Shirley Matson (2004, 2001, 2000, 1993) and Sal Vasquez (1982–1985, 1990, 1994, 1997). Jack Kirk, known as the 'Dipsea Demon', holds the record of most consecutive competitions in the Dipsea, having finished 67 consecutive Dipseas from 1930 until 2002. (There was no official Dipsea Race in 1932 or 1933, due to economic reasons, nor in 1942–1945 due to World War II.) Kirk finished his last complete race in 2002. He started but did not finish in 2003, but did reach the highest elevation, at the top of "Cardiac Hill," at the age of 96. He is the oldest person to have competed in the race. Kirk died on January 29, 2007, at age 100. Jack's story was documented in the 2004 film "The Dipsea Demon"

Other races on the Dipsea Trail

Two other races use the same course route: the Double Dipsea, held in late June, and the Quad Dipsea, an

ultramarathon An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...

, which takes place in late November. Despite the use of the Dipsea name, these two races are not officially affiliated with the Dipsea Race.

Double Dipsea

The Double Dipsea is a 13.7-mile (22 km) run usually held on the Saturday thirteen days after the Dipsea. Now organized by the Dolphin South End Running Club,

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icon

Walt Stack Walt Stack (September 28, 1908 – January 19, 1995) was a hod carrier by trade and an icon of the San Francisco, California running community. Stack ran approximately in his lifetime. Even in his 70s and 80s, Stack ran many more marathons and ul ...

put together the first Double Dipsea race in 1970.

Quad Dipsea

The Quad Dipsea is a 28.4-mile (45.7 km) trail ultra, held annually in November on the Saturday following

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. The Quad starts and finishes in Mill Valley, following the Dipsea Trail westward to Stinson Beach, out-and-back twice over the same course as the Dipsea Race and the Double Dipsea. The race has 9,276 feet (2,827 m) of both climb and descent. First held in 1983 with only 8 runners, the race is now limited to about 250 runners.

In popular culture

The 1986 movie '' On the Edge'', without using the name "Dipsea", revolves around a race that is unmistakably the Dipsea Race. It stars

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has often played supporting villainous characters of unstable natures. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver B ...

as a runner obsessed with the race. It is often described as the race where you are "either the hunter or the hunted" where mental toughness is required to overcome not only the 700 steps, the drop into Muir Woods, the Suicide shortcut, and Dynamite and Cardiac hills, but also the handicapped times.

Notes

External links

''Dipsea Race'' Official website

Dipsea Race news
– '' Marin Independent Journal''
''Double Dipsea'' Official website

''Quadruple Dipsea'' Official website

(with pictures) * Raymond Coyne (1896-1978)
Dipsea photos (1918-1922)
at Mill Valley Historical Society * Raymond Coyne (1896-1978)
Dipsea photos (1918-1922)
at CaliforniaRevealed.org * Raymond Coyne (1896-1978)
Dipsea photos (1918-1922)
by ''California Revealed'' at

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{{authority control Foot races in California Cross country running competitions Long-distance running competitions Golden Gate National Recreation Area Mill Valley, California Mount Tamalpais Sports in Marin County, California Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area Recurring sporting events established in 1905 1905 establishments in California Recurring sporting events established in 1983 1983 establishments in California Tourist attractions in Marin County, California Cross country running in California