Mother Nature Turns it On at ‘Dirt Inspires’ Half Marathon
When a running race is set in as spectacular a setting as Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos, the experience outcome for a whole lot of veteran and newbie trail runners is predictable – epic! Even if we took away the challenging single track sections, the tough climbs, steep descents, multiple creek crossings and all the great good at the finish line – we’d still have a lovely trot through a spectacular redwood forest, on dirt, and that would be… just enough.
Thanks to all participants for making this event memorable and for all of your continued amazing feedback these past couple days! Here’s what a few participants had to say about their experience in the woods this year:
“I have run over 20 races in the last 2 years and this course was, if not my favorite, close to it!!!”
“It was a wonderful balance of single trail, fire roads and rolling hills. The river crossings were fun!”
“The location is hard to beat…”
“I love trails and getting dirty is a passion I am passing on to my daughter who ironically loves water!… I am an individual who feels strongly about nature (mother) and that we all need to tread lightly but tread nonetheless…. My daughter, nearly 4, asked if she could get dirty and run with me one day. This event has inspired me to do just that keep trail fit so we can run together.”
“This is by far the most beautiful and inspirational half I’ve ever done and I’ve done it both years. It’s like a Fairy Tale run – going deeper and deeper into the forest. I felt like Snow White.”
“I’m definitely looking forward to next year and plan to drag more ladies with me through the dirt! Truly inspiring day!”
In the end we give credit to all of the incredible volunteers, the pro race announcing of Eric Gilsenan, the precision organization of Penni and Tim at Finish Line Productions, or all of the top notch support from our sponsors, BUT in Dirty races, Mother Nature will always take center stage for a humans excellent experience. She’s just that good.
Continue to Get Dirty and Get Inspired! We’ll see you out on the trails…