The Mystery of Headlands Ninety(?)

[tundradesert]

Thanks for the two pre-race e-mails. Unfortunately they seem to create confusion about the course, and staff posts on the board add some more. I for one wouldn't want this one not to count as a qualifying hundred if it's only 92 miles long.

These trails have been measured countless times; wheel, Google, Garmin, you name it. Google has now encoded a lot of the trails in the Bay Area (including some non-existent ones), so some measurements can be done by a single click. (In the old days, Google used to bury an awful mismatch in the photos right around that SCA Trail area... but I digress.) Everyone is welcome to verify my measurements, for example at gmap-pedometer.com .

1. The course on the map posted here and e-mailed to the runners (Headlands100M 2010 Map.jpg) is about 92 miles. The two portions of yellow are about 4 each, the N portion of pink is about 4, the rest of pink is about 5+ and the blue is about 6 (there is apparently some undercountage going on on that never-used Bridge portion of Coastal, I run it all the time and it's 1.84 km from the E corner of parking lot to SCA).

2. Sarah's post on 30 July in the thread titled "Headlands Hundred Course" (reply #23) seems to suggest that 2+/- miles will somehow be added to that southeast portion of the pink, making the course pretty close to but just short of target (actually given the mentioned undercountage, it'd probably be very close if the pink portion indeed increases by at least 2.0 miles).

3. The instructions mailed to the runners (Race Day Instructions email.docx) contradict both 1 and 2. From these instructions, length will actually be added to the blue, not the pink. I am hard pressed to see how you'd make it 8.0 miles between points that are only 3.2 miles apart, but one can always run loopy-loops. (It is in the mileages that are in these instructions that I see the above-mentioned undercountage on Coastal by the Bridge.)

Sorry I didn't post this earlier, I had trust in the "accurately measured distances". I'm looking forward to running myself if the state of health allows, and should the course remain as on the posted map, and should I still be in fighting spirits, I'd most certainly look for a way to get in these missing miles in somehow, on permitted trails.

P.S. To whoever asked about climb/elevations in Reply #30 to the Headlands Hundred Course thread, I happen to have a large set (dozens of runs) of barometric altimeter measurements under all sorts of atmospheric conditions over all of these trails. I used to correct Wendell with the climb numbers regularly (until we converged in about 2007). Perhaps for the next Hundred I can compile the climb/elevation list if only I know the course in advance, as a public service announcement (but perhaps the necessary data is already accessible somewhere). Numbers posted by Coach Ken are in the ballpark but quite on the low side.

[coachken]

It's my understanding that the course was wheeled. I believe it was wheeled a second time after H50 when people whined about the course being too hard!!! Can you imagine?!?!? Whining ultra runners!!!! Just when you think you've seen it all...

After consulting with the Olmsted brothers, my best guess is that the course clocks in at 24.6 miles. This doesn't factor in where the AS's actually are. If the Muir AS, for instance, isn't at the bottom of coastal; that will add distance. Personally, I trust Olmsted more than Google or my Garmin. I'm pretty sure Olmsted would have surveyed the area... The question that begs to be asked, however, is this: Should anyone trust my map reading skills?!?!?

Sarah and Michael have a reputation to uphold here. Let's trust them on this one. If they say the course is 100m, they honestly believe it's 100m. I'm sure any other RD would take their word at face value. I want to use HH as a WS qualifier myself.

All that aside, I'm really with Guest (you sick puppy!) on re-routing the course up Miwok/ Wolf Ridge!!!! ;D
pctrailruns.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1025

Hope you're all resting well today!!!!

All Day!
~Ken

[tundradesert]

I just measured everything in Google. I assumed the TV aid is at the E corner of the parking lot (doesn't matter where exactly for the total measurements), Muir aid is where the start/finish usually is for the Muir run, Bridge aid is at the E corner of the lot (yields maximum distance), and Cronkhite aid is where it always is. I assumed start is at the gate, not where the tents are usually set up. The very first segment is then 0.1 km shorter. I also assumed we use Miwok Cutoff and I did use the recently modified routing of Old Springs (not visible in the photo).

I get:

Cronkhite to TV: 6.6 km
TV to Muir via Miwok: 6.3 km
Muir to TV via Coastal: 6.5 km
TV to Bridge aid: 8.3 km
Bridge aid to Cronkhite: 9.3 km

Total is 37.0 km, which is 23.0 miles. You'll get maybe 0.2 km added by not using the Cutoff. Sorry I don't see any more distance.

There is no reason not to trust Google in this area, nor to expect a wheel to be a better measurement. Google distances agree with historic PCTR segment measurements to one past the decimal, I checked. Of course if the trails are not visible under tree cover, the wheel is your best bet (not in the Headlands).

[Bob L]

Where do you have the muir aid station? Based on the crew directions, and the map (which has changed in the last couple of days) it doesn't appear to be in the parking lot but further down the road. Also what did you use for the golden gate bridge? Which parking lot? According to the changes to the map and the crew directions its down on the water now.

[tundradesert]

If the Muir aid is further along the road that connects the beach parking lot with Highway 1, that would certainly make the course longer, but the measurements for yellow and the N portion of pink in Race Day Instructions email.docx stop making sense. Mine agree with them (within 0.1 miles; total of yellow and N pink agrees completely).

If the Bridge aid is further down from the road towards the water, that'd mean someone got a favor from Homeland Security and the Bridge District. The road from the one lot that is just W of the N end towards the water is not open to motorized traffic.

If the aid station is actually in the parking lot EAST of the N end of the Bridge (where the tour buses park, not where the bicyclists park as I had assumed based on the original map), that would make the Blue longer but also make the SE portion of pink considerably longer than the 5.0 miles announced in Race Day Instructions email.docx .

[tundradesert]

I seem to start to get it. There is a lot of confusing and contradicting last-minute information, as well as bad maps, which is frankly not something one has grown to expect of PCTR.

If one can trust the latitude/longitude coordinates in HH%20Crew%20Directions.jpg , then the Bridge aid is not in any parking lot, nor is it at Vista Point. It is in Fort Baker. The north Vista Point is not in Fort Baker. (Moreover, if one takes the exit named Vista Point, s/he will end up in the Vista parking lot and not in Ft. Baker; the walk is quite long from one to the other.) So, calling the aid station Vista Point is at best confusing. This aid placement makes both the blue and the pink longer, the pink becomes considerably longer than the 5.0 miles announced.

The coordinates given for the Muir aid place it at the end of Coastal, which makes the course shorter, shorter than the measurements in Race Day Instructions email.docx . The verbal directions seem to match the coordinates.

Hold on for the revised measurements... they certainly ain't like anything in Race Day Instructions email.docx or HH_Aid%20Station%20Distances.pdf ...

[Guest1]

Aug 6, 2010 15:20:09 GMT -5 coachken said:

I'm really with Guest (you sick puppy!) on re-routing the course up Miwok/ Wolf Ridge!!!! ;D
pctrailruns.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1025

~Ken

HTFU, Coach Ken. btw, good luck in the HURT lottery.

[Guest1]

Aug 6, 2010 13:02:46 GMT -5 tundradesert said:

3. The instructions mailed to the runners (Race Day Instructions email.docx) contradict both 1 and 2. From these instructions, length will actually be added to the blue, not the pink. I am hard pressed to see how you'd make it 8.0 miles between points that are only 3.2 miles apart

I speculate that they're planning on going up Miwok from Rodeo Valley to Wolf Ridge and down Coastal to RB. It'd be 8.0 miles on blue from Vista Point at the Conzelman crossing/trailhead. It's also 5.1 miles from TV to Vista Point at Conzelman.

[coachken]

btw, good luck in the HURT lottery.

Thanks a lot!!!! There's one more level of excitement added to tomorrow's event! I think there's 6 of us running... I'm sure we'll all be asking Michael if he has web access!!! ;D

All Day!
~Ken

[tundradesert]

Moving the Bridge aid to the end of the P-shaped pier in Ft. Baker adds exactly 1.00 km each way. Moving the Muir aid to the point specified by the coordinates in HH%20Crew%20Directions.jpg subtracts 125 m each way.

Cronkhite to TV: 6.6 km
TV to Muir via Miwok: 6.2 km
Muir to TV via Coastal: 6.3 km
TV to Bridge aid: 9.3 km
Bridge aid to Cronkhite: 10.3 km

Total: 38.7 km---about halfway to the goal (need 40.2 km).

I guess chances are that the aid is further east in Ft. Baker, that the Muir aid is actually more N on the Coastal---Highway 1 connector, and that the Cutoff is not used. All of these will add more distance (specifically, no Cutoff adds 0.3 km).

[tundradesert]

Guest1 said:

I speculate that they're planning on going up Miwok from Rodeo Valley to Wolf Ridge and down Coastal to RB. It'd be 8.0 miles on blue from Vista Point at the Conzelman crossing/trailhead. It's also 5.1 miles from TV to Vista Point at Conzelman.

Nothing in the pre-event info mentions the Vista Point on Conzelman. Several signs point at the Vista Point just E of the N end of the Bridge, which is contradicted by the coordinates which place it in Ft. Baker (nowhere near Conzelman).

[tundradesert]

Guest1 said:

I speculate that they're planning on going up Miwok from Rodeo Valley to Wolf Ridge and down Coastal to RB.

Also, full and accurate info (well in advance, as much as is practically possible) is a lot better than speculations. PCTR has so far been good at providing this info, as opposed to some run organizers whose approach is more like "Map? what map? it's out there, just follow the streamers and don't ask too many questions". For example, the Vermont 100 course has been in the high 80's/low 90's for a long while, until people actually started to ask questions.

[Guest1]

Aug 6, 2010 18:00:39 GMT -5 tundradesert said:

Guest1 said:

I speculate that they're planning on going up Miwok from Rodeo Valley to Wolf Ridge and down Coastal to RB. It'd be 8.0 miles on blue from Vista Point at the Conzelman crossing/trailhead. It's also 5.1 miles from TV to Vista Point at Conzelman.

Nothing in the pre-event info mentions the Vista Point on Conzelman. Several signs point at the Vista Point just E of the N end of the Bridge, which is contradicted by the coordinates which place it in Ft. Baker (nowhere near Conzelman).

I'm just looking at the aid station distances posted on the website. 5.0 mi for TV to VP and 8.0 mi from VP to RB.

I'm not running tomorrow but I hope they end up adding one more 1,000' climb up Wolf Ridge. The prior course had basically 5 major climbs (Wolf Ridge, Pirates Cove, Coyote Ridge, Marincello, Rodeo Valley to SCA). The current, rerouted course has 4 major climbs since it doesn't drop down Bobcat and climb back up Rodeo Valley.

Deserttundra, are you saying that Vermont was short when I ran it years ago? That sucks!!

[Bob L]

I would count the climb from Vista Point back up to the top of SCA as a major climb, depending on how far down we go (which according to the crew directions is next to some pier on the waterfront).

[guest1]

Aug 6, 2010 18:53:31 GMT -5 @Bob L said:

I would count the climb from Vista Point back up to the top of SCA as a major climb, depending on how far down we go (which according to the crew directions is next to some pier on the waterfront).

I totally agree, if it goes down to the waterfront. Very cool aid station, too.