santa cruz river crossing

[tomowens]

hey is there an aid station after you cross or can you have someone there with dry shoes.

[jfriend]

I'm also wondering about the river crossing. For a first time runner of the 21k who's just trying to enjoy the run, avoid any injuries,and am not worried about my finish time, what is the conservative method of handling the river crossing:

1) Don't worry about it. Just run through it and your shoes/socks will dry quickly with no possibility of blisters or anything like that.

2) Remove shoes/socks before crossing, go across slowly and carefully in bare feet, then put shoes/socks back on after the crossing.

3) Run through the water, but carry an extra pair of dry socks if issues develop.

4) Other?

Any advice on a conservative way of handling the river crossing when finish time is not important will be appreciated.

[mmcnicho]

I have run the race a couple times:

First time, I took off my shoes and socks waded across and put my shoes back on on the opposite bank. But it is impossible to do this without getting your feet dirty, and there is nowhere to really sit on the far bank. So i ended up spending alot of time doing this, and I still had wet, and now dirty, feet.

Second year, I just ran thru the river, and after a couple of minutes your feet dry out, and they stay far cleaner this way too. Also it is far better to have wet feet, than sand or grit in your socks which will abrade.

I recommend just running thru the river, and enjoy the novelty of it.

-mike

[Pacific Coast Trail Runs]

Sept 23, 2010 0:10:46 GMT -5 mmcnicho said:

I recommend just running thru the river, and enjoy the novelty of it.

-mike

I think that your experiences are typical, Mike - and that your response is perfect.

[wow]

water is good for you.

[Pacific Coast Trail Runs]

It's supposed to be about 80 degrees in Santa Cruz on Saturday - those river crossings are gonna feel SO good!!

[Michael]

I've run this multiple times and I also recommend just keeping your shoes on. Another trick is to make sure you don't directly follow someone through the stream. If you do, the silt they kick up winds up in your shoes. Your best bet is to pick a "pristine" route.