Old Goat's 50 Mile Trail Race

Ben Hian shatters the course record at the Old Goat 50 Mile Trail Race

Ben Hian (40) is back on the trails in Southern California and he announced his return with authority at the Old Goat 50 Mile Trail Race. Ben ran a 7:51:14 on what is arguably the most arduous course in California, taking twenty-seven minutes off the course record set by Akos Konya in 2008. Tracy Moore who finished second to Hian also came in ten minutes under the record. Both Ben and Tracy are members of the San Diego Bad Rats. The Rats took the first four places.

Ben was on the return from the mountain top turn-around when he saw Tracy only minutes behind. Ben later said when he saw Tracy he thought “Why did it have to be him? “– Of anyone in the field, Ben knew Tracy, a fellow San Diego Rat, was capable of blistering the last fifteen down-hill miles. With aid stations every two and a half miles on the return route both men discarded their extra gear at Gary and Pam’s Hilliard’s Aid station and put the hammer down. The last three miles of the Goat drop a 1000’ and many races have been lost after a tumble on the rocky truck trail… Tracy claimed he put everything he had on the line but couldn’t close the gap… He didn’t catch Ben but he leaped across the line overjoyed at also beating the course record. One hour later two more Rats finished. Scott Mills (57) and Jonas Hansen (32) tied in 9:16:09, but because this race respects old age, Scott took third and Jonas had to settle for the first ‘Kids’ award.

The women’s field was left wide open when Keira Henninger decided to forgo another Old Goat and Maria Petzold blew out a knee two weeks before at a 50K. That left Michelle Barton 9:58:26 with little competition – she enjoyed a wide lead over the second woman Theresa Apodaca. The third place woman Gretchen Evaul is now the only woman who has completed all of the Old Goat 50’s - only two more to go for the Old Goat belt buckle!

Oh my – I’ve died and gone to heaven. That’s what most of the 107 runners who started the Old Goat’s 50 Mile Trail Race were thinking when they arrived at the 35 mile Aid Station atop Santiago Peak. Members of the So Cal Trail Headz running club were dressed in wings and halos, and dispensed aid while Jean Ho, another Headz, played a concert harp. A far cry from the Hendrix riffs being blasted out at miles 21 and 47.

The runners had another reason to believe they were near the pearly gates – they had just completed a 4000’ continuous climb over the previous 7.5 miles. The Old Goat has earned its reputation for being one of the hardest… but, what is considered a ‘problem’ in any other venue is looked on as an opportunity by ultrarunners. The Goat gives them that opportunity to run what Ambrose Fisher described in his thank you e-mail as an “awesomely miserable” course. He is returning in 2010.

Another difference in this year's Old Goat was the addition of two full aid stations out in the wilderness. Shelli Sexton, a veteran Tevis Cup rider packed her horses with enough aid for two hundred runners and started out into the darkness at 5:00am. She was later joined by two volunteers who ran and marked the course in front of the early starters. Instead of one aid station in the first twenty miles there were three.

Michelle, Molly, and Alexa - Three members of the Headz cool their Bottoms on the last remaining snow on Santiago Peak!

Eighty-eight runners crossed the finish line and received their goat medals and membership into the exclusive Society of Old Goats (previously reserved only for runners over 50 who had completed a 50 Miler). The oldest goat inducted this year was 70 on race day and the youngest had to show ID to partake in the post race refreshments.