Dipsea: The Greatest Race

The Dipsea course is unsurpassed in beauty. The seven miles between Mill Valley and Stinson Beach, just north of San Francisco's Golden Gate, cross salmon-filled creeks, virgin redwood forests, meadows high on Mount Tamalpais, the haunting Steep Ravine in ocean side grasslands. Its unspoiled terrain has changed little; a runner from the first Dipsea in 1905 could find his way today. There is danger. The race starts with the infamous 676 steps. Much of the way is root-covered, rocky, and steep. Passing must be done on narrow stretches barely wide enough for one. Injuries are commonplace. Suicide, Dynamite, Cardiac, Swoop and Slash are aptly named course sections. The Dipsea's unique handicapping system has made champions of pre-teen boys and girls, men in their 60's, women in their 50's and 'ordinary' runners who had extraordinary days. Unlike other races, runners are free to choose any route between the start and finish. Course knowledge has often meant the dif