Heavenly Runs at Mount Diablo 25k
June 8, 2009 by Bryon Powell · 64 Comments
This past weekend the La Sportiva Mountain Cup (iRF’s LSMC coverage) headed clear across the country for the Mount Diablo 25k run just a few miles east of Oakland, California. There on the flanks of the aptly-named Mount Diablo the LSMC participants would face an even greater challenge than they did last week at the Rock2Rock Run – 4,450′ of elevation gain in just 25k. Fortunately, unseasonable cool temperatures beneath a marine layer set the stage for course record crushing performances… but with the talent being attracted to the LSMC races that’s becoming the trend regardless of the weather!
Mount Diablo 25k elevation profile (click to enlarge)With the bump up in distance Tom Haxton of Philadelphia stepped up his game. He won the Mount Diablo race after finishing 6th at the Rock2Rock Run. Haxton beat out last week’s LSMC race winner, Shiloh Mielke (Vasque), by just 15 seconds over the nearly 2 hour race (1:52:23 vs. 1:52:38)! Both efforts bettered shattered Gavin Hoch’s 5-year-old course record of 2:12:52 by over 20 minutes. Apparently both runners were still side-by-side as they came within sight of the finish line with Shiloh only backing off the pace once it became apparent that Tom would win. A full twelve minutes back of the leaders, local Chris Vizcaino rounded out the top three in his first LSMC race on the year. Chris and fourth-place Chikara Omine (2:09:46) also sped under Hoch’s previous course record. In the men’s masters race, Will Gotthardt of California marked the ageless Tom Borschel (La Sportiva) to Mount Diablo’s summit before pulling away on the descent to earn the victory by four plus minutes (2:13:38 vs 2:18:02).
Shiloh Mielke (2nd) and Tom Haxton (1st) out for cool down,while Jason Reed (12th) nears the finish.
Like Haxton, La Sportiva runner Caitlin Smith of California made her 2009 La Sportiva Mountain Cup debut at the Mount Diablo 50k. Also like Haxton, she won the race and set a course record in the process (2:16:46). Beverly Zimmermann set the previous course record of 2:30:14 in 2002. Heck, Caitlin was only 3 minutes off the existing men’s record! That said, course records are nothing new for Caitlin – she set one just a week earlier at the tough Ohlone 50k.
Caitlin Smith charging up a hill en route to the winKeri Nelson, also of La Sportiva, improved one spot on her Rock2Rock finish by being the second woman across the line (2:22:26). Keri briefly passed Caitlin about half way up Mount Diablo before Ms. Smith took control of the race. Rachel Cieslewicz of Salt Lake City finished third in 2:26:22. Lisa Goldsmith edged out Sharon Kovar for the top masters women’s spot (2:39:51 to 2:42:49).
If you want to see some great pictures from the Mount Diablo course, check out those taken by La Sportiva runner, Leor Pantilat, on race morning.
La Sportiva Mountain Cup Standings
Granted we’re only two races into the LSMC, but Shiloh Mielke and Tom Haxton have jumped into the series lead. Our back of the envelope calculations (literally) show Shiloh in the lead with 37 points (20 for the win at R2R and 17 for second here), while Tom has 32 points (10 for 6th last week, 20 for this week’s win, and 2 bonus points for beating Mielke who was in the LSMC top 10 going in the race).
As the only top women’s runner to compete in both LSMC events so far this season, Keri Nelson of Colorado easily leads the Cup standings with 32 points (15 for third last week and 17 for second this week). Caitlin Smith is in second with 22 points (20 for winning Mount Diablo and 2 for beating Keri). Megan Kimmel is in third with 20 points based on her win at Rock2Rock.
The official La Sportiva Mountain Cup standings will be available here. There’s no LSMC race next week, so check back in two weeks from now when we report on the Mount Washington Road Race… a “short” road race worthy of iRunFar coverage.
iRunFar.com La Sportiva Mountain Cup Contest
Ok, ok, we know you’re anxious to find out who won last week’s contest for a pair of La Sportiva Crosslites. Well, it was Owen Schuh of San Jose, California. Enjoy your Crosslites, Owen!
As Sarah Spelt who puts on the Mount Diablo would recommend La Sportiva’s Wildcat on the mountain, that’s what we’re giving away this week. [We since come to learn that the women's Mount Diablo champion, Caitlin Smith, wore the Wildcat for her course record performance!] If you want to storm some mountains of your own in a free pair of Wildcats this summer, just leave your name and town (in the US or Canada) in a comment before we post a recap of the Mount Washington Road Run in two weeks. As a reminder, if you enter to win the pair of Wildcats, you’ll automatically be eligible to win the grand prize at the end of August.
Final Thoughts
- Did anyone run Mount Diablo – be it the 8k, 25k, or 50k? If so, what did you think?
- So far only a few top runners have run multiple La Sportiva Mountain Cup. Who else might be vying for the overall crown by summer’s end?
- Anyone tried the Wildcat? If so, how’d you like it?
Related articles:
- These Runners Climbed Mount Washington In deciding to cover the La Sportiva Mountain Cup (iRF’s coverage) there was one race that stood out as falling outside iRunFar’s normal scope – the Mount Washington Road Race....
- Drinking Up The La Sportiva Mountain Cup: Analysis Through 6 Races This year’s La Sportiva Mountain Cup is turning out to be the most exciting trail race series we’ve seen in years. Through six of ten series races, three men and...
- Runners Rip It Up at Rock2Rock Run This past Friday evening Black Mountain, North Carolina played host to the first race of the 2009 La Sportiva Mountain Cup (iRF’s LSMC coverage) – the Rock2Rock Trail Run. With...
Bryon Powell is the Editor-in-Chief of iRunFar.com, which he founded five years ago. Also the author of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons and a contributing editor at Trail Runner magazine, he's quickly approaching 10 years as an ultrarunner and 20 years as a trail runner. These days he calls Park City, Utah and its trails home.
All posts by Bryon Powell
I would have loved to run it, but had to settle on a local trail and a lot of imagination. The wildcats are the best.
Collen Godfrey
Ortonville, mi
Shaun Hansen
Mission, BC, Canada
Would love another pair of La Sportiva shoes. They are awesome.
Don Smith, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Holly McCosker
San Ramon, CA
Ran the Mount Diablo 8K, my first trail run, and had an absolute blast. What a great group of people and gorgeous scenery. Looking forward to running more trails in the near future.
Brendan Trimboli, Seattle, WA
woohoo shoes! hook me up
and thanks for the coverage, bryon!
That looks like a cool run, and not that far away from me. Maybe nest year…
Turi Becker
Reno, NV
Ty Walters
Portland, OR
Bobby Gill
Beltsville, MD
Ben Chan
Portland, OR, USA
Even though the rest of my friends ran the 25K and 50K and laughed at me, I ran the 8K. Love me some Mt. Diablo, so it was a great run!
Victoria Folks
San Pablo, CA
Would love to give those Wildcats a go.
Hank Dart
Hailey, ID
My first 25K in prime weather and scenery! Can't wait for next year!
Janette Lee
San Francisco, CA
Laura Caulfield
Milwaukee, WI
Matt Warner
Richmond, VA
Jayme Frank
St. Catharines, ON Canada
Brad Nicholson
Alexandria, Virginia
I would LOVE to run my favorite trails in those Wildcats!
Paige Troelstrup
Batavia, Illinois
Gary Stuart, Montreal, Canada
Haven't tried the Wildcats but I'd love to give them a whirl on dry, easy trails when the Crosslites are overkill.
Will Thomas
Fall City, WA
You should know that I'm going to keep trying until I win…. Great recap, by the way!
Steve Wallen
Cicero, IN
Why only Us?
Let's try: Valérie Vh, Belgium
I love La Sportivas and running on Diablo.
Brian Robinson
Monterey, CA
Would love to take the Wildcats out for a run.
Sophia Robinson
Monterey, CA
First time running on Diablo – ran the 25k and loved it!
Jon Kroll
San Francisco, CA
Wildcats are my favorite… as you can see from the photo, they're what I wore for the 25k. Great report!
Would love a pair of the Wildcats!
Sue Lucas
Dauphin, MB
Love La Sportiva shoes.
Jane Larkindale, Tucson Arizona
Best of luck to everyone who has already entered the contest for a pair of La Sportiva Wildcats.
Wow, Caitlin Smith, thanks for stopping by iRunFar! Congrats on your awesome runs the past two weekends.
I noticed at least two more La Sportiva Mountain Cup races on your schedule. Now that you've got one win under your belt, any thoughts of entering two more races in the series to maximize points? Best of luck until I see you in Park City in August!
Ryan Turner
Baltimore, MD
Great report, Bryon! Throw my name in the hat for the Wildcats.
Donald, Carmel Calley
Wish i lived on the west!!
Jorge Fernandez
Exton, PA
Ryan Phillips
Portsmouth, VA
Look like great shoes. I'm in.
Mike Valliant
Easton, MD
Tim Long
Boulder, CO
Nice report…Wildcat worthy!
Ann Senula
Williamsport, PA
A new pair of La Sportivas would be just the ticket to PR at Burning River for Bill Susa of Burkittsville, MD.
Sounds like quite the fun 25k!
Jon Allen, Logan UT
I finished 3rd woman overall in the 25K. It was a great race. I did take a horrible fall about two minutes after hitting the summit. I suppose I was enjoying the scenery a bit more than I should have! Rachel Cieslewicz, Salt Lake City, UT
Hey Rachel, sorry to hear that you took a fall. That said, I've actually followed your blog and am glad to see that you are back to racing and racing well this year. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a note.
All we need is for Keri Nelson to stop by and we've got a podium full of Mount Diablo women on iRunFar! :-)
Bryon. Thanks so much! This site has inspired me to start writing again. I am in the middle of a new post right now. I am so thankful I am making a comeback. Slightly different than my typical crazy triathlon schedule, but where those doors have had to close for a while, an amazing new window has opened!
Still searching for the perfect trail shoe. Maybe it's the Wildcat? Thanks for the recap. I love Mt. Diablo!
Gretchen Brugman
Truckee, CA
I never run Diablo without my Wildcats!
Brian Wyatt
Berkeley, Ca.
Lori Jensen
Hillsboro, Oregon
Kris Quandt
Jackson, WY
Chris Grove
Colorado Springs, CO
Draw my name and I'll test the Wildcats at Barr Trail Mountain Race!
I've never tried the Wildcats, but I'd like to.
Andy Holland
NY, NY
Nick P edatella
Boulder, CO
Rachel, I think that's about as good a compliment as I could get. :-) I'm glad you are back at the writing (and the kicking butt).
It was great to see some of the local runners do so well. I already own a pair of Wildcats but I could always use another pair. Love the cushioning for the longer distances.
Rick Gaston
San Francisco, CA
Tried the wildcats on and love the feel, but have not run in them. I think my next pair of shoes will be a pair of La Sportivas, just not sure if it will be the Wildcats or the Crosslights.
Andy Benkert
Boulder Creek, CA