The Dipsea Race is a trail running event in California, United States. It is the oldest cross-country trail running event and one of the oldest foot races of any kind in the United States. The 7.5 mile (12 km) long Dipsea Race has been held annually almost every year since November 19, 1905, starting in Mill Valley, and finishing at Stinson Beach, in Marin County. Since 1983, the race has been held on the second Sunday in June. The Dipsea celebrated its 111th running on Sunday, June 12, 2022.
History
In 1904, the Dipsea Inn opened on a sandspit north of Willow Camp (later Stinson Beach), built in anticipation of tourists arriving on proposed rail extensions. After opening, it was visited by a group of Olympic Club members, including, Charles Boas, and Alfons Coney, who had a cabin near Muir Woods. Someone proposed racing from Mill Valley to the Inn. Coney and Boas, took up the challenge, setting off on a day in 1904, with bets placed by Club members (Fastest from the train depot at Lyton Square in Mill Valley, to the newly opened Dipsea Inn). Boas won.
On a rainy November 19, 1905, the first Dipsea Race was held, on a 7.4-mile course, with 110 runners, by members of the San Francisco Olympic Club, from the Mill Valley train depot to the then-new Dipsea Inn, on a sand spit now called Seadrift, in the Bolinas Lagoon between Stinson Beach and Bolinas, taking place annually, only being cancelled a few times in its history: 1932-1933 due to the race not being able to earn enough funds to be financially viable due to the Great Depression, 1942-1945 due to World War II, and 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 1977, the race was almost cancelled as the previous year saw an overwhelming number of participants due to the running boom of the 1970s - the local government was worried about overcrowding and also did not want to close down nearby streets. The Marin County Board of Supervisors voted 3–2 to cancel the race until changes could be made. The race ended up being delayed and held in October instead. A “Women’s Dipsea Hike” (called a "hike" to avoid an AAU ban on women's long-distance races.) took place 1918–1922. In 1907, the final run on the sand was eliminated. In 1983, the race date was changed to the second Sunday in June.
The course of the trail was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, as Dipsea Trail.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Race committee announced that the 2020 Dipsea Race would be cancelled for the first time since 1945. The committee later announced that the 110th race would be postponed from June to November 2021.
Course
The Dipsea is well known for its scenic course and challenging trails. The race starts on Throckmorton Avenue in Mill Valley, near Miller Avenue, in front of the old train depot (now a bookstore). After traversing a few blocks in Mill Valley's downtown, runners climb 688 stairs (now 700 stairs, after the renovation of the middle section in Nov 2017) leading up the side of Mount Tamalpais, and then pass through Muir Woods National Monument, Mount Tamalpais State Park, and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Dipsea Trail is the most direct route connecting the town of Mill Valley, located near the northwestern shores of Richardson Bay, with the village of Stinson Beach, situated along the Pacific coast. Stinson Beach is a popular tourist destination, located about a 30-minute drive north of San Francisco on Highway 1, via the Golden Gate Bridge. The ascent over the southern shoulder of Mount Tam reaches its apex around the top of Cardiac Hill, about 4.5 miles into the race.
Among the challenges facing participants are the Dipsea Trail's uneven footing, single-track footpaths, and almost invariably steep terrain, featuring about 2,200-foot (671 m) elevation gain and loss over the course. The uniqueness of the Dipsea Race course owes largely to the opportunity for competitors to choose from any of several alternate routes on diverging and converging trails, adding a competitive premium for strategy, experience, and familiarity with the course.
Course mileage
Race details and champions
The Dipsea's handicapping system often produces younger or older winners, which adds to the unusual intrigue and suspense created by the race's permissible shortcuts, like 'Suicide' and 'The Swoop'. Most participants, with the exception of 'scratch' runners, are given a head start based on their age and gender. The oldest and youngest runners are given up to a 25-minute advantage over the fastest competitors, making it possible for virtually any age group to produce a race winner; previous winners include children as young as 8, and men and women as old as 72.