102nd Dipsea

102nd Dipsea

June 10, 2012

Two historic records were broken in a pan of less than two minutes. First, Hans Schmid, 72, became the oldest winner yet of the Dipsea Race. Then Alex Varner became the first runner ever to win four consecutive Best Time titles.

            Schmid, a native of Germany, only started running at age 63 when he entered a 5K race on a whim during a business trip to Chicago. He made an impressive Dipsea debut in 2008, finishing third with an actual time of 1:08:30. It was clear that Schmid had the ability, and head start, to someday win the race. But Schmid, unlike most other local contenders, did not focus on the Dipsea. Instead, he was “enjoying” retirement--he owned a spice import firm—running arduous, multi-day races in exotic locales, whether they conflicted with Dipsea preparation or not. Schmid dropped to 31st in 2009, was 7th in 2010, then came within 23 seconds of winner Jamie Rivers in 2011.

            It looked as if Schmid had again compromised one of his few remaining Dipsea chances when, in March, he fell and broke his wrist during another grueling adventure race, a 50-miler in Mexico’s Copper Canyon. Schmid was already a somewhat reluctant downhiller, a serious flaw for a potential Dipsea champion. So the mantle for Race favorite passed to 2009 winner Brian Pilcher, who was setting national 55-59 age-group records on the roads. But Schmid got serious, and locals divided in their betting picks.

            On a steadily warming Race morning, Schmid passed all the some 15 runners starting ahead of him by Windy Gap; the last was Melody-Anne Schultz yards before the crest. By Cardiac, highest point on the course, Schmid had a lead of nearly four minutes over second-place Diana Fitzpatrick. As he told the crowd at the awards ceremony, “I knew they were two women [Chris Lundy and Fitzpatrick] coming after me, so I ran faster downhill than I would have liked.” He won by 27 seconds over the closing Lundy. Joe King had been the previous oldest champion when he won for a second successive time, at age 70, in 1996.

            Runner-up Lundy had been considered a possible winner as she added a head start minute, to ten. Her 57:38 earned her a fourth women’s Best Time trophy, tying Peggy Smyth’s record. 

            Diana Fitzpatrick stunned many with her third place finish. At age 54, when runners are presumably slowing, she ran her fastest Dipsea (1:03:33) in seven years.

            Alex Varner arrived fourth in a time of 49:01 (scratch). It immediately clinched a fourth consecutive Best Time trophy, a feat no Dipsea racer had ever been able to accomplish. Mike McManus (twice) and Dave Dunham had also previously won three in a row, as had Debbie Rudolf on the women’s side. Varner was not only the sole runner under 50 minutes, no other even broke 51 minutes.

            Controversy ensued over the fifth runner, Dave Mackey, across the line. The Colorado resident, who had recently stayed in Marin, was admitted directly into the Invitational section based on his record as one of the nation’s very top ultramarathoners. The day before the Race, Mackey, age 42, went to the packet pickup in Mill Valley and was handed the wrong bib number, that of 50-year-old Jamie Puckett. Mackey did not notice the error and went into the start corral when Puckett’s group was called, so gaining three head start minutes. Immediately after the Race, several runners called out the error. There was some consideration of simply adjusting Mackey’s time for the innocent mistake—he would have still won a black shirt--but in the end he was disqualified. Properly, no one accused or suspected Mackey of any artifice.

            The disqualification moved everyone after up a place. Tomas Pastalka, announced in the dreaded 36th position when he approached the finish, unexpectedly got a black shirt. Preston Sitterly became the unlucky #36.

            Pilcher, a bit off form, was the official fifth finisher. Sissel Bernsten-Heber, thrice a women’s Time trophy winner, followed.

            Julia Maxwell, who had lowered the 36-year-old Marin County high school two-mile (3200 meters) record each of the two previous weekends, was the first high schooler, in 9th place. The Branson School sophomore was also the only female beside Lundy to better one hour. Defending champion Jamie Rivers, carrying a one-minute Winners Penalty, arrived 14 seconds later. Marin Academy freshman Trevor Renhart was the first male high schooler, in 41st place.

            Julian Lepelch, 11, was a sensational 14th place. When his father Patrick arrived 61 seconds later, in 25th, the Lepelch pair claimed the Alan Beardall Family Trophy. They were the first father-son winners since Arnold Knepfer and son Toby in 1988. The Family trophy had been all but ceded beforehand to Jamie and Roy Rivers. But Roy, in position to finish among the top three or perhaps even win with a mile to go, collapsed in the creek below Panoramic Highway and, in his words, “took a nap for about 10-15 minutes.”

            In one of the many intriguing “races within the Race,” Sarah Bamberger, 29th, finished four seconds ahead of Tanya Fredricks. One year earlier, Fredricks won the Open section with Bamberger second. Just ahead of the pair, places 22 through 26 each arrived just one second apart. And behind them, 31st, Keith Krieger won his first black shirt 49 years after his Dipsea debut.

--In a splendid touch, the Dipsea Committee printed #1 black shirts for all living winners whose victories preceded the start of the numbered shirt era (1975). Several came to the awards ceremony for the presentation.

--Nancy Simmons, 52, who only began running competitively a year earlier, won the Open Section. Her actual time was 1:09:46 (14hc). Ashley Stemfels was next, 39 seconds back. Adam Roeder was first man and third overall, 3:52 behind Simmons. 

--Roy Harvey was the last Invitational finisher but had a good excuse; he’s 86.

--Charlie Richesin, the 1946 champion and 1948 Time trophy winner, was elected as the 26th inductee into the Dipsea Hall of Fame. Richesin actually completed the 2010 race, 64 years after his first Dipsea (a span topped only by the late Jack Kirk), but was not allowed to officially finish because he lost his bib number.

--The Jack Kirk “Dipsea Demon” Award went to Don Madronich, who finished his 45th Dipsea. Jim Weil, who served as the race co-director for more than a decade and as handicapper since the late 1970s, received the Jerry Hauke Red Tail Hawk Award. He said, “I’m honored to receive any award with Jerry’s name on it.” Dave Lampert, formerly wheelchair-bound, won the Norman Bright Trophy.

--To the dismay of many runners and hikers, the plank bridge across Redwood Creek was not restored until May 17. One casualty was the DSE Practice Dipsea, held earlier than usual, on April 29. Muir Woods officials diverted the 125 runners to the Deer Park Fire Road, instead of Dynamite, adding a half-mile. Thomas Taylor won in 56:39 and Sissel Bernsten-Heber topped all women in 1:04:52.

--On June 23, Alex Varner not only became the DSE Double Dipsea’s first scratch winner since Jose Cortez in 1971, he ran the fastest time ever, 1:36:31. This obliterated the previous best of 1:38:26 shared by Butch Alexander from 1984, the first year of the shortened Double course, and Lawrence McKendell (1987). It is also superior to the pre-1984 best of 1:42:08, by Miguel Tibaduiza. The Double shattered its attendance record, surpassing 600 finishers for the first time.

--The section of Dipsea Trail parallel to Muir Woods Road above the mailboxes, closed for years due to a slide, was finally repaired and reopened in spring 2012.

           

1. Hans Schmid (72), Greenbrae, 1:10:11 (23hc) [:27]

2. Chris Lundy (41), Sausalito, 57:38 (10)  fastest woman

3. Diana Fitzpatrick (54), Larkspur, 1:03:33 (15)

4. Alex Varner (26), San Rafael, 49:01 (0)  fastest time

5. Brian Pilcher (55), Ross, 56:29 (7)

6. Sissel Bernsten-Heber (48), Mill Valley, 1:01:45 (12)

7. Alan Reynolds (48), Sausalito, 54:59 (5)

8. Andy Ames (49), Boulder CO, 55:31 (5)

9. Julia Maxwell (16), Ross, 59:46 (9)  first high school, 2nd fastest female

10. Jamie Rivers (61), Mill Valley, 1:10:00 (19)

11. Gus Gibbs (26), Mill Valley, 51:12 (0)  2nd fastest time

12. Don Stewart (51), Sebastopol, 57:15 (6)

13. Cliff Lentz (47), Brisbane, 55:33 (4)

14. Julian Lepelch (11), Mill Valley, 1:00:41 (9)

15. Crosby Freeman (28), San Francisco, 51:53 (0)

16, Roy Kissin (55), Larkspur, 1:00:00 (8)

17. John Litzenberg III (42), Glen Ellen, 55:08 (3)

18. Alison Zamanian (42), Orinda, 1:02:15 (10)

19. Darrin Banks (46), Berkeley, 56:21 (4)

20. Jerry Edelbrock (63), Corte Madera, 1:07:22 (15)

21. Stephen Donahue (34), San Francisco, 53:35 (1)

22. Brian Gilliss (32), San Francisco, 53:39 (1)

23. Mark Helmus (58), Davis, 1:03: 40 (11)

24. Jamey Gifford (34), Hillsborough, 53:41 (1)

25. Patrick Lepelch (49), Mill Valley, 57:42 (5)

26. Bradford Bryon (54), Penngrove, 1:00:43 (8)

27. David Ripp (60), San Rafael, 1:05:01 (12)

28. Elizabeth Shortino (48), San Anselmo, 1:05:22 (12)

29. Sarah Bamberger (37), San Francisco, 1:01:33 (8)

30. Tanya Fredricks (46), San Anselmo, 1:05:37 (12)

31. Keith Krieger (65), Santa Rosa, 1:09:44 (16)

32. Brad O’Brien (50), Novato, 59:49 (6)

33. Brian Purcell (56), Sebastopol, 1:03:00 (9)

34. Alexander Sebastian (43), Fairfax, 57:10 (3)

35. Tomas Pastalka (65), Belvedere, 1:10:25 (16)

36. Preston Sitterly (64), Sonoma, 1:09:45 (15)

37. Craig Miller (50), Mill Valley, 1:00:49 (6)

38. Greg Nacco (52), Larkspur, 1:01:51 (7)

39. Steven Katz (61), Larkspur, 1:07:56 (13)

40. Trevor Reinhart (16), Ross, 57:58 (3)  first male high school

41. Chris Mocko (26), San Francisco, 55:02 (0)

42. John Hudson (49), Mill Valley, 1:00:03 (5)

43. Jared Barrileaux (27), Petaluma, 55:07 (0)

44. Mike Lopez (54), Mill Valley, 1:03:09 (8)

45. Chikara Omine (29), San Francisco, 55:10 (0)

46. Patti Shore (45), Mill Valley, 1:07:12 (12)

47. Victor Ballesteros (42), San Rafael, 58:17 (3)

48. Mimi Willard (58), Kentfield, 1:13:32 (18)

49. Melody-Anne Schultz (70), 1:20:40 (25)

50. Tom Kiehfuss (42), Greenbrae, 59:06 (3)

1,440 finishers; warm at start and finish, hot on exposed upper sections

Team: Tamalpa (Schmid, Fitzpatrick, Pilcher, Ames, Maxwell)