2024 Kodiak 100K and 50K course recon | Kodiak by UTMB ultramarathon

#trailrunning #ultrarunning #ultramarathon #utmb #running #runningtips #runningmotivation #kodiak100 #kodiak50 #canyons100 #verbiermarathon #climbing #sanbernadino #california #bigbearlake

This video documents our 2-day, 43-mile (70 km) course recon and training on the Kodiak 100K and 50K courses in Big Bear Lake, California (San Bernadino National Forest). On day 1, we ran 23 miles up Sugarloaf Mountain and Big Bear, and on day 2 we ran 20 miles from Bobsled trail to Aspen Glen. Day 1 covers mostly the 100K course, as well as a section that is common for both 100K and 50K. Day 2 is both courses.

Lots of lessons learned about overall course layouts, what is technical and what is runnable, vert and altitude, running in heat, and the spectacular beauty of the Big Bear Lake, the San Bernadino National Forest and the San Bernadino Mountains.

Kodiak by UTMB website: https://kodiak.utmb.world/
2024 Kodiak races: October 11-12, 2024

1:34 Heading up to Sugarloaf Mountain (10,000 ft / 3,050 m) on Wildhorse Trail
3:00 Rocky, steep, technical trails
3:49 Left onto Sugarloaf Trail
4:14 View of San Gorgonio Mountain 11,500 ft (3,500 m)
5:12 Sugarloaf ascent is no joke
6:27 Relentless rocks
8:15 Another view of San Gorgonio
8:30 Summit of Sugarloaf Mountain 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
8:52 Turnaround on Sugarloaf and heading back down
9:15 Testing my back injury on downhills
10:00 Not what it seems on Strava - flat but not runnable trail
11:17 5 miles downhill on fire road
11:50 View of Big Bear Lake
12:39 Stop at car as aid station, 15 miles done, 8 miles to go
13:15 More flat, but rocky and hard to run fire road
13:45 Drop down to Bear Canyon residential area
14:22 100K and 50K common course and aid station at Bear Canyon (first 50K aid station)
14:48 Right onto single track trail
15:22 Running to the 23-mile finish of Day 1
15:33 Day 1 recap
16:48 Start of Day 2: 20 miles from Bobsled Trail to Aspen Glen
17:20 Heading up Bobsled Trail
18:24 More than 700 ft vert in first mile (black diamond ski slope)
18:39 Snow Summit ski lodge is 2nd aid station for 50K
19:13 What a difference - very runnable Going Green MTB downhill trail
19:31 Left onto Skyline single track trail (easy to miss)
20:03 Can't get enough of the spectacular mountain views
20:40 3rd aid station for 50K at 13 miles (about 43 miles for 100K)
21:01 Back issues with 13 miles to go
21:45 Best seat in the house!
22:42 Left from Skyline single track to fire road
23:02 Walking on runnable fire road to protect my back
23:23 Back to single track at South Shore
23:53 Grandview aid station 18 miles on 50k with 6:30 hour cutoff (2023)
24:13 Left onto single track to drop to aspen glen (Mill Creek Road)
24:45 Epic view of Big Bear Lake
24:54 Running to the 20-mile finish of Day 2
25:24 Recap and outro

My Strava:
Day 1:   / strava   and   / strava  
Day 2:   / strava  

Chris' Strava:
Day 1:   / strava  
Day 2:   / strava  

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#trailrunning #ultrarunning #ultramarathon #utmb #running #runningtips #runningmotivation #kodiak100 #canyons100 #verbiermarathon #climbing #sanbernadino #california #bigbearlake