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As told by Steve Matsuda in the Runner's Report:

The Runner's Report was in Northen California last weekend for the Bizz Johnson Marathon. The bottom line: it's a beautiful, mostly downhill trail course that lends itself well to a marathon. Finishers get a t-shirt free of sponsor logos and a nice belt buckle. Congrats to everyone who ran, especially to Kirk, Jeannette, and Denise who finished their first marathon - Kirk celebrating his birthday weekend and Jeanette who's goal was to complete a marathon when she turned 40.

The race HQ is in Susanville, 85 miles NW of Reno. I think the best way to get there is to fly to Reno and rent a car. Driving from LA takes about 10-12 hours. Susanville is a nice little town in the northeast Sierra's.

The course runs along the Bizz Johnson Trail, which is about 26 miles long and begins in Westwood, near a giant statue of Paul Bunyon and his blue ox, Babe. It is an old railroad line that was converted into a trail. We were bused to the start in the morning but had to wait there in 30+ degree temps for about an hour. Since they wouldn't let us stay on the bus, you could see runners scattered throughout the forest in search of the little warmth that a patch of sunlight could provide. Because of the cold and the near requirement that runners bus to the start, the race actually started 15 minutes EARLY!

The start is at 5200 feet and rises gently to about 5500 feet in the first 6 miles of the race. The altitude was noticeable and slowed many runners at the beginning. The trail is very smooth dirt pretty much the whole way. We ran though a tunnel of evergreens for nearly the entire first half of the race. Well-stocked, mostly one-person aid stations are placed every 2 miles along the course - special thanks to those volunteers who spent the bulk of their day alone to support the runners!

The scenery changes a bit after mile 12. This is where the course begins a very noticeable but still delicately downhill stretch to the finish in Susanville. This is the perfect running terrain. The pastel blue sky opens up a bit more as you leave the tree tunnel, but there are still plenty of evergreens, colorful aspens, spectacular views of the Susan River and an occassional meadow. We crossed several wooden bridges and ran through two tunnels, lit faintly by flashlights placed along their length. The downhill grade is interupted only by a short section just before mile 20 where the course crosses the river and at the finish when you leave the Bizz Johnson Trail and take a short single track to the finish.

I'm not sure why, but most of us who went up for the race, thought we'd run a bit faster on this course than we did. Nonetheless, it was a terrific running experience and great weekend. The female marathon winner, Nancy Fiddler, a friend of Mark and Patty's, is a 3-time cross-country skiing Olympian. Dave ran comfortably at first but still finished with a great time. Kirk broke 4 hours in his first marathon and Denise and Jeanette stayed together the whole way for their first finish. Diana's back is a bit tweaked so she switched to the half marathon but still placed well. For me, slow and steady did NOT win the race.

The event also offers a 5K, 10K, and two half marathons. The half that Di did is an uphill out from the finish area and then downhill back. They also have what they call an Express Half the day before the other races which is all downhill from the midpoint of the marathon course. The 5 and 10Ks are very small races, out-and-back from the finish.

Congrats to all runners and thanks again to the fabulous volunteers.

-Steve Matsuda