It Takes Heart to Run in Darkness of San Juan Trail

As if running 50 miles isn’t daunting enough, try starting the race in darkness, when runners use flashlights to illuminate the trail, which is overgrown with chaparral and brambles.

That’s what the field of 39 runners faced in October at the San Juan Trail 50-Mile Race.

“The conditions for that race are considered pretty tough,” said Scott McKenzie, who finished the race first, in 8 hours 3 minutes. “There’s a lot of ascending and descending, somewhere between 8,000 and 9,000 feet. It descends about 13 miles and ascends the same trail. It’s out and back for half the course, then the second half is more like a loop.

“Once you get to the halfway point, your climb hasn’t ended,” said the 43-year-old Orange resident, who teaches at Fullerton College. “There are a couple of significant climbs after that, and it’s tougher because you’ve already run over 26 miles.

“The first 40 miles mixes single track trail--some road, but mostly single-track trail that is rutted, rocky, sandy, has switchbacks. Not a real great trail. The last 10 miles is a pretty good surface.”

For those who make it that far: 35 runners finished the race. Sena Hoodman, a 40-year-old graphic artist who lives in Huntington Beach, was the first woman finisher, eighth overall, in 9:09.22. It was her first ultra-marathon victory.

“I started running about 10 years ago, a mile or two a day,” said Hoodman, who attended Edison High, OCC and Golden West. “I ran 5Ks and 10Ks, and then ran on a relay team at the Orange County Marathon in 1991. After that race, I told my husband, ‘We gotta train for a marathon.’ That was in November, and we ran our first marathon [Long Beach] in 1992.”

She and her husband, Michael, 44, started ultra-running two years ago. The 1996 San Juan 50K was her first ultra-race.

“I try to train on dirt--mountain trails--at least once a week. If I can get on twice a week, that’s best,” she said. “It helps to train at altitude. When we run the Mt. Baldy 50K, we train up there. We run a race in Big Bear, and we train up there before the race.”

Her training varies according to the distance of the race she’s training for. She averages 65 miles a week, but if she’s training for a 100-kilometer race, her mileage increases to 85 miles a week. On the weekends, she’ll put in 25-30 miles. Despite all the training, she said she has never had a significant injury.

To some, putting in as many miles as ultra-runners cover in the course of training and racing can’t be good for the body.

“The most important thing is our body gets used to functioning at a specific level,” said Julie Max, the head athletic trainer at Cal State Fullerton. “When we push it past that specific level, that’s when it begins to shut down, on a muscular or cellular level. Often times, with marathoners or ultra-marathoners, they begin to shut down at a cellular level . . . It’s important to have proper hydration and nutrition. They have to maximize the cells, because they know they’re going to be depleting those cells throughout the run.”

Hoodman eats a high-carbohydrate diet, with lots or fruits and grains, and very little red meat. About three hours before an ultra-race, she’ll down a liter of water, and stop to eat and drink at the aid stations throughout the course.

Initially, she ran marathons non-competitively. Her times were in the 4:15 to 4:20 range. She has since trimmed her marathon time into the 3:20 to 3:25 range.

“Recently, we ran a 50-miler,” Hoodman said. “Two weeks after that, we flew to Georgia to visit relatives, and we ran the Chickamagua Marathon. We call that a ‘recovery marathon.’ ”

Hoodman finished eighth among the 94 women who finished that race, second in her age group and 50th overall.

Rob McNair, who won the Pacific Shoreline Marathon in January, was second at the San Juan Trail 50, in 8:14.02.

Michael Hoodman was 32nd overall, in 12:33.05.

Kent Holder, 59, has been training and competing in ultra-races for 18 years. The San Juan Trail 50 was his 100th ultra-race.

“It was a natural progression,” said the retired firefighter who lives in Huntington Beach. “I ran 5Ks, 10Ks, and in 1979, I participated on a team of 10 masters runners trying to establish a record for a 24-hour track run in Vista. It was like a relay. One person would run, and then another person on the team would take his place.

“While I was out there running, there was a solo runner out there. I was pretty inspired by that: Someone who could run 24 hours.”

Holder, who attended Montebello High, Saddleback and OCC, lives near the Hoodmans and on occasion, they train together.

“I have averaged 55 miles a week for 18 years,” he said. “I’ll have 120-mile week, and sometimes a 20-mile week. We have a cabin in Idyllwild and I run in snow. When it’s too deep, I put snowshoes on and go.”

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The Snail’s Pace Running Shop will conduct a running program, starting Dec. 5-6 at its stores in Fountain Valley and Laguna Hills.

Richard Scott conducts the program, which is designed to prepare people to participate in 5K, 10K runs, half marathons or marathons.

“The first thing we do is a 12-minute fitness test,” said the 52-year-old store owner. “We take them to a nearby track, and have them run or walk for 12 minutes. Based on the number of laps completed, we can tell what kind of shape you’re in. Then we assign you to a group, so you’re not asked to keep up with people who are in better shape.”

The groups meet once a week: Saturdays in Fountain Valley, Sundays in Laguna Hills. Both programs last six months, and the cost is $125 per person. Participants are asked to work out twice a week on their own. Speakers will include a nutritionist, cardiologist, running coaches, chiropractors and physical therapists.

Scott has been conducting the programs about three times a year since 1992. He said about 250 people who have participated in his programs have completed marathons.

Scott hopes to have some runners prepared for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on May 23 in San Diego.

“We have had some people who just come off the couch and they want to be able to run a marathon in a few weeks,” Scott said. “But as we break them into it, they realize this is a long distance to go. Ten miles is a long way and 13 is plenty.

A person could have a physical before beginning the program, but it’s not necessary, said Scott, who didn’t run his first marathon until he was 47. “But if they have any heart or circulatory problems, they should consult a physician before entering this program.”

For information, call (714) 842-2337 or (949) 707-1460.