At 6:05 AM on Saturday morning, 11 year-old Sebastian Salsbury of Santa Barbara, California walked out onto the dark San Roque Rd. pavement in front of over a hundred trail runners, myself included, and led participants in the formal swearing in of the 2017 edition of the Santa Barbara Nine Trails Endurance Race.   As we raised our right hand, we repeated after Sebastian, “If I get hurt, lost, or die, its my own damn fault.”  Impressively, Sebastian is the youngest finisher in the history of Nine Trails, completing the course in 2016 at the age of 10, and again in 2017.  As runners made their way toward the Jesusita trailhead equipped with firefly-like headlamps lit one of the most rewarding days began on a course created 27 years ago in December 1990 by local icon Patsy Dorsey.  Patsy and friends sought to engineer a course that was challenging yet displayed the beauty of Santa Barbara’s front country via the local trail system.  In my brief ultra running experience Nine Trails has been the most physically daunting and exhilarating event.  Although 35-miles, Nine Trails veterans will tell you that it feels like running a tough 50-miler as a result of the over 11,000 feet of elevation gain.  This course is also notoriously known for providing Nine Trails virgins with a cathartic experience of the highest order.

Approaching Inspiration Point. Photo: Howie Stern.

In general, this vaunted course is teeming with steep, technical climbs and descents, from start to finish.  Chronologically, the course follows Jesusita trail over three miles culminating at the Inspiration Point connector trail, from there the course heads downhill towards the very steep and rocky Tunnel trail where it joins with the ensuing Tunnel trail connector.   After a very short stent on the connector this trail intersects with the Rattlesnake connector for approximately half a mile, although this segment on the return leg seems a lot longer and much less enjoyable.

Tunnel trail.

Return leg at West-fork Cold Spring/Gibraltar junction.  Photo: Howie Stern.

The Rattlesnake connector then leads runners through upper Rattlesnake Canyon ultimately meeting up with the only asphalt section, Gibraltar road.  After one and a half miles on the road, participants speed down West-Fork Cold Springs and onto Cold Spring trail itself.  Next, the course traverses the Hot Springs connector en route to Hot Springs trail and briefly onto Saddle rock.  From here, the Edison catwalk guides runners to Buena Vista trail and finally heads down Romero Canyon for some much needed nutritional aid, only to turn around and run all the way back to the start line.

Tunnel trail connector, looking towards Inspiration Point.  Almost home.

The out-and-back format of Nine Trails provides a nice way of allowing all participants, fast or slow, to cross paths.  Indeed, in my experience sometimes seeing a familiar face for a sweaty high-five, a few words of encouragement, or a simple smile can be as critical and uplifting as nutrition itself.  However, this also means each section of Nine Trails presents a difficult challenge either on the outbound or return leg.  Downhill sections of the course on the outbound leg naturally become seemingly never ending uphill sections on tired legs, making this a course that truly gives runners no breaks.

After eight and a half hours of trails I completed historic and iconic Santa Barbara Nine Trails Endurance Race, thus completing an event to remember.  Following the race I decided to wait at the finish line to watch as fellow runners completed their own journey through Nine Trails.  Surprisingly, I felt as much excitement witnessing participants survive/conquer Nine Trails as I felt running the race itself.  Throughout my experience, trail running has taught me many things, not only about the art of ultra-running, but about life, especially through both the successes and perceived failures.  The community of athletes I share the trails on a weekly basis exist happily without ego, a valuable trait for anyone to learn.  Its hard to maintain any sort of ego when you’re throwing up a chocolate Ensure shake on the side of the trail.

Whether its laughing, sharing stories, or simply gasping for oxygen while climbing, “the wall” or “the wall 2.0”, trail running has opened up a new avenue, one that has allowed me to smile comfortably.  In part due to the welcoming and supportive environment, chalked full with people as crazy as me.

There are many folks to thank, first, the Santa Barbara trail runners for their constant encouragement and willingness to share their wealth of knowledge and experience, without it, I doubt I would undertake these challenges.  I would also like to thank Luis Escobar for organizing and executing another exceptional event.  This is my second ‘Luis’ event, the first being Red Rock 2016, a memorable race in its own right, a race loaded with torrential downpours and freezing temperatures.

Race Director: Luis Escobar.  Pre-race remarks, “This course is hard as shit, it’s over 11,000 ft of this, and this.”

I can’t thank Patsy Dorsey enough for greeting everyone at the finish line with a genuinely enthusiastic hug (I’d take a Patsy Dorsey hug over a medal any day).  After speaking with Patsy, I was fortunate enough to gain a better sense of appreciation by learning about the history and challenges that went into creating this magnificent annual event.  Additionally, I want to thank my friends, colleagues, and trainers for their support, it was especially wonderful to receive so many encouraging emails, texts, phone calls etc., from across the globe prior to race day.  Lastly, but most certainly not least, a special thank you to all of the volunteers who marked the course, as well as provided support to all the participants on race day.

In the end, Nine Trails left me with two thoughts, first, “what the hell just happened?”, and secondly I hope to see more of my amazing friends at 6:00AM March 24th, 2018 for the next edition of SB9T.

Creator and founder of Santa Barbara Nine Trails: Patsy Dorsey.