Frequently Asked Questions

I've never run an ultra, and I've only run one marathon (two after next weekend), but I'm hooked, and I like the idea of running a trail endurance event. I see that there's careful attention paid to "crew access" at the various aid stations on the 50K- is a crew a must-have for a 50K?

Thanks for your interest. With having run two marathons you are better prepared than I was for my first 50k (the Skyline 50k), which was also my first race - ever. I had been running before, though but never competitive, but I liked hiking a lot and covering more ground got me hooked.

Crew ... no you do not need a crew at all. As you saw the aid stations are rather frequent and well stocked. I have run the race now twice (and have now a long break, since I am directing it ;-) and had no crew both times and did just fine.

One thing to remember, though, is that trail races are slower for most people than a marathon. The biggest mistake you could make is not to drink enough and loose to much of your electrolytes.

What I'm wondering is if you set a limit or anything. I live in So. Cal. and I want to make sure I can get a good airfare before I mail in my check. I mean, I see that you have "cheap" deadlines, but so did Way Too Cool and I had to mail mine in the day the application was available to get in (but I was flying up to Sacramento for my birthday either way, so it didn't matter...).

Not really, we have a limit from the East Bay Regional Park District of ca. 300, but we have had always enough room to accomodate all race-day registrants.

Dear Race Directors, I am going to enter this year's Skyline but am directionally impaired. If it comes down to following written directions I will never be seen again. Can you arrange for Hansel and Gretel to come out of retirement and leave a trail for me to creep along?

The trail will be marked better than for any other race you'll find on earth. Just keep your eyes open, and you won't need Hansel and Gretel.

Is there Poison Oak along the course?

YES, depending on the weather it can be just a little or unbearable; in particular on the nice single track trails. We try to work with the parks to have those cleared but .... we'll have rubbing alcohol at the Finish Line to break up those nasty oils.

I am planning on doing the Skyline 50K as my first ultra. Before I sign up, I'd like to run a part of the course. Are there any training runs on the course? If not, can you recommend a section to run. I'd like to do 13 - 20 miles.

Although we applaud to your idea of running on the trails before going into your first ultra, we do not offer any training runs per say. However, local running groups like BAUR (Tuesday night at Redwood Bowl - 5:30 pm) and Pacific Striders offer various options to explore the trails. (Sunday's at 8:30 starting from various locations)

I come from across country, which Airport would be best to fly into?

Oakland International Airport would be my first choice, followed by San Jose, leaving the last choice to San Francisco.

Can you fax me the entry form and information?

Sorry, we do not own a fax machine nor a fax program. Our choices are internet, email, and postal service.

What % of the course is fire road vs single track ?

There is 3 miles of paved bike path along Lake Chabot, 11+ miles shady single track, the rest is on dirt fire roads.

How much of the course is shaded vs sun ?

It is kind of 50/50. There is usually fog in the morning. It can warm up quite a bit by the end of the race.

What’s the difference between a full and limited aid station ?

Limited aid stations will have just water, gatorade, ice, power bars and gels.

Do you have online registration?

Yes, it's brand new this year!  Go to Active.com and register today!

Do you have Race Day Registration?

YES, but it costs to wait until the last minute.

Are there any showers nearby?

NO, the park does not offer such facilities, and unfortunately you can't even take a dive in the lake as it is not allowed. Water from a hose and/or bucket will be offered, though.

If I do a race-day entry, can I still get a finisher shirt?

Probably yes, but we cant guarantee the correct size.

When are registered runners going to be posted to the web site? Is there anything I should look for in the mail? I have only received the email-confirmation.

We do not post our entrants on the web page. If you request to have an information package mailed to you, we will do so - otherwise the email confirmation and your cleared check is all you need to know when showing up on race day. So far, we had no troubles with this procedure. Hope it stays that way ;-)

I realize that the shirts are given out after the race, but will we still be able to get the correct size that we ordered with our pre-registration? Last year's medium is way too big for me, so I ordered a small, but I'm a 6 - 7 hour runner...thanks for your consideration.

We will have separate stacks of Finisher-Award shirts, a counted-through pile for the pre-registered runners and a second pile for the race day entrants. You as pre-registered runner will get the size of shirt as requested on the entry form.

I know you have to be a PA/USATF member to qualify for Grand Prix awards. But does that apply to age group awards in this event?

No, every entrant is eligible to be an age group winner. No membership required.

Skyline will be my first ultra marathon; can you recommend resources to plan my training.

Among other web pages that can help you further are Stan Jensen's Run 100s web page or the one of the Ultra Running magazine.

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