2010 Mt Disappointment…We Ran Our Race on Burnt Trails
Saturday, August 7, 2010 @ 6:30 a.m., Angeles National Forest
By Gary Hilliard, RD:

Last year soon after the 2009 Mt Disappointment Endurance Race the worst fire in Angeles National Forest history burned the forest. So this year as we gathered at the starting line, it was mystifying as we stood side-by-side in a forest that was still closed to the public. The weather was perfect as our 99 starters headed down Mt. Wilson Road. We have had up to 300 entrants, yet despite all the post-fire hardships as we approached the first aid station it became apparent…the race was on!
Dean Dobberteen led everyone into Red Box Station (5.0 mile) at a 5:16 pace. Shawn St. Sauveur, Patrick Sweeney and Jesse Bloom followed. Michelle Barton was 5th overall at a 5:59 pace followed by her competitors, Sada Crawford and Marla Hernandez, the second and third females. Then as usual, just after the third woman arrives, it seems the entire race shows up simultaneously at the first aid station.
Runners raced to Westfork Station, while line crews and helicopters replaced burnt electric poles along the ravaged fireroad. At Westfork, runners did what they do best…eat. The running order was nearly the same with Dean in first, then Shawn, Patrick, Jesse, Michelle in fifth, and Sada in ninth place overall.
After Westfork (elev. 3,050’), runners encounter their first uphill as they go to Newcomb Saddle (elev. 4,015’). At Newcomb Saddle (14 miles), Team Crossfit gets all runners prepared for the run down to the San Gabriel River headwaters (elev. 2800’), and then the climb to Shortcut Saddle Station at 4640’. We added the “water-only” Edison Road Aid Station. Edison’s crew got all the runners to The Foothill Flyer’s Shortcut Aid Station at 23.1 miles with the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue.
Both the men’s and women’s races were great to watch all day. Jesse Bloom was first thru Shortcut in
2:49. Dean followed him in less than two minutes (2:51). Three minutes later was Patrick Sweeney, and another minute brought Shawn St. Sauveur with Josh Specter, fifth in 3:04. Sada was sixth overall and the first woman to Shortcut in 3:13 with Michelle Barton at 3:24. What a great race this was to watch!
All runners now left on the historic Silver Moccasin Trail….every foot of this trail was restored by volunteers of ultrarunning! Runners now arrived at Westfork Station (27.1 miles). Running from Shortcut to Westfork did not change the leaders order at all from Jesse in first (3:00:46) to Sada in sixth (4:07:01)!
Now, all they had to do now was take Gabrielino Trail to Kenyon DeVore Trail, Mt Disappointment’s signature finish climb (2180 feet in 4.3 miles). The finish turned out to be as exciting as the race itself. The runners just seemed to keep coming…one after another. The 2010 first finisher was Patrick Sweeney. He made up nearly six minutes from when I had seen him at Shortcut! Patrick finished the race wearing Vibram “Five Fingers” in 4:40:46. Jesse Bloom came in second in 4:41:58, and told me that he never heard Patrick coming from behind him on Kenyon DeVore Trail. Dean Dobberteen ran hard all day, led a large portion of the race, and finished third overall in 4:55:45!
The women’s race was just as exciting as the men’s race. Michelle led early, with Sada second, and Marla and Diana Treister trading the third spot as the race progressed. As the women’s race continued Sada challenged for the lead and kept it, finishing first in 5:28:16. Michelle Barton finished second in 5:39:09, and Diana Treister was third in 6:45:44.
At the finish, runners went to the Mt Wilson Observatory for a free tour of the telescopes. The new “Cosmic Café” snack bar at the finish line pavilion prepared our post-race sandwiches, and we presented finisher medals to all the kids running in our free Jay’s Kid’s Run for children under 12 years old.
Our trail program presented our “Trail-Do-the-Work” Award to Gabor Kozinc, Andrew Foote, Micah White, and Josh and Naomi Svensson. We presented our “Veterans Plaque” to Anthony Flores, and a Veterans Quilt to Felicia Serrano. We also presented our “Big-Thanks” Award to Debbie Delmonico. We must thank Fausto and Cindy.. And finally, we gave our “Get-to-the-Finish” Plaque to Jeff Higgins for “The Determination to Finish What He Had Started.” That determination is what it took this year. Whether it was family or friend, someone really helped. Thank you everyone…what an incredible sport.