Petalumans primed to challenge 106th Dipsea trail race on June 12

Several Petalumans are set to compete in the 106th Dipsea Race - the oldest trail race in America and the country’s second-oldest footrace behind the Boston Marathon.

The race will be held on June 12, beginning in downtown Mill Valley at 8:30 a.m.

It is a tight, tricky and sometimes treacherous 7.5-mile cross country romp following the scenic and historic Dipsea Trail over hill, dale and three flights of steep stairs totaling 688 steps climbing to a peak elevation of 1,360 feet (the equivalent of a 50-story building) while continuing around the south flank of Mt. Tamalpais through Muir Woods and Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

It ends at Stinson Beach, where some of the limited field of 1,500 runners will cool off in the Pacific Ocean.

Among those scheduled to compete is Petaluman Steven Cozza, the former professional bicyclist who is now an avid runner.

The list of Petalumans runs from A (Brock Albee) to Z (Dario Zea) and includes River Underhill-Morriso (12) and Frank Cuneo (60).

Back again for a 13th running is St. Vincent High School cross country coach Paul Braa. Lisa Hilbert, a PE teacher at Grant School, is running her 14th race. Also running this year, Vinny and Nick Fausone - a family legacy with their dads Vince and Aaron respectively - have been running the Dipsea for many years.

Former Casa Grande distance standout Ashley Moffet, now running cross country and track at USF, will also compete after missing last year’s run with a hip injury.

Brooklyn Shattuck (12) and her brother Mac (14) will run with their father, Thor. Also returning is veteran Dipsea runner Ron Svinth, 56.

What makes the Dipsea unique other than its rugged race course and panoramic views is competitors are awarded head start minutes based on age and gender.

For example, the last five Dipsea champions are 58-year-old Brian Pilcher, a retired real estate financial who graduated from Dartmouth College; 56-year-old Diana Fitzpatrick, a three-time Olympic Marathon trials qualifier and NYU Law School graduate who works with Nolo Press, a self-help publisher in Berkeley; Hans Schmid, a 72-year-old retired natural foods importer and distributer; Jamie Rivers, a 60-year-old nurse at the University of California San Francisco hospital; and Reilly Johnson, an 8-year-old, 52-inch, 62-pound pigtailed fourth-grade student.

Pilcher, who had an 11-minute head start last year, became only the eighth person to win the historic race more than once. He was one of a few numbers of Dipsea runners who have been able to clock a time of (56:56) under their age (58). He defeated first-time Dipsea runner Matias Saari, 44, of Anchorage, Alaska by one minute and 58 seconds, the largest margin of victory.