The area was badly burned, and in my opinion needed time to heal. I was inspired to still bring a solid, competitive, and tough 50 mile/50k race to southern California in early winter. I also had a deep desire to still have this sort of race in the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains. The result was the creation of one of the most epic race courses to date on the West Coast. Personally mapped out and
created by my close friend Sean O'Brien it only seemed fair to name the race after him. The race course consists of beautiful single track on the Backbone Trail, miles of sweeping ocean views, and over 11,000+ feet of gain in the 50 mile, and 6400+ feet of gain in the 50k. The Back Country trails of the Santa Monica Mountains are breathtaking, and some parts rarely touched. I am honored to be bringing such an epic event to the Ultra Running community, and I look forward to you all participating in this race! The event will have three distances to choose from: 50 Mile, 50k, and 26.2. The 50 Mile race is now part of the 2014 Montrail Ultra Cup. Note that the TOP THREE men and women will get auto-entry into Western States in 2014.
