The Dipsea trail in Marin County, California, is famous for its roughly 2,300-foot incline, rising straight up and then straight down over 7.1 miles from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach. Three races run across the trail every year—the Dipsea, the Double Dipsea (an out and back), and the Quad Dipsea (two out and backs, totaling 28.4 miles).
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Yet, on record, only one person has ever completed the fabled Quad Quad Dipsea, which is 16 crossings of the trail (eight out and backs) for 113 miles and nearly 38,000 feet of elevation—8,000 feet more than the height of Mount Everest. That person was Don Lundell in 2003. Few have attempted the unofficial race since—until December, when Bradley Fenner became the second runner ever to complete the 16 crossings.
It was an idea sparked by Tony Marshall, a runner from the area. In the absence of races because of the pandemic, Marshall convinced Fenner, his friend and fellow area runner, to take on the challenge on the weekend that Quad Dipsea normally takes place.
Fenner, 56, knew the course well; he’s completed the Quad race 11 times since 2008 and runs on the trail frequently, since he lives nearby. But initially, he wasn’t keen on the idea, feeling nervous about the distance and elevation. Still, he began training and after a solid performance doing a Double Quad (eight out and backs) in mid-October, he decided to get on board.
“Over the years, when I would train with my friends for the Quad Dipsea, we jokingly made reference about doing the Quad Quad, but it never gained a lot of traction,” Fenner told Runner’s World. “I was incredibly and candidly intimidated by the statistics of it. I had never run quite that far. I’d done 100 milers. This was a bit further and involved 36,000 feet of elevation. I was intrigued by it. I was also intimidated by it.”
At 5 a.m. on December 4, Fenner and Marshall ascended the 670 stairs from Mill Valley for the first time, beginning what would be a long adventure lasting more than 30 hours. The duo had a two-person crew, Zak Sterling and Jim Lynch, stationed in Mill Valley and a lone parked car near the trail head in Stinson Beach with supplies if needed.
After about 43 miles, or five out-and-backs, Marshall called it a day because of a stomach issue, leaving Fenner to go the rest of the way on his own. To stay mentally strong, Fenner broke down the race into sections to be completed—eight out and backs was more digestible than 113 miles.
Luckily, he also lined up runners from the community like Charlie Ehm, Gary Wang, Olivia Amber, Jon de St. Paer, Corrine Malcolm, Ezra Becker, Devon Yanko, Louis Secreto, Hal Rosenberg, Greg Nacco, and Geoff Vaughan to crew and pace him over those tough stretches.
One of his biggest challenges was the lack of daylight hours of the winter. He started in the dark and only had, at most, 10 hours of light before night set in on the first day. It would be a long 14 hours at night, using his own lighting gear and his Hoka Evo Mafate 2s to tackle the difficult terrain.
“The downhills in the darkness were hard,” Fenner said. “The moon wasn’t close to full, so there wasn’t light from that. It was treacherous in the pitch black.”
Fenner simply kept to his routine. He did not sit down at any point for fear of the chair absorbing him. He hiked the uphills and jogged the downhills. He stuck to solid foods like egg sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, Coke, Ensure, cheese pizza, and cheese quesadillas, rather than things like gels or sports drinks he thought he’d get tired of over 30 hours.
After 31 hours, he had reached the final out and back of the trail. His quads and calves burned after over 30,000 feet of elevation, but he climbed the stairs one last time. Over the peak he went and back down leaving one more crossing to go.
“I was nervous and not taking anything for granted,” Fenner said. “There are portions of the trail that are so gosh-darn technical. You can role your ankle at any point. I just focused on where I was until the final mile where I finally thought I was going to finish. But I was kind of nervous that disaster could strike pretty much any time.”
As Fenner descended the stairs, he was greeted by the small crowd of his crew and friends who showered him with cheers and champagne. Fenner wasn’t a big fan of the latter after 113 miles, but he said he “was too tired to object and just let them pour it on me because I wasn’t sure if I could do anything.”
He quickly found a chair, finally sitting after 34 hours, 15 minute, and 35 seconds. A friend handed him a Fort Point Villager IPA and someone else brought him In-N-Out Burger. He called Quad Dipsea creator Tropical John Medinger, who congratulated him over FaceTime.
Afterwards, he felt sore but not horribly so. He did feel a surprising amount of fatigue in for 10 to 14 days after, which he credits to the long, overnight effort throwing off his internal clock. A month out, he is back to full strength and he is proud of his accomplishment.
“I would ask that, whatever you write, please don’t use the word legend,” Fenner said. “I’m better than middle of the pack, but I’m not elite. I set a goal, I worked toward it, and I had a good day with phenomenal support. I’m not a legend. I’m not Rob Krar. I’m just a normal guy who loves the sport. I will say it was the most significant run that I have ever done, so I will at least say that.”
Drew covers a variety of subjects for Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness, gear, and fitness for the brand. His work has previously been published in Men’s Health.
