January 21, 2021. 7:15am. Twin Peaks, San Francisco, California.

The final round of Chase the Throne has finally arrived. Lizzy’s task this morning was simple: Run up the back side of Twin Peaks as fast as she could. One girl, one mile, and 223 feet of elevation gain.

Lizzy’s entourage lined the road to fill the quiet, early morning air with cheering and ensure that Lizzy didn’t have to run a single step without encouragement. At the top, Lizzy and her crew were treated to a glowing sunrise that made for a spectacular cool down setting.

Lizzy won’t know until the end of the week how she fared against her opponents, but she does know she left it all out there.

January 18, 2021. 10:40am. Mount Diablo State Park, Walnut Creek, California.

The Arroyo Athletics Club is an underground team–a collective of like-minded friends, dispersed throughout California, with strong personal ties to the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. Today brought two members of its Northern California chapter (namely, Riley and the author) to one of the most legendary views in the state.

January 16, 2021. 8:20am. Lake Merced, San Francisco, California.

Like bees to honey, a smattering of runners descended upon Lake Merced on a Saturday morning, each pursuing a mark for the semifinal round in Trials of Miles‘s Chase the Throne virtual race tournament. The trail running contingent, a few men from West Valley Track Club, and their supporters were off the line first. Lizzy and her entourage followed a few minutes after.

As each individual runner chased a fast time, there was an overarching feeling of camadarie, bolstered further by exceptional on-course support. Today, friends, teammates, significant others, and fellow racers helped competitors along.

In a week, one of these men and one of these women could be crowned the king and queen of San Francisco.