The Bulldog 50K is run in Malibu Creek State Park just a few miles from Malibu and the Pacific Ocean, the location where the TV series MASH was filmed. I flew out on Friday and got off the plane at LAX and was struck with the exciting and terrifing thought that I don't know one single person in the state of California. From LAX to my hotel in Calabasas, CA was your typical 5 lane highway Friday afternoon drive...I decided traffic was either heavy, heavier, heaviest or standstill, but I made it without incident. I settled into the room and then drove to find the race start location and then continued into Malibu. The road wound along steep rock faces and canyons before opening into a jaw dropping view of the Pacific Ocean and intersecting the Pacific Coast Highway. I quickly found that sitting at a green light looking at the view was not a good way to win driving compliments. A little drive along the coast and then back to Calabasas to get some supplies and hang out for the evening.
The next morning was fog covered going to the park so I was glad I had located it the evening prior, temperatures were in the mid 60°'s with light ocean breezes. The race started and ran through the old MASH filming area and slowly climbed to the top of Bulldog Mountain.