With 26 miles of hiking, walking and running trails that wind through its more than 17,000 acres, the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve just south of Los Gatos offers a challenging run over a combination of park fire roads and dirt trails for the annual running of the Sierra Azul Trail Challenge, which also features a 5K, 7K, 50K, 20-mile and full marathon in addition to the half marathon.
The course for the race follows an out-and-back route that the organizers describe as “one of the toughest runs out there,” a 6.55-mile run out from the starting line near the eastern edge of the preserve on Hicks Road, all the way to the aid station at the half-way turnaround point, and back again.
Along the way, runners will experience several steep hills and a steep overall elevation gain from the start to the half-way point, from about 1,400 feet above sea level at the start to about 3,000 feet at race’s peak elevation near the turnaround.
Along the way, runners will encounter a range of environments and terrain conditions, as the preserve varies from wide-open grasslands to densely wooded oak forests, and from hard and rocky chapparal shrub lands to deep ravines and riparian areas, where creeks and streams cut through the forest.
