Dipsea: Tiburon’s MacLean makes history with first win
Her sneakers show the miles, but they held up long enough to carry Audrey MacLean to her first Dipsea victory on Sunday morning.
With bloody knees and aching feet, MacLean removed her shoes and socks at the aid station after crossing the finish line, but made sure not to lose track of them.
“They’re the same shoes I wore in my junior year in high school,” the Redwood High grad said, recalling the 2021 season when she placed 16th at the CIF State Cross Country Division II Championship.
On Sunday, Tiburon’s MacLean, 19, crossed the finish line at Stinson Beach to win the 114th Dipsea and made history in the process. She became the first female runner between the ages of 10 and 33 to win the Dipsea — famous for its handicapping system, which has produced many younger or older winners.
In her first win, MacLean ran a personal-best time of 46 minutes, 28 seconds, just 20 seconds ahead of 2021 winner Mark Tatum of Colorado. Defending champion and three-time winner Chris Lundy of Mill Valley placed third in 48:09.
MacLean placed sixth in her previous Dipsea with a time of 49:30 in 2023. She skipped last year’s Dipsea to run in the World Juniors championships in Peru.
MacLean just finished her sophomore season at Middlebury College. She placed second in the 5,000 meter steeplechase in 10:23.59 at the NCAA Women’s Division III Outdoor Championships on May 24.
“I guess I’m more of a track runner now in college, but the Dipsea will definitely always have first place in my heart,” said MacLean.
“I had no idea what to expect today, just because I’ve been doing more of the flat circle running on the track” MacLean said. “I got back into town two weeks ago and started running the trails immediately. I just love the trails, and it’s such an awesome Dipsea community.”
More than 1,500 runners packed downtown Mill Valley in the early hours Sunday for the start of the race. The 7.4-mile mile Dipsea course takes runners from Old Mill Park, up the steep Dipsea Steps and across a series of climbs, descents and switchbacks to Stinson Beach.
The race took its toll on several runners. At least one competitor was taken from the finish area by ambulance. There were several reports of runners who tripped over tree roots along the course, and many runners showed their scars as they crossed the finish line.
The top 35 finishers are awarded the coveted “Black Shirts,” which are emblazoned with their place printed on the back. Clara Peterson of Larkspur earned her eighth black shirt as she finished fourth in 49:10. Last year’s winner in the runners’ section, Heidi Reifenstein of San Anselmo, placed fifth overall in 49:20.
“The big thing for me was the inclusion of the road shortcuts for the first time since I’ve been running the race,” said 2022 winner Eddie Owens, who placed sixth in 49:26.
The Dipsea has always been an “open course” and shortcuts are part of the race’s history. In the early days of the Dipsea, runners were allowed to use just about any shortcut they could find. Shortcuts became more restricted over the years, but the race re-introduced a few for this year’s event. “Door 1” and “Door 2″ near the end of the race around Panoramic Highway gave runners added options.
“For me, it’s fun to have those shortcuts back, but it’s a disadvantage for me because it’s less time to pass people and more time to potentially get hung up behind somebody,” Owens said. “It’s tough because I’m sure I could have caught fifth place, but it’s also kind of cool.”
Alex Varner, Dominic Vogl, Nolan Hosbein and 2023 winner Paddy O’Leary rounded out the top 10.
“My goal was to finish in the top 10 and I finished 10th,” O’Leary said. “It was a tough day.”
Running the Dipsea proved to be an adventure for MacLean.
“I can still find a way to get lost,” MacLean said, smiling. “One time, I passed Chris Lundy and then I’m running down this trail and then I see her ahead of me in the distance again, and I’m like ‘Oh, it must have been a wrong turn.’”
Tatum led most of the race until MacLean caught him near the Stiles. Despite a fall, MacLean bounced right up and kept running.
“I got to Door 1 and still I heard no one around me,” Tatum said. “Then Audrey caught me around Door 2 at the bottom of the road, but she fell about 30 yards into Door 2. She got up in front of me and was off and running, but she was going the wrong way. I yelled to her and she got in front of me. She is an amazing runner.”
Tatum was 24 seconds off his winning time from 2021, but still faster than the past two outings, when he finished eighth. Tatum, 65, who had 15 head-start minutes, also became one of the rare people to “run his age” in a Dipsea, finishing with an actual time of 61:48.
“It was a good day,” Tatum said. “I probably went too fast at first, but I felt great.”
One of MacLean’s former high school rivals, Tam High grad Emma Dunmire, placed 29th in 52:53. She and her father Erik, who finished 35th, took home the Family Trophy.
“I got to run with my dad, which was really fun,” said Emma Dunmire, who just finished her junior season at UC San Diego. “The race started good. I kept grinding and we were all fighting for spots, the way it usually goes. It was a good race.”