Every race should end with beer and tacos. Especially if you have to climb 282 steps to end the race. The Conquer the Overlook 5k and 282 Step Climb at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook in Culver City on August 19th was brutal for sure, but it was worth it to eat delicious tacos and drink craft beer with friends.
It’s also easier to convince people to enter if it sounds more like a party. I invited the tough and awesome CrossFit ladies to enter the race with me. I don’t know what I thought, but it was harder than I thought it would be. Partly because I didn’t know the course ahead of time. I did know, from past hikes that we’d need to climb these stairs.
Part of the race was on a dirt trails and part on the road. It started out downhill. Because it was a short race most people were going fast and the trail was a bit narrow. At one point I faceplanted into a sign, but that was my own fault for not looking up and trying to pass someone in a tight space. We went down and around Culver City Park and then back up the hill, down again until we got to the stairs.
I had hoped that I would run walk the stairs, but I walked them, which I was more than happy about. It was amazing just to finish the race. The view from the top was worth it all.
Oh, wait. The cold beer and delicious tacos at the race party made it worth it all.
