Tough Enough For the Tilden Ten, Lamorinda?

Tape your toes, flex your quads, and carbo load to the max: the 23rd Annual Tilden Tough Ten starts May 15, at 8 a.m.

If you haven’t heard about the trail-blazing, gut busting, alternative race, it might be because only 300 runners are allowed to participate. And, like shareholders with insider information, they're not eager to advertise, lest they lose their position.

Considered the first in a trifecta of cardio chartbusters known as the East Bay Triple Crown Trail Championship series, The Tilden Tough Ten pits humans against local topography. Stiff climbs, temperatures that soar and plummet depending on location, and encounters with wild turkeys and cows just add to the experience.

The original Berkeley to Moraga race, a half marathon beginning at the Claremont Hotel and ending at , was conducted without permits, traffic controls, or much regard for personal safety.

Today’s runners begin and end at the parking lot at Inspiration Point. Sponsored by the Lake Merritt Joggers & Striders, (don’t let their name fool you: these runners are 30-years-of-pounding-pavement tough,) the Tilden Tough Ten is the Oakland running club’s most popular event.

Oakland resident Caitlin Smith was the fastest-female in 2010, with a time of 65:45. The men’s course record of 54:51, unbroken since 2003, is held by Kalid Abdalah. Finishing time T-shirts, reading sub-60, sub-70 and sub-80, are cherished by runners able to complete the course in less than 80, 70 and 60 minutes. The truly tough, those who complete all three of the “Triple Crown” races, receive a survivor award.