Hey everyone, we hope you’re having a great start to the week and had the chance to get out on some trails this past weekend! Now on to our weekly trail running video…
Ellie Lane, located just a stones throw away from Iron Mountain, in Poway, San Diego, is a great alternative if you're looking to add some extra mileage and elevation gain on top of the popular Iron Mountain trail, while also looking to avoid the crowds (I only saw 3 hikers on the Ellie Lane portion of this run on a Saturday). Clocking in at roughly 9 miles and 2,000' feet of gain, Ellie Lane provides a solid workout with beautiful views of east county San Diego and beyond.
The Ellie Lane trailhead is located a 1/4 mile north of the popular Iron Mountain parking lot on Highway 67. This alternative start/ loop presents a few options in how you can approach it, that being clockwise or counterclockwise. For this video, I decided to do it clockwise as it fit in well with my Tempo Run intervals I had planned. As I also mention in the video, we have a friend who encountered a mountain lion on the trail a few months back, so just know they are out there. San Diego is littered with cougars but hardly ever encountered. The best way to typically avoid them is to run in the middle of the day as they are most active in the early morning and evenings. Ellie Lane has been a trail I've run multiple times as it's somewhat of a sweet-spot for semi longer days. It's also a great option if you're looking to stack mileage with back to back days. There are a few turns you don't want to miss so I've added a link here to our Trail Running GPX page so you can download the file and upload it to your watch or phone. This GPX page will be a continuous work in progress so make sure to take advantage of the GPX files we already have posted and be sure to check back weekly as we continue to update the page.
Make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel @CirqueRunning to keep up to date with all of our latest trail running edits. Enjoy this video of Ellie Lane and makes sure to drop us a comment and say hi!
Cirque Running's other sites and media channels
Website: cirquerunning.com
GPX Files: Trail Running GPX Files
Coaching: cirquerunning.com/coaching
Instagram: @cirquerunning
Facebook: Cirque Running
Run Gear List
Ridge Merino Pursuit Merino Wool Tee
Patagonia Strider Pro Shorts 5"
Patagonia Duckbill Cap
Suunto Race Titanium
Raide Research LF 2L Running Belt
Hoka Tecton X3 Limited Edition
Goodr sunglasses
Fuel for the day
3* Never Second gels (30 carbs & 120 cals each, 90 carbs and 360 calories total)
2* 600 mL soft flasks (1200 mL's total of fluid). One flask contained Skratch Labs drink mix which had an additional 40 grams of carbs and 160 calories.
Cirque Running’s mission is to inspire our trail running community through elevated retreats and professional coaching, with certified UESCA ultrarunning coaches. We’re Trail Runners, Mountain Guides, Educators, Coaches and Stewards of the Sierra and California, and we want to share these remarkable places with all those seeking natural abundance in the Range of Light and beyond.
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