5 Peaks Series: Golden Ears Race Recap
Posted by Keri on May 1, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Article Post: Trail Runner.ca
Golden Ears Park – Saturday April 24, 2010
465 racers braved the elements to take part in the season opening race of the BC 5 Peaks Trail Running Series last Saturday at Golden Ears Park. Torrential rain, hail and snow transformed what were dry trails and a handful of trickling steams just the day before, into knee high creeks and ankle deep mud!
With a total elevation gain of 324 metres, the 8.8km Sport Course wound its way through the park on the Alouette Valley Trail, up Menzies Trail to fantastic waterfall which quickly turned into a steep and technical downhill, with a fast and muddy race to the finish through the Spirea Trail network. Crossing the finish line first for the men was Daniel Ribi of Richmond with a time of 38:18, and Jemia Gray of Vancouver was the first female to cross the finish line with a time of 44:50.
The Enduro Course utilized the same route as the Sport Course and also included the addition of Incline and Eric Dunning Trail, bringing its elevation gains to 648 metres. Even with the extreme trail conditions; new course records for both male and female were set on the 14km Enduro Course. Shaun Stephens-Whale of Roberts Creek set a new male course record of 53:19: Edward McCarthy set the previous record of 56:10 in 2009. Breaking Emily Solsberg’s 2009 course record of 1:10:28 was Stephanie Hamilton of Vancouver with a time of 1:01:42.
Awards and what seamed like an endless list of prizing from sponsors Salomon, MEC, Powerbar, Kicking Horse Coffee and My Husky.ca were given out after the race. The 5 Peaks crew would like to thank the Canadian Ski Patrol System and all of the fabulous volunteers who helped make this race such a huge success.
The next BC race will take place on June 12, 2010 at SFU. Read more