Ready for anything

Working outdoors, I learned a long time ago that you must be flexible; trees fall, rivers flood, ice, snow, wind…you can’t control the weather (although I sorta do on Tuesday nights). You must always have a plan B, and sometimes need a C and D. The 5 Peaks Season finale trail run at Buntzen Lake last Saturday had us even working on a plan E!

The waters were high all summer at Buntzen Lake and we were watching. Up until two weeks ago we were still running with plan A, but trail maintenance on the Buntzen Lake Trail took us to plan B. We added a little woop-de-doo to the map (and one more hill) and were good to go; that was until the day before the race when the crew showed up to mark the race route and found the floating bridge was no longer floating (without the floating bridge we had no access to the Enduro loop and the first loop of the ½ marathon route…yah, a bit of a problem). Plan C was quickly put into action re-routing the Enduro and ½ marathoners. Due to the extra distance required to re-route the runners to the other side of the lake, we would not be using the infamous Diez Vistas Trail, instead we would be using Lakeside Trail (not as steep, but making a much faster course). With the rain still coming down, and the water levels getting higher, the wheels were already put into motion for a back-up venue, plan D.

The rain stopped Friday afternoon, and plan C it was. The crew arrived at 5:30am and started the race set-up by our headlights (I will take a dark but clear sky set-up any day over rain). I was surprised and thankful to see a familiar but very tired face pull up with the trailer, you are a rockstar Marky!

Set-up was smooth and racer check-in was very civilized. The ½ marathon started at 9:00am, the Children’s Challenge at 9:30am and the Sport and Enduro races exactly one hour after the ½, and just like that 444 racers crossed the start line, it makes me a bit giddy to think about how on schedule we were!

By late morning it felt like summer all over again, the long sleeves were off, sunglasses on, and then it started to smell like summer…the end of season barbeque was underway. While the racers enjoyed their grub, the final points were tallied and the overall season awards were presented.

For the enquiring minds out there, thanks to my new and very techie friend Paul, here are the unofficial distances from Saturday’s course:
• Sport Route: 7.5km
• Enduro Route: 15.9km
• ½ marathon: 23.4km…so it was a ½ marathon and a bit

I would like to congratulate all of the racers for a fantastic season and would like to thank from the bottom of my heart all of the fabulous volunteers who make this series what it is.

Cheers everyone!

‘Gorgeous’ alpine course greets 5 Peaks racers

Article post: Whistler Question
About 450 athletes enjoy Whistler Mountain trail races

August 25,2010

Megan Grittani-Livingston

Newly free from the casts on his two broken arms, North Vancouver’s Ryan Ervin was all smiles atop Whistler Mountain as he crossed the finish line for the 5 Peaks trail running series race held on a surprisingly sunny Saturday (Aug. 21).

“I was a little nervous about this race – I usually do the Enduro (distance), but I had to do the Sport today because I broke both my arms mountain biking in the middle of June, so I just got my casts off. The scree slope running down was a little sketchy, but it was wicked, it was fun,” Ervin said after steaming to victory in the 4.9-kilometre Sport race.

The 5 Peaks series, which encourages runners to “get off the road” and onto trails in a fun, recreational race environment, typically offers Sport and Enduro distances to tempt a range of participants, plus a one-kilometre Children’s Challenge to deliver fun for whole families. In Whistler, the Sport course was 4.9 km and the Enduro racers ran 10.6 km.

The B.C. Coastal branch of the national 5 Peaks series made its annual stop in the alpine setting atop Whistler Mountain on a Saturday that was expected to involve thunder and lightning, but instead delivered blue skies and sunshine to offset the boundless alpine views.

Ervin was the first runner to cross the finish line, in its scenic setting next to the top of the Big Red Express, with a course-record time of 27 minutes, 17 seconds. His broken arms, sustained in a ride on Mount Seymour during his first time out on a new bike, became a worry of the past as he returned to the 5 Peaks series for the first time this season, and enjoyed the Whistler course for his fourth or fifth time.

“I love it… Look at the views – it can’t get any better than this, it’s so gorgeous,” Ervin said.

As it was for many of the approximately 450 athletes who ran around the loop course set at the top of Whistler Mountain, the race was a family affair for Ervin. His wife completed the Enduro distance, and his son ran in the Children’s Challenge.

“People tend to make it part of their summer vacation as well,” said Keri Cawthorne, the 5 Peaks B.C. race director. She said the series organizers continue to be pleased with the beauty and quality of the Whistler venue, and the rave reviews they get from the runners.

“For most, this one is the favourite… It just kind of adds a whole new element, coming up and doing a race in the altitude,” Cawthorne said.

The other events in the B.C. Coastal series run at Golden Ears, Simon Fraser University, Mount Seymour and Buntzen Lake. The alpine environment at 6,000 feet on Whistler Mountain, including the high-altitude atmosphere and the frequently steep terrain rife with rocks, posed challenges for some. read entire article

Race day at Mount Seymour

3:40am wake up call this morning…gotta love race mornings! It doesn’t matter if I am getting up at that time to go on vacation or go to set up for a race, it never feels quite right until I am well into my second cup of kick ass coffee. It could have been worse (and it has been), it was warm and most importantly, it was dry! It also felt weird to be applying sunscreen and bug spray at 4:15am, but that was the kind of day it was going to be. With the truck loaded with the last minute things, we hit the road at 4:33am.

We arrived on top of Mount Seymour just after 5:30am, as promised the sun was shining and the bugs weren’t all that bad after all (as long as you were standing in the sun). Set-up went extremely smoothly and the music or noise pollution as an extremely grumpy (I am being very nice here) hiker called it, was pumping by 7:00am. I would like to give a dumbass shout out to the boneheads who thought that it would be funny to mess with the route markers…thank you to our pre-runners Kevin and Linda for pre-running the race routes and fixing it all up.

With no other hiccups, I got through my race director briefing without hacking up a lung and started the race on time. Congratulations to the 416 racers who came out to play this morning, a special congratulations to Stephanie Hamilton who broke her own Enduro course record, which she set last year! A huge thank-you to all of todays fabulous volunteers, we couldn’t have done it without you.

So who is up for a road trip? Next race is at Whistler on August 21st.

5 Peaks Seymour courses are ready to go!

Had a fantastic morning at Mount Seymour with Marky and Kat marking the 5 Peaks Seymour race courses. The trails are in excellent condition…compared to previous years, very little mud. I do believe that this is the prettiest BC course, beautiful lakes, babbling brooks, fantastic views and a little bit of snow for those running the Enduro course.

Racer check in and race day registration ($50) is from 7:00-8:45am, arrive early to avoid the line-ups, the Children’s Challenge starts at 8:30am and the Sport and Enduro races start at 9:00am. The forecast is for sunny skies and warm temperatures, so don’t forget your sunscreen and yes, bring bug spray…

Good times at SFU

Getting up at 3:40am is tough. Even with all of the anticipation and excitement of a race morning it still feels like really, do I have to…just 10 more minutes.

I have a method to my madness, I set my coffee pot to brew 10 minutes before I have to get up, so by the time my one allocated snooze is up, the familiar aroma of Kick-Ass coffee lulls me into a false sense of security that this is not an ungodly hour after all. By the time I hit the shower, the nauseous feeling has hit, and I know that I have been had yet again.

My pre-event routine is not much different whether I am running in the event or running the event (well except when I run the event I bring the race with me). I lay out all my race day clothes the night before, pack my post race outfit (because every race deserves a post race outfit), I have coffee and breakfast and have high expectations that my body will have moved before I leave the house. Completing all of these tasks is a pretty tall order before 4:30am. Drop dead departing time yesterday was 4:25am, with one item outstanding on my list we pulled out of the driveway at an impressive 4:28am.

At our last race in April it POURED, a relentless downpour that NEVER let up. Races like that are few and far between (knocking on wood right now) even on the west coast. When you come off a race like that, it doesn’t even have to be sunny (although it is nice) or warm for that matter, just the absence of precipitation or should I say the absence of it while you are setting up, is enough to make you do cart wheels and count your blessings! So wearing my shorts, my very official race director jacket and armed with my shades I was a bit of a giggly school girl (speaking of school girls…nope, I’m not going to go there) by the time I got to the top of SFU.

The venue set-up went extremely smoothly, even using a different format from last year. A new feature to the race on Saturday was the Race Director briefing. Now I am far from a shy girl, but an audience of 404 plus vollys and spectators (I know that most weren’t listening, but still) is a bit intimidating not to mention my largest audience to date. I managed to cover my notes without saying anything inappropriate, but inevitably my nerves got the better of me, Kat and I had fully intended singing O Canada (just the first line) purely for shock value, I forgot or wussed, maybe a combination of both.

The first wave of racers went out at 9:01am and six waves later the race compound went from adrenaline overload to Santa’s workshop, thank goodness for the wonderful volunteers.

Somewhere between the start of the race and when the first few racers came in, the sun came out. The racers must have been feeling the toasty temps (that coupled with Cardiac Hill) because there was a steady stream of shirtless racers (male only, this was for the ladies…sorry fellas, you had school girls) passing through the finish line! A course record broken, many pbs, plenty mud, a bit of blood and lots of nakedness…good times. Does it make you want to run at Mount Seymour next month?

All in all a great day. Congratulations to all of the racers and a big thank-you to all of the volunteers.

Ready to get off the road at SFU tomorrow

With the rest of the fabulous 5 Peaks team, I will be hosting 600 for a run and a light breakfast in the morning at SFU.  Although the weather forecast looks great for tomorrow, it has not been so great this week, making fantastic trail conditions…no dust this year my friends!

I did my Costco cookie shop without incident earlier this week, I think that it may have been the first time in 3 years that I haven’t had someone who thinks that they are funnier than they are, give me some rendition of how they are coming to my house instead or that I must really like cookies – yah can’t you tell?  I took the Train with me to bagel shop yesterday and she almost laughed out loud when the lady behind the bakery counter asked if we were having a party…a bagel party?  And then the cashier asked us if we were starting our own Tim Horton’s…no we just really like bagels and milk.

I met Kat and Marky at SFU this morning for trail marking, it was just like old times, completely inappropriate female conversation in the presence of a male, good times!  As usual, Marky had my pack filled to the point of tilt, punishment I guess for the three hours of harassment he received while out on the trails with us.

So what can you expect tomorrow?

• A fast downhill 1km start on the road to the trailhead, single track, slick and muddy trails (not Golden Ears slick and muddy, but there shouldn’t be a clean pair of shoes in the house) down to North Road, a decent climb up to the Trans Canada Trail, Enduro racers will do a loop of Mel’s here, and then  everyone with head up the Trans Canada Trail to the infamous Cardiac hill (the burn that your calves will feel going up this hill is legendary), back out on the road and right to the finish line.
• Yes, you can still register tomorrow (7:00-8:45am, $50).
• The race souvenir is a pair of Wigwam socks.
• Medals (they are important) for first, second, and third male and female in each age category, in both distances.
• Port-o-potties

5 Peaks Series: Golden Ears Race Recap

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

Get Off The Road

What a morning on the trails, mud, rain, more mud, more rain, hail and snow! But for 465 crazies these were perfect trail running conditions! I have to admit, when I saw you all coming in soaked, covered with mud and totally exhausted, I was more than jealous (and freezing, thanks for the jacket Dave, I think that you may have prevented hypothermia).

I have not seen race conditions like today’s since I ran (ran the trails not the event) my first trail race (lost my trail racing virginity) race with 5 Peaks at Cypress Mountain in 2006. The conditions then were also crazy, and before I even crossed the finish line, I knew that I was hooked! From the smiles that I saw today at the finish line, I think that there are a few more trail runners today than there were yesterday.

Looking foward to seeing you at SFU on June 12/10.

Sleep well.

Time for another trail running season

The course is marked, the truck and trailer (and several other vehicles) are loaded and the coffee pot is set to brew at 4:00am! Looking forward to a great turnout at Golden Ears Park for the 5 Peaks Season opener tomorrow morning, fingers crossed for dry weather.

Race package pick-up and race day registration start at 7:00am; come early to avoid the line-ups and the race with start at 9:00am. A big thank you in advance to all of the fabulous volunteers who make these events such huge successes. Have a safe race everyone.

On a more personal note, thank you all very much for all of your well wishes that you have sent to my Dad. Big Tone/Granddad is doing very well, cheering on the Canucks as I type, although not able to join my Mum in their traditional fist pump when they score!

5 Peaks Training Clinic

50 crazy trail runners joined me this morning at Golden Ears Park for the first session of my 5 Peaks Training Clinic (officially my largest group ever, woo-hoo)! It was great to see some new faces as well as some that I hadn’t seen since my last trail running session. Once all of the paperwork and pleasantries were out of way, we split into 3 speed groups, each running a variation of the Golden Ears ‘Sport Course’.

Most of us got our feet wet right away, holy crap that mountain water is cold, and by the end of the run even Murray had one wet shoe (Murray doesn’t like to get his piggies wet). He told me on the trail that one of the run leaders splashed him and was off his Christmas list, I thought that he said that she flashed him and was off his Christmas list, I was a bit shocked (she doesn’t seem like the flashing kind) and confused why he had taken her off his list… it was extremely funny but possibly one of those situations that you had to be there for to appreciate.

Even with all of the wind that we had last week, the trails were in pretty good shape, a couple of trees down here and there and one missing bridge, oops, and the creeks were just high enough to keep our shoes clean!

Great job today everyone