Comfortably Numb 25km trail race (x2)

Described as epic, phenomenal, Whistler's best, the Comfortably Numb 25km trail runs from the Wedge Mountain parking lot, heading west toward Spruce Grove park on the outer fringe of Whistler village. Awesome. It has everything you would want from a technical single-track trail: gentle switch backs that take you up to just over 1000m elevation, beautiful open rock plateaus that mess with your mind as you run loops around, and around, and around...then you get dropped off rock faces, down technical chutes of trail, and finally through beautiful lush forest that always smells fresh.

Comfortably Numb is the trail race that has it all. So why not do it twice?

The idea started over a tasty seafood risotto cooked by Vancouver's Nicola Gildersleeve, aka "long-sleeves", an awesome lady that has pushed me on our weekly runs and adventures. We had been deciding how to fit in a long weekend run (in my lead up to the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc) and also race Comfortably Numb. "Why not just run from the finish to the start of the race and then do the race as well back to the finish?" Yes!

Race morning, 5.45am, crisp clear morning, Nicola and I start our run to the race start:

"Physically demanding?"

Nicola making a quick call to double check which way the trail goes: Left or Right?

What a morning to be out on the trails:

At the start line with Cathy, a local Physiotherapist and legendary for her consumption of 8 gels and 15 salt tablets during this race to stop cramping (she smashed the race):

With Nicola, restocking water:

The start:

At the only aid station, having a wrap. Thanks to the North Shore Athletics race organizers who hiked in 12k to man this remote outpost of help and hydration:

Halfway for some, 3/4 of the way for others...

Nicola and I started in the morning together and ended up finishing together as well. She jarred her ankle badly 7km into the race and I found her at the only aid station munching on salty chips. We ended up running the rest of the way together. At one point she commented to me "geez I feel so held back by my ankle, I just want to go faster." I think I grunted something to her, but inside I was thinking "I am at my maximum and could not go faster if I wanted." Nevertheless, running with Nicola, even if not at her best pace, pushed me to go harder than if I had been running by myself. Sometimes, running with a better runner is humbling to one's ego, but if you can move beyond that then you may just find yourself being challenged to work harder and become better as well.

I finished in 6:10 hours and gained 3165m of elevation in total. What a great day of running:

Post race party at the Whistler Brewhouse:

Cloudburst Mountain Spring Summit Attempt

Spring in BC, Canada. Slightly warmer weather (think 5 degrees celcius), longer days, and the perfect opportunity to revisit Cloudburst Mountain and it's summit, previously unattainable in mid-winter.

Our "team" consisted of Jan, a Czech about to get kicked out of the country with a burning desire to see the fabled 360 degree view from the top; Werner, an Aussie that is always up for crazy adventures, and myself! Our day started in Paradise Valley, early in the morning to maximise the daylight we would have to climb 1871m,with snowshoes, through spring snow, up steep ridges, to the highest point of the mountain.

In the Valley the weather was not looking so great. I may have been a slightly "fair-weather" adventurer, urging the boys to wait for a better day, but at Jan's insistence, we started the steep climb up the FSR again.

The snow line was noticeably higher than in the winter, and the snow quality was also wetter. We were thankful for the cooler conditions that day, as a sunny day might have increased the difficulty of snowshoeing up the steep sides of the mountain onto the ridge.

Every now and then, the clouds would be torn apart and suddenly we would have the most magnificent view down into Paradise valley and at the Tantalus mountain range.

A view of the ridge we would have to follow to the actual summit of Cloudburst (on the far right of the picture).

Freestyle snowshoeing in action:

Once on the ridge and in the alpine, the undualting ridge as seen from sea level became a series of domed, icy peak that became increasingly challenging (and at times scary) to climb with the snowshoes.

Myself approaching one of the icy peaks we would have to climb, freestyle, and with no ropes, safety gear, crampons or ice picks. The weather was also closing in as we got higher, decreasing our visibility of where the ridge ended. Not good!

At 1769m, 2 peaks away from the true summit, 11km into our adventure, we took this photo and called it quits. In Jan's words: "It's the professionals who know when to turn around and and go back." Maybe, but to go any further would have been risky: we could see nothing, and the last two climbs would be even more challenging and would present difficulties when the time would come to descend. Sometimes, turning around is a better option.

Finally! Time to eat! Recommended: wraps (kept separate while hiking) with tuna, mayonnaise, dill, tomato, mix (kept in zip-lock bag).

The reward at the end of another amazing adventure: a perfect view and some sun on the skin!

Tracing the Edge: Ultrarunner Krissy Moehl Part 1, 2 & 3

The Patagonia Tracing the Edge series present the stories of 3 Patagonia brand Ambassadors. The 3 featurettes on American ultrarunner Krissy Moehl are truly inspiring to watch. She is a woman who inspires me to take risks in life to pursue my passion, to make running a routine for life - for nutting out problems, for release, for escape, for pleasure; to give 100% right until the finish line (of races and in life), and to start what I finish. Hopefully watching her talk will inspire you too!

Badger Mountain Challenge 50km

Having set my sights on the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, a 166km tour of the Mont Blanc Massif in August this year, I decided to sign up for more races in the lead up to the event. The idea was to run these races as training runs; enjoying new trail and scenery and drawing on the positive energy of the other runners to help with the motivation to push on with my long weekend runs!

My first big run of the season was the Badger Mountain Challenge, held on the fringe of the tri-cities (Kennewick, Richland and Pasco) in Southeastern Washington State, USA. This was the first year the event was held, offering 15km, 50km or a 100miler option. Without doing too mush research, I signed up for the 50km distance and realized only closer to the date that we would have quite a journey ahead of us from Squamish, Canada. Our party consisted of: Mike, a running buddy from New Zealand who also signed up for the 50km on the basis that he would have strong legs from endless days of snowboarding; Jan, attempting the 15km with an injured leg; my brother Werner, not running but fulfilling the crucial role of support crew/photographer/cheer squad. We left on Friday at 4pm, and after 10 hours of driving (including a border crossing and several food stops for the boys) we arrived in Richland at 2am. Using a barely legible google-map printout we found a local park in which to set up our tent and attempt sleeping. Needless to say, the freezing temperatures, our well-insulated tent (read sarcasm) and pre-race nerves thwarted us, and we woke up the next morning at 6am neither refreshed nor in the mood for a 50km.

The 50km runners met at the foot of Badger Mountain, a bald hill devoid of trees and providing expansive views over the bleak lanscape. This would set much of the tone for the trail ahead. The American runners trumped us both in enthusiasm and in toughness, with many bare legs exposed to the early morning chill. Without much ado, the race director led a countdown to the "start" call, runners synchronising their GARMINS and heading uphill to the Badger Mountain trailhead.

Mike and I, freezing while waiting for the start:

Nervous runners wanting desperately to warm up:

The run took us along a loop around Badger Mountain and then out toward Candy Mountain. The terrain was mostly on single dirt trails, a freeway crossing, between some of the wineries, and through steep sandy sections littered with shotgun shells (from badger hunting perhaps?). From Candy Mountain the cruelest section arrived - the ascent to Red Mountain and running along the ridge behind. The trail ran steeply up the side of the mountain, killing calves and momentum and making many grown men cringe. At the top the wind buffetted against us and without gloves, my fingers soon became stiff, frozen and swollen like sausages. The trail was littered with sharp rocks making for slow, painful running. At the turn around point, a group of volunteers met us with cow bells and gels - kudos to them standing out in the wind to cheer on the runners.

On the run back I ran for a while with Mike until he "boosted" on the flat and became a speck on the horizon. I held my pace, watched my HR, alternated between Clif Shot Gels and Sharkies chews, and slowly passed quite a few runners who had been defeated by the rocks on Red Mountain. My final ascent back up the side of Badger Mountain felt great thanks to all the strength training I had been doing at the Challenge by Choice Studio, and I was even able to smash the last downhill. On this last descent I passed a gentleman who had slowed his pace. As soon as I overtook him though, I could feel his pace quicken as he stuck like glue behind me. Thanks to him, I rocketed down the last slope, wanting to shake him Steve Prefontaine style, and crossed the finish line in 5:40hr and in 5th placed female.

Mike finishing strong:

My final descent from Badger Mountain to the finish line:

Finished:

Thanks to the Race Director for having the guts to stage such an epic first event. The race was well supported by volunteers who always had water, gels and lollies on hand on the course. The food at the finish was amazing and it was great to sit down with all the runners and chat over a bowl of chili. For a first race, the organizers got many things right: female specific race t-shirts that actually fit, a great finish-line atmosphere, showers donated by the local gym down the road, and an after party at a local winery to finish up the day!

Spring Trail Running in Squamish

My friend Mike and I met while running the Nike ACG Kepler Challenge, a 60km trail run on the Kepler Track. We ran together for sections of this epic race until Mike boosted his pace in the final 20km to bring home a solid effort. I suffered the last 10km, battling all instincts to stop and beg for someone to carry me to the finish. When I heard Mike was heading to Whistler I knew that some running was in order. After all, what better way to enjoy a visit from a kiwi friend, than to hit the trails of Squamish and "enjoy" the joys and challenges of running in the last of the Spring snow cover.

Mike taking in the views of the Tantalus Range from the Valleycliff trails:

The Far Side Trail:

Running in the shadow of the Stawamus Chief:

Bloody and Muddy at the 2011 Dirty Duo.

Mountain biking, trail running, or both. 15km, 30km or 50km. At the 2011 Dirty Duo the options were endless and competitors were able to set the bar to whatever challenge they wanted. I drew the line at 25km for my first race of the season.

Before the race, rumours circled amongst first-timers of steep climbs, technical descending, roots, rocks, mud holes resembling quicksand and sections of snow and ice. Perfect!

As the race got underway though, the North Vancouver trails charmed me with their rolling, cushion-soft terrain, rainforest green, long sections of boardwalks and just enough technicality to keep me on my toes and focused on the race at all times. With a total ascent of 2600m, the course was more than rolling, but luckily the climbs never broke the spirit! Camaraderie was great amongst racer, aid station support excellent from the event organisers, and I finished with enough mud on myself and even a scrape here and there to call myself a true trail runner.

I finished the race in 2:56 hours and placed 12th female in a race with some awesome female runners who always continue to inspire me. Always an inspiration to me, my fabulous coach, Jen Segger, set a smoking pace and came in second by 45 seconds. Her training is definitely starting to pay off and I can feel the benefits of the strength training translating to the trails. You can see Jen's website here.

I would definitely recommend this race to anyone wanting to get into the trails and enjoy a fun race with lots of like-minded runners. You can download the Garmin file for the 25km course here.

Freestyle Snowshoeing to Cloudburst Mountain

After a solid 2 weeks of grey, drizzling weather, the bright blue skies called for a spectacular adventure outdoors. We decided on spectacular views, snow and 4.5 hours of uphill climbing in snowshoes to celebrate the sun (and some much needed Vitamin D). Our destination: Cloudburst Mountain, a single bald dome rising at the end of Squamish Valley, its summit giving 360 degree views of the Sea to Sky corridor - basically, snow-capped mountains as far as the eye can see. Not too bad right!?

As we would be freestyling most of the way, we mapped our route to carry with us on a Garmin Forerunner watch, ensuring that we would reach the ridge that we could then walk on to the summit, thus avoiding any potential avalanche areas.

Our route below (as mapped using Google Earth):

Squamish Valley :

Hiking up a Forest Service Road (FSR) to 1000m:

Starting the Freestyle climbing to get onto the ridge, Squamish Valley behind me:

Snowshoeing through powder snow is hard work, especially uphill (1 step up, 2 steps down...).

Finally out of the tree-line and into the white, alpine stillness. Here the snow was frozen hard on the surface from the wind, making for much easier climbing:

Along the ridge, almost 360 degree views:

Cloudburst Mountain (still at least 2 hours away):

In the end we didn't reach the summit of Cloudburst. Not enough daylight and our late start meant that we turned around after reaching the ridge. Nevertheless, we got our sun, views and enough powder snow to last us though a few more rainy days.