2019 5Peaks Rattlesnake Point

I signed up for the 5 race series and Rattlesnake Point in Milton is the second stop.  The first race at Kelso was challenging and fun but was mired in raining, foggy and muddy conditions.  Everyone huddled before the race in packs of reluctant participants.

This race was different.  After parking my running buddy and I made our way to the start area.  For a second I thought I may have stumbled upon a ‘concert in the park series’ featuring perhaps the Doobie Brothers or someone like that.  Tons of participants and spectators with their kids and families all hanging out tossing frisbees and enjoying the weather.

Pre-Race

Registrations line were short and moved quickly, overall the organization and execution on the pre-race stuff was great.  These guys seem to know what they are doing and it shows.

The Race

I was running the Sport class which advertising 5.1km.  It’s a trail race so I wasn’t surprised when my final GPS watch tally was a bit off.  Shorter in this case at about 4.9km.

Rattlesnake Point is a well known rock climbing area, so I expected some challenging climbs and descent.  The both of two pre-race emails (which have tons of info) advertised this as the most technical race of the series so … runner beware!

As it turns out the park and race start are at the top of the escarpment, so the first half of the race was relatively flat with and felt like slight decline overall.  My GPS has other info but I was thinking the whole time that the second half of the race was going to be a LOT of climbing.

Surprisingly except for a couple of big “rock walls” which required some focused climbing I felt as thought the climbing was easier than expected.

Regarding the route itself it starts off rounding the park area and entering into some paved and flat pathways.  This switches to some single track about a km in holds your focus throughout with much care required on foot placement and planning paths up and down rocky are.

The sport turns around at the way point and comes back via a different path.

The reward on this route are the views!  At the tops of the escarpment the views were incredible and a bit daunting as you are plodding your way through a tough trail with some significant drops of cliffs nearby.  3 times I came across a climber at near the trail fishing ropes down to other rock climbers making their way up to where we were.

A downhill finish made for some fun challenges as people ran in together.

For my own race, I left a lot of time out there. I was disappointed in the sense that I feel like there were many times I should have made up some pace but just didn’t have it in me … but I had fun and I gave it my all.

Post-Race, Swag, etc.

Post-race was as well organized as the pre-race.  Food lines were fast and well organized, and we left the event feeling positive.

My only knock is the swag.  They gave out a silicone wine glass that looked promising but its pretty much useless to use.  My requirement of a glass is to hold liquid and to be useful delivering that liquid to my mouth and this one fails at the later.

2019 5Peaks Kelso Sport

I signed up for the 5Peaks series this year in a bid to put some races on the calendar to motivate me to get back into running shape.

The series has 2 or 3 distances Sport, Enduro and (sometimes) Half.  I signed up for the Sport with the intention of not killing myself on the road to longer runs and races.

5Peaks has a pretty flashy online presence and my perception was that they are well run with great swag.

I encouraged a buddy who is a new runner to challenge the series with me and looked forward to him waiting for me at the forthcoming finish lines.

Pre-Race

Kelso being a little ski hill in Milton provided the first of the 5 ‘Peaks’ I was going to enjoy this year.

The morning was cold and wet.  Getting to the race was easy and parking was plentiful.

Sponsors had a number of tents set up so their people could reluctantly huddle in the cold with their hands in their pockets.

The indoor reception for bib, race swag and additional race series swag lines was big enough to house about 80% of the people squeezed in there in a series of twisting lines.  No fault of the organizers, it’s the only building there and the weather sucked so people piled in.

The pre-race email had lots of information and was extremely helpful answers any question I might have.

The Race

First thing I loved about the race is that it started in 6 waves.  Eric the MC provided plenty of tips and info while helping to remind everyone to find the wave that worked for them.  There is nothing worse in trail races than be either stuck behind a group of people on single track or having someone breathing down your neck while you are trying not to wipe out.

The Enduro and Sport also had different start times so it lessened the size of each wave again.

My buddy and I started in wave 5.  They set the starting waves by best 5k time on the road.  This was a very logical way to do it.  I am nowhere near my top running shape so starting where I did made sense.

Out of the gate the well marked trail lead across the bottom of the ski hill for maybe 500 meters.  It gave some additional room for people feeling eager to get out in front.

It then started the big climb.  In a way I like having the climb out of the way at the start but that was no consolation when tackling over 1km of climb up the ski hill.  I huffed and puffed as my running partner slowly disappeared ahead of me.

Once up to the top the path narrowed from what was like a service road for the groomers into some fun single track trail.  There were several ‘lookout point’ locations where I am sure a wonderful view was possible on another day but the fog was strong so visibility seemed like a few meters.

The recent rain provided a few ‘shoe sucking’ mud pits to power through.  All participants in and around me seemed pretty happy given the chilly, muddy day.  The rocky and rooty climbs were wet and slick and keeping our focus on staying upright.

The trail was well marked, well signed and water tables were well placed where they were supposed to be.  The volunteers were very smiley and cheerful!

The final decent back to the finish was exciting!  The rain had started adding to the slick conditions and temptation to make up a little time was tempered with treacherous cut backs down the hill.

The return to the final shoot was back to the open area at the bottom of the hill.  Runners were rewarded at the end of the race with a final little hill to climb!

As far as my race is concerned, I feel pretty good about it.  I was aiming to go sub 60 minutes and got there.  My fitness isn't where I wanted it to be so I had to work hard .. I'll take it!

The Swag

I had the impression this series had great swag.  We had signed up for the full series so got a pretty great hoodie that was a $60 value.  I really like it.  The race swag however was some sort of head-band thingy.  It may suit some of the runners and it looked kind of cool on some people but it was something I would never wear.  That and there are no finisher medals.

I bet some people get jaded by getting a medal when they run many events but for me, I love them!  Only having medals for the winners of each age group is fine if the swag was awesome and it wasn’t.

Overall

A great event!  Well run, great communication, an interesting route and great volunteers!  I wish they had medals but what can you do!

Chase The Coyote 12KM

I’ve raced this venue a few times.

The first time in 2015 was for the 14.4km Challenge Course.  I loved it.  I was reasonable trained for it and loved the experience.  My review is here.

The second time was last year.  I had been injured in July and was under-trained for the race.  I had signed up for the 14.4km Challenge Course again but was in no shape to run it so I checked down to the 5.7km Short Course.  I was glad I did.  My review is here.

This year the wonderful organizers Norm and Jodi changed up the distances.  Now they are 12km, 25km and the dreaded 50km.  Obviously a big push to get this race into the ‘Ultra’ class.  The 2 longer distances are either one or two laps of a new 25km loop.

The Race Stuff

Once again very well organized.  Information available and email communication was great.  The exhibitors/sponsors at the race were friendly, helpful and had interesting products to talk about.

Before the race things were well run, had a great feel and having a bag drop which was great as I like to recheck and pack-up my nutrition, etc. just before the race.

During the race the volunteers were awesome once again.  Tons of Team Running Free support!   Signage and course routing was clear even under the duress of race conditions.

After the race I will say I was disappointed not to have a barbecue like in previous years.  A wrap and fruit is nice but a hot burger is AWESOME!  I understand logistics of cooking for 200-300 people must be a pain but it was something I missed.

Age group prizes, access to timing sheets, draw prizes and all the other post-race stuff was well executed.

My Race

Like last year I came into the race under prepared.  I starting training again in July and getting back to any long distance has been tough in the heat.  I had managed a few 8km+ plus runs but certainly not what I needed to truly ‘compete’ on a personal level where I wanted to.

With the changes in distances there wasn’t anything lower than 12km to check down to.  I knew it was going to be a pain train so I set my expectations to not killing myself and enjoying what I could.

The weather this year was in the midst of the popular sequel “Summer 2 – This Time We Mean It”.  With temps in the low 30’s and humidex purported to hitting around 41 degrees I knew the distance wasn’t my only challenge.

I prepared for the heat by taking a carry bottle to ensure I never was out of water.  There is a gap between water stations between 2.5km and about 6.5km which concerned me.

Water is amazing in the heat to both quench and soak yourself down.  I also packed gels to make sure I was replacing electrolytes.  If I am anticipating a lot of sweating, which I was, I also take and carry salt pills.  I took one before start and another about 45 minutes in.

I started three quarters of the way back in the pack.  I try to guess where I might finish and do my best to get out of the way of faster runners before the race even starts.  It’s the nice thing to do.

The start here is uphill out of the gate.  The first 2km is a combo of some up hills and flats on well-worn wide open trails that see a lot of feet through the year.  It felt early on that I was in for the hell I thought I was.  It was hot, humid and it felt like hard work immediately.

At 2km ‘Cardiac Hill’ starts.  I had no illusions of running ANY of this.  I put my head down and marched up as best I could.  Regardless of distance or fitness, this is an early test that you need to avoid torching your legs and lungs at.

Mid-way to the highest point of the park “Look Out Point” there was a water/electrolyte table where I filled what I had used of my bottle.

“Look Out Point” offers a great view of the whole park and many of the competitors took the time for a selfie.  I took a second and soaked it up.  At its heart trail running is a struggle balanced with the beauty of nature.

The middle portion of the race consisted of me and a few different racers running alone or in pairs that passed each other a number of times as each of us took breaks at different times or felt up for some brisk running at different times.

My trail running sorta-mantra is ‘get what you can get when you can get it’.  Feel like sprinting as far up that hill as you can?  Do it.  Feel like walking?  Do it.  The terrain takes and gives away so when you feel good use it, when you feel rough just slug it out the best you can.

At the 6.5k water break I took a bit of a 30 second break and immediately regretted it.  Refilling water and immediately walking/shuffling would have been better as I felt like crap as soon as I tried to run again.

Next up is “68 Steps To Ruin”.  This one never disappoints.  The illusion the map gives first time runners is that the steps are the only challenge when you get there.  But they are not.  There is a significantly steep slope leading to the steps … then the steps … then two more climbs before cresting the ‘the top must be here … no crap it’s still going’ peak.

Much of the race after this point is downhill.  Working through trails coming slowly down off the escarpment is a pleasure with slight ups and mostly some downs to keep you rolling.  I had a bit of gas left in the tank so enjoyed this portion.

At 9km the final water table appeared.  They had lots of stuff for the longer distance runners as this is a station shared by all three distances.  Water, electrolyte drink, Coca-cola, pringles, gels, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, etc.  I stuck to my plan and refilled water and popped a few gummy gels.

The last 2-3 km is flat or downhill.  This is a portion 2 years ago when I hammered it stretching my legs and cranking the pace.  I had saved some energy and slowly poured it all out spreading it to the finish line.

This year gutted out a run/walk and was passed by a number of runners.  It’s all I had left.

Crossing a finish line immediately erases a lot of tough memories.  Someone asked me how my race went and I said “It looks great looking back on it”.

Once again a wonderful event, a memorable well-run race and some wonderful nature sitting there waiting to challenge you.  No coyote again this year … I will need to go back again!

2016 Catch The Coyote Sprint 5.7k - September 24, 2016

This is the second year that I have run at this event.  Last year I rant the 14.4k Challenge course and this but this year I was running the 5.7k Sprint course.

What a difference a year makes.  Last year I wasn’t exactly in top form from a training perspective but I came into the longer race with a solid plan and what resulted was a really positive race that lead to an effort and time that I was proud of.  You can read about that one on this blog.

This year I came into the event very ill trained.  I had injured myself trail running this summer and have been trying to build a bit of mileage on an injured heel.  It still hurts a bit but running doesn’t make it worse so I am just running.  Regardless, I had been run/walking 5k distances.

I emailed the race coordinators and they were happy to check me down to the 5.7k distance.

Everything Before The Race
Sign-up and communication before the race was great.  What you would expect with the services out there now but an extra gold star for a very detailed email in the week leading up to the race loaded with information on parking, schedule, etc.
The pre-race amenities were ample and the mood at the start line was very ‘community’.  I just like the vibe of trail running events.  Good showing of vendors on-hand and waiver signing, pickup up of swag, food availability, etc. was great.

The Race

The 14.4k or longer distances have the ‘pleasure’ of running up 3 lovely sections called:  Cardiac Hill, 64 steps of ruin and Roots of All Evil.

The 5.7k race turns back around the start of the Cardiac Hill climb.  The course had some ups and downs but no big climbs.  I found the race to still be challenging but not super technical.  The course ranges from wide open gravel trails to tight forest single track.

I did all I could out there.  I took a few walks when I was red-lining and pushed as hard as I could.  I wasn’t in-shape but focused on soaking up the scenery and doing all I could.

The delight I had during this race was running with and listening to a little 6 year-old girl running with her Mom.  She was chatting away like a young girl would, covering all kinds of topics.  She started to run with and chat with me.  I was trying to answer while breathing hard in a ‘this is no big deal running and talking like this’ fashion but it WAS a little difficult.

Abruptly she stopped to take a walk break.  I hollered up to her Mom that she was taking a break and the lady said ‘oh, she’s not my daughter, we just met’.  She stopped as well and stayed with the girl who was still chatting away to people passing her.

Such is trail racing to me.  A real brotherhood/sisterhood endeavor.  Shortly after I finished, she came through the finish line with cheers from a small group of women who apparently DID know who she was before the race.

I am proud of these results.  It likely ranks up to one of my slowest performances but I try to feel good any time I strap on the shoes and toe the starting line.  I worked hard out there.

Post Race

Lots of food from bananas, cookies, coffee, water, etc. available as they were before the race but if you’re like me, a hard trail work-out matches well with a burger.  The barbeque was fired up and the burger was great.  I am sure there were vegetarian offerings … kind of sure … I wasn’t looking for those.

Swag

The medal is great. It has a customized ribbon/strap with exact date which is a classy touch.  Obviously ordering the same medal and using it for a number of years is a cost saving measure vs. doing a different one every year but the date on the ribbon/strap is great when looking back in the closet on all your medals that all look the same and trying to remember when you ran that race.

 

I believe there was a choice offered around swag.  I paid for this race so early I can’t remember what I the other options were.  However, when I got there and saw the Trucker’s Hat, I was happy I apparently chose that.

Once again this was a great event.  I will be putting it on my calendar for next year.  With distances of 5.7k, 14.4k and 21.4k there is a distance for everyone.  And according to their social media feed they have been out trying to map a longer distance …

Chase The Coyote – Challenge 14.4k – September 26, 2015

My ‘running summer’ had been a bit of a disappointment.  After my first Around The Bay 30k race in the Spring I had been either treading water or losing ground.

The excuses are always readily available.  I had some IT Band and hamstring injuries that kept my training a bit below the intensity that I needed and I have been carrying around some extra weight I didn’t have last year.

Regardless, this race made me feel … like I am back in the game baby!

Online, Communication and Race Day Organization

The race was held in beautiful Mono Cliffs Provincial Park.  It is an outstanding location especially with the fall colours coming in.

The Chase The Coyote website is simple and has all the key information.  From race maps with elevation to videos of the course all the tools I needed to plan my race, plan my trip and prepare for the race were there.

Communication from the race was ample.  The last email also warned runners about parking which was limited and with my arrival time meant I walked in from about half a KM away but I expected it which to me makes it fine.

Event organization and volunteers were awesome with many Team Running Free members active on and off the course.  Once getting to the race site the vibe was fun, positive and well put together.  The few organizations that were there with tents were interesting and relevant.

Swag came in the form of a toque or buff.  There were only buffs left when I got there and I had to leave it behind as I didn’t have time to walk it back to my car.  There was nothing left after the race … so just medal bling, no swag for me!

The Race – The Challenge 14.4k

Race distances offered were 5.7k Short, 14.4k Challenge and 22k+ Long.

I chose the Challenge 14.4k distance as this seemed to be the distance with all the climbs and besides … I wasn’t necessarily ready for those extra KMs.

This race I decided to actually prepare a bit.  I researched the elevation chart on the website as well as do a search for actual GPS data on Strava from previous races.

I could see 3 major climbs that peaked at approximately 3k, 6k and 9.4k.  This helped me prepare for how much to push and when.

Reviewing the race map on the website was fun.  The 3 highlighted sections seemed like something out of a horror movie:  Cardiac Hill, 64 Steps To Ruin and The Roots of All Evil.

Race Director Norm confirmed my research a bit with his pre-race chat to the group “take it easy for the first 2kms … don’t start racing until after ‘the stairs’.

146 people started the race according to the results page with 138 finishers (guessing some didn't start and some may be up there still).

I positioned myself at the start about 2/3 the way back of the group based on where I expected to finish like I do every race.  I try to avoid holding people up nor having to pass too many which is what I do for every race which is extra important on a trail race that could be single track early.

The Trail To Cardiac Hill

Out of the gate the trail just starts climbing.  Not a crazy climb but enough slope and distance to put me into heavy breathing right away.  I quickly settled into a small pack of people.  The group I was in had a few huffing and puffing like me and few people keeping the same pace just chatting away (me hates them).

Then came ‘cardiac hill’ around 2km in.  With a name like that I almost liked being warned.  Knowing it was coming and knowing it’s the biggest climb of the day, I resigned myself to marching it vs. running as much as I could and burning my legs and lungs out thinking ‘I can run this, it’s almost over, it can’t be that much longer … this can’t be right … who chose this trail ... where am I … kill me.’

After the hill there were more mild climbs and single track leading to ‘lookout point’ at 3km.  It was a beautiful view.  At the very top I hopped up on a rock and took about 5 seconds to enjoy the view, with 11km+ of running and 2 more climbs I knew a happy vision could be useful later.  I am glad I
stopped.

64 Steps to Ruin

The ’64 steps to ruin’ section was next.  I could sense when we were back on the lower ground and knew the climb would be coming around 5k or so.  With the name came a warning and mindset to climb close to 5 floors of stairs.

I had been running for over half an hour at this point.  What they don’t tell you is that there is a steep hill … 64 steps over a super steep section of that hill … then more of that steep hill.  It was leg burning and terrible.  The anguish actually seemed to be over pretty quickly but I may have slipped into an oxygen deprived trance.  Next year I may plant an oxygen tank and charge $20 a person ... or maybe rent mules ... not sure ... good money to be made either way.

The Roots of all Evil

The ‘roots of all evil’ section is at the base of the final climb around 8km.  I knew the climb itself wasn’t as intense as the first 2 but it was on the only part of the course that had 2 way traffic actively using the trail.

There were ample volunteers there hollering at people both ways to ‘stay to the right’.  However when climbing a brutal section of ‘evil’ foot tripping roots it’s disheartening in a way to see the faster bunch of the race flying/skidding/sliding down the trail you are laboring up.

The Way Home

Around 9km/9.5km the trail turned downhill.  The way home from here, though still long at 5km, was mostly downhill and flat.  We were strung out in singles for the most part by this point.  This is when I punched it.  The trail was wide and easy to see.  I stretched my legs and let gravity take me.  My experience in the trails and a bit of luck kept me upright.

I set my sights one by one on the people ahead of me.  Some of these people had passed me earlier and few had lost some pace I suppose ... or maybe they were dog walkers who lost their dogs ... not sure.  I just punched it running like a wild man.  I tried to put a sustained effort and keep the fire burning.

Coming into the race I loosely picked 2 hours as a goal.   I based that on training runs in trail.  A time check at this point put me well ahead of that and that drove me more.

Coming into the final KM I knew at this point there is no point in losing your courage.  I slammed it at the edge of redlining constantly recalculating my reserves and the distance/time left.  Puking in front of people is never a good thing.

In the last stretch of gravel before the end I came across what seemed to be a tour bus of people with cameras from the city.  They were in street shoes, jeans and too much clothing for being in the race.  I said hello while I was skidding by trying not to kick up too many rocks or too much dust.  Not one of them took a picture of me … clearly not into high speed action.  But here is what they missed:

The final turn is a sharp one.  A volunteer warned me and other people cheered me in.  In ‘big event like style’ they called my bib number, name and city as I turned for the short skip across the line.  I still want to know who was spotting for them as you couldn't be seen from the finish line … anyhow, it was a great touch.

I finished in 1:42:58.  I am really happy with my run.  It’s funny how a great day at a great event and great run makes all of the aches and pains the next couple days feel better.

I highly recommend this race and I hope to see you all on the roads and trails some time soon!

Here’s my Strava Activity.

MEC Barrie Race #4 15K 9-13-2014

The 15k showdown was set for the shores of Lake Simcoe in Orillia at the Youth Leadership Camp of Canada.  The route was an out-and-back that offered 5k, 10k and 15k distances.

First off the staff/volunteers of the YLCC and MEC were amazing.  For a $15 race the MEC races cannot be beat.  Great venue, well-marked route, cops alerting cars to runners, food, beverages, water table every 2.5k, great atmosphere, etc.

I was happy to be running with my pseudo-coach Dave as well as having my MEC Barrie meet-up run Ninjas in attendance:  Patrick, Lewis and Rick.  The MEC guys were running the 10k which means no matter how fast they were they weren't faster on 15k on this day!

The attendance at 15k was 30 racers.  Which tends to mean a bunch of ringers prepping up for a fall marathon.

What amazes me about races vs. training is that either the extra rest or adrenaline always helps a ton.  If you love to run but don’t race … sign up.  These MEC events are cheap and fun and will give you the taste of competition.  A race is the place to PB.  Besides pumping your fists all alone in your front yard after a PB just helps confirm to your neighbors that you are a lunatic.

My plan was to run 6 minute kilometers pace the whole race.  In the end I finished at 1:29:38.  Hit my goal, made my PB and dispatched 6 unwilling competitors to come in at 24 out of 30.

Special thank you to Patrick who ran in with me for the last 2.5k after he took 3^rd in the 10k race and likely circle back out to make sure I was still alive after waiting for ages.

And an extra special thank you to Dave who helped accompanied me to finish tied for 1^st place as the only 2 competitors having post-race beers in the rain soaked parking lot after he himself finished 3^rd in the 15k.

This is what 24^th place out of 30 people looks like hustling in after 15k.