Run 56, 2009 …5Peaks Trail Race Chickakoo…

Today’s race was a grueling 14.3 kilometers and my average pace was 8:37. I was up at 6 AM drinking coffee in order to make sure I was even more dehydrated . My race started at 9:15 AM and I had to wind my way through road construction and so I needed to leave early to make the 1 hour trip on time. Today’s race crowd was relatively large at 330 runners, including the Sports class (one lap 7 km) and my class Enduro (two laps at 14.3 kilometers). Unfortunately, more than 3 people showed up who were in my age class and so once again my evil plans to place and therefore gain a 5Peaks medal was foiled. Mark my words, though, one day no one will show up who is in my age category and then I’ll get that darned medal.

Seriously though, today really was brutal. I started out at the back of the pack where I am most comfortable. The coffee I had so wisely consumed did it’s usual trick and shortly after the start I veered off into the bushed for a pee. Mercifully, that marked the end of my delays. Much of the trail was shaded, nonetheless it was very hot and a lot of people were suffering. I think it got up to 32 degrees C which I know is nothing for you southerners but for us Canadians it is brutal heat to which we are not at all accustomed. All of us have been training in temperatures hovering between 15 and 20 degrees all summer long. We have had no heat wave at all. I soon caught up to the back of the pack but just kept them in sight until I felt ready and loosened up enough to pass a few people. I did this just as soon as we got to the first set of hills which were very short hills, but intensely steep and difficult.

I managed to pass about 25 or 30 people on the first lap. For the second lap there was a bypass where the Enduro runners bypassed the finish line for another lap so I knew that those killer hills would have to be run twice. The heat really wore me down and I began to feel really tired on that second lap. I took it easy for a while, saving myself for a final effort after the last of the hills were behind me and I knew there would be nothing left but a 2 kilometer flat but sinuous stretch to the finish line.

I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 3 minutes. My first lap was about 56 minutes so I did slow down a bit. I’m looking forward to losing that extra twenty pounds I’m carrying so I can do better next time. I quickly learned that of all the people I passed, only 3 made it across the finish line, the rest had pulled out of the race due to heat or whatever. I don’t know how many others dropped out until I see the results posted online at www.5peaks.com but Marilyn tells me that quite a few who were ahead of me also dropped out before finishing. In my limited experience, that’s pretty unusual.

So how about some pictures?

This picture is of the start area early in the morning. It is a large area with many small lakes such as this one separated by large hills typical of Glacial disintegration terrain.

The venue was Chickakoo Recreational Area.

I look barely awake during my pre-race stretching.

By the way, that’s my new ArmPocket on my left bicep. Review of that to follow. I don’t want to review it until I’ve used it a few more times:

It looks like I forgot my pegleg at home!

Same lake as the first picture but from a perspective that includes the staging area.

The Enduro runners are ready in the starting chute.

The race begins!

Here's me after the first lap, looking a little stressed by the heat...

And finally here I am finishing with as much energy as I could fake...