Running – My Active Lifetime

February 21, 2023 Running

Oak Island Marathon 2023

Just after new year's 2023, I saw an ad for what looked like a really fun marathon in Oak Island, North Carolina. I know that I had the 2023 Coast Guard Marathon just 2 weeks after Oak Island, but I thought it would make a really fun way to do my last long run before the Coast Guard. I also thought it would make a really great valentines gift for my wife Mercedes who loves run tourism as much as I do. So I signed us up, me in the full and Mercedes in the half.

The race course is super flat except for a bridge at 22 miles (35 km) that crosses over the intracoastal waterway. That bridge is a surprisingly tough climb that you do outbound and again inbound! Following the beach partly and going through some amazing quiet neighborhoods and passing the historic lighthouse, the race provides a lot of amazing sights.

Although the race is mostly on road, there were sections where we were made to run on the sidewalk! I was surprised to find this out, and Mercedes mentioned a runner had tripped on the uneven sidewalk and fallen. I also didn't like the fact that traffic was allowed to mix with runners on the east loop although under the control of the police. To me as a race director I would close half a lane and leave the other 1.5 lanes open to traffic. Using cones to divide the race from the cars would make it a lot safer. The turnaround for the marathon was before the turnaround for the east loop half as well. I myself added a short extra 20 meters or so before realizing marathon turns there. There was no sign or volunteer at all, only a spray painted semi circle arrow on the pavement. If you are not looking down at your feet you will miss this turnaround. Lots of runners missed this!

Criticisms aside, the after party was good with some BBQ and a beer. Lots of good people and conversations and war stories! The organizers are great people and I was happy to collect 1st place in my age group and get an extra medal for that. Overall the race was well done and the volunteers were fantastic. I truly want criticisms mentioned to be taken as constructive and I'm sure that next year these things will be rectified.

Our AirBnB was just a block from the start/finish of the race. This made it so easy to make sure we had all our bathroom business, small breakfast and coffee and everything else done before showing up. No potty lines for us! Our host Barb was an amazing genuinely warm person who has one of the nicest places we have stayed in yet!

By 6:35 we were at the line 10 minutes ahead and the music was pumping. The sun wasn't up so it was chilly with about +2C temperature and I was happy to be Canadian so I was fine in shorts and my tech running shirt. After the anthem we were off promptly at 6:45. Because the east course half marathon was starting at the same time as us, I got to run with Mercedes for a little bit until things spread out.

This course promised to be really flat and fast and the first 10K did not disappoint! We ran through some early morning chill in the local community as the residents awoke and cheered us on.

After running through residential areas we opened up onto the road that follows the seacoast out to a beautiful historic lighthouse. The lighthouse is the only 100% volunteer managed lighthouse in North Carolina.It is a relatively young lighthouse being completed in 1958 and stands 169 feet above the water's surface at the tip. Tours are available: http://www.oakislandlighthouse.org

The course swings around and back south along the water to pass the starting point just after the half point. It is a little psychologically unnerving to pass the finish line knowing you have to run out away of it and do what you just did in terms of distance all over again, but that is marathon running, a mental game.

I chose to simply enjoy the ocean breeze and ran along the coast pass vacation homes that sit next to the beach. After a long time we turned around and went back along the same route with the course remaining dead flat which was great.

35 km is usually a very mentally tough point in any marathon for me and I'm sure many others. It is at this point in the race that we turned left onto the road that takes us to the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. I've run a lot of hills in mountains in trail races so hills are part of the deal for me, however to have this bridge/hill come at 35 km into a marathon was a little tough mentally and physically. When trying to qualify for Boston, every minute counts and I'm sure my time would have been 5 minutes faster had the bridge hill not been part of the race. I think that the organizers could have easily avoided this by simply extending the turnaround point further out West Beach Drive. I feel it would also be less disruptive to traffic.

After climbing the bridge outbound, turning around, and climbing it again coming back it was back to Beach Drive for a few final kilometers to the finish where we had started earlier in the morning. The finish was epic because I was determined to push hard at the end having lost some time to the bridge and worried about my BQ. I fell into Mercedes' arms 5 minutes under my BQ ready for BBQ and beer!

The cool but super sunny race day had warmed slightly and the finish area park was fun with some folks sticking around for a little bit. There was a small sample of BBQ and a beer which was a nice treat. Not a 4 beer/Irish stew live band type of deal like Shamrock Virginia Beach but I understand as a race director that smaller events are different and the economics dictate things. It's not easy organizing a road race and the costs are high so I have to give kudos to the race organizers.

Having won my age group I was pleasantly surprised to receive a 2nd medal commemorating that. And as for the participation medals, they were epic! A giant surfboard medal that will look good hung at any tiki bar was the prize!

The Oak Island Marathon/Half Marathon/10K/5K/1 mile has a distance for everyone! There is even a tongue in cheek "ultra" option of 2024 which is approximately an extra 0.1 mile to make it slightly longer so it can be called an Ultra. The half marathon can be run as an east course or west course race so that either of the 2 half of the full marathon can be run as a half. This is a great option for those who wish to avoid the dreaded bridge hill.

The after party I'm sure would be hopping for longer had the weather been warmer, but it was good with a DJ, BBQ and beer.

Oak Island itself is definitely a nice getaway mini vacation. Mercedes and I love to do run tourism and we always explore the places we run. There are always new restaurants, hiking trails, beaches or whatever the area has to offer. On this trip we explored Bald Head Island after a ferry ride from the mainland.

Bald Head Island is a beautiful little island where no cars are allowed so it's all golf carts! There is another little lighthouse on it, several marshy hiking trails, a marina, some little restaurants and more! I highly recommend making the trip to Bald Head.

Definitely run this event in 2024.

January 23, 2023 Running

2022 Coast Guard Marathon

The Coast Guard Marathon came on the scene in 2022 with an inaugural run. The event features a full marathon, half marathon and a 5K providing a race for all abilities and inclinations.

The event takes place in the small waterfront town of Elizabeth City where the Pasquotank River joins Albemarle Sound which is itself sheltered by the long linear Outer Banks. It makes sense that the Coast Guard would have a base at such a sheltered place that also has ocean access. It is a Coast Guard town and to me a great partnership exists between the town and the Coast Guard.

Mercedes and I are run tourists and often plan a mini getaway around a race over a long weekend of 2 to 3 days. The Coast Guard Marathon for us came up as a possible destination race because of a number of factors. Besides the perfectly flat course, there’s the cute town of Elizabeth City with it’s restaurants, brew pub, unique shops and waterfront. If staying longer it’s witching a short distance to Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills where we first took flight, and the rest of the Outer Banks. I’m quite sure there is a lot more than that to explore given enough time.

On the morning of the race we left our hotel and made it downtown to the ample parking and found no trouble getting there in a timely manner. After a short walk we lined up at the starting line.

After the usual announcements we had the anthem and a flyover by a huge C-130 Coast Guard airplane in formation with a helicopter! The excitement built and I said “see you later” to Mercedes who was running the half marathon. I had no expectations as to my time having had a cold prior to the race but I felt great and was ready to go.

When the gun went I found that I was able to get right into my desired pace without the long stretches of walking and slower running you need to do in larger races. We ran out smartly and encountered the only “hill” on the course which I say tongue in cheek because it was a barely detectable gentle rise over a short bridge. From there…total flatness!

The first few miles of a marathon for me are sort of a settling in period. My cardio comes up slowly and by about 5 km or 3 miles, my breathing settles into a nice easy rhythm. My goal is to start off at my target race pace in a way that is efficient and relaxed. Last thing I want is to flirt with lactate threshold early.

The race around mile 2 is close to the water from then slowly turns inland. By mile 5 we are entering the Coast Guard air base where we pass the active runway! By the way, in the 2023 version we actually run on the runway on the way back so that’s an improvement I can’t wait for!

After the base we went back close to the waterfront through some scenic residential areas and did some loops around them. The mid-point of the race route takes runners around one of the last standing WWII airship hangars, a 20-story tall, dome-shaped structure on the waterfront! I found this to be a very interesting sight that really shows how huge these early airships were.

On the way back we run through the campus of Elizabeth City State University, a historically black college and the only four-year collegiate aviation education program in North Carolina. I can say that the steps of the buildings ew passed were full of some of the most enthusiastic cheering students ever! The energy was infectious and comes at a point in the race where you really start feeling it and cursing yourself for entering.

The last bit going back downtown comes at the time where you feel your worst because it’s almost over but still a few km to go. We ran through some neighborhoods where the residents cheered us and clapped and yelled encouragement all the way. The level of respect they showed for our efforts was heart warming. You push and push through these last blocks until the last right turn at the waterfront where you first see the finish arch!

I sort of knew that my goal time of sub 3:40 that I needed to qualify for Boston was not going to happen. The chest cold during the weeks leading up to the race may have been a factor but at the end of the day I just wasn’t up to it on the day. I was still happy to reach 3:42 on the clock at the finish. All in all a good day’s work.

We were impressed with the coast Guard displays and booths staffed by active duty Coast Guard members. There were equipment demos, boats, educational conversations and more.

The awards were nicely done and I was honored to receive first place in the 55 to 59 age group. Being 59 at the time put me towards the high end of that group so I was surprised. Thanks!

Mercedes had run a great half marathon and joined me for the food and beers at the finish line which was also a very nice touch.

Overall this felt like a nice sized race without some o the madness of the big races where there is barely room to sit down after. We really enjoyed the after party!

As an ambassador for 2023 I'll definitely be back March 2-4, 2023 for this amazing weekend! Use code Nick15 for a 15% discount when you register!

Let’s Run this Runway! Introducing The Coast Guard Marathon. You will be SOARING with excitement when you experience the newest race route addition… You will be RUNNING the RUNWAY! The in-person 26.2 and 13.1 routes include running the historic, active, airstrip thanks to Air Station Elizabeth City. Register today for YOUR chance to take flight!

Some Amazing Facts!

The Coast Guard Marathon is one of the flattest road races in the world.
The Coast Guard Marathon is the ONLY sanctioned road race of The United States Coast Guard
This event is a USA Track and Field-sanctioned event
The 26.2-mile course is a Boston Qualifier
The race weekend takes place in Elizabeth City, North Carolina which is home to one of the largest Coast Guard Bases in the Country and a designated Coast Guard City
The race weekend offers a Full Marathon (26.2 miles), Half Marathon (13.1 miles), 5K (3.1 miles), and Semper Paratus Challenge.
In 2022, runners from all 50 states and 4 countries participated in both in-person and virtually.
Hosted in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, the marathon and half marathon courses will run along the Pasquotank River and through the U.S. Coast Guard Base and Air Station with a rare chance to traverse the military airstrip. Along the way, runners will see Elizabeth City State University, a Historically Black College and the home to North Carolina’s only four-year college aviation education program. The marathon route also features a loop around one of the U.S.'s last standing WWII airship hangars, a 20-story tall, dome-shaped structure on the waterfront. All race routes being and end in Elizabeth City’s historic downtown district where a post-race celebration will greet finishers.

Links

Race Website: https://coastguardmarathon.com/

Registration Website: https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/ElizabethCity/CoastGuardMarathon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoastGuardMarathon/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coastguardmarathon/

Strava: https://www.strava.com/clubs/coastguardmarathon

Official Store: https://coastguardmarathon.company.site/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC00PraxciZNEen99AQDQA3Q

October 31, 2022 Running

Marine Corps Marathon 2022

In October 2022 my dream of running in the Marine Corps Marathon finally came true! Having gained my access granted ticket at the Marine Corps 17.75K trail race I registered knowing it would be hard to get the training right in the Virginia summer heat.

Mercedes and I did one of our usual run tourism weekends where we would drive the 1.5 hours to Washington DC on the Friday night and make a fun weekend out of it. Dinner Friday and a Saturday of chilling out and picking up the race kit was a great way to relax.

When the big day arrived I was ready. Mercedes was running the 10K but still got up early with me to help me get sorted for the walk to the starting line. When you have a race that is at least 25,000 runners it takes a great race organization, and who is better than the marines! They run the race like a deployment and I don't think I've ever had a smoother, better organized race.

After passing the security checkpoint at the Pentagon, I began the long walk (about a mile) through the tunnel, overpass, past the athlete's village to the bag check and then the last bit on the parkway. Although it was cold in the October morning air, I didn't feel cold even after taking my jacket off at the bag check, probably because of the giant crowd I was standing in.

Paratroopers descended and the sun came up over the capital. The anthem was played and the crowd moved forward within their corrals. Since this is known as "the people's marathon" every opportunity to accommodate all running paces is made. Corrals are available from the fastest elites all the way back to 7+ hour participants. There are tons of pacers with their signs and the crowd seemed to stretch all the way back to the Pentagon!

What better way to start a race than the firing of an artillery cannon! As we crossed over the starting line to begin the race a pair of V-22 tilt rotor aircraft slowly passed overhead, an impressive sight indeed! Moving slowly at first I found that once we crossed the starting line it moved fairly well! Having both sides of the entire parkway closed made for a very long funnel for the race to narrow down as people fell into their normal race paces.

After some fairly significant hills passing through Rosslyn we descended a long stretch to follow the Potomac to the bridge to Georgetown. While the cheering had been fairly consistent along the way so far, Georgetown was something else! It was just a massive crowd on both sides of the road all screaming as we passed! This is the beauty of this race - the ability to see all the sites you want in DC on foot!

After some amazing but hilly sections surrounded by trees and parks I got a real sense of the sheer mass of people because it was an out and back section. I think it was several miles on my way back that I watched huge crowds running the other way! This section ended and we ran across the eastern side of the Potomac passing the Watergate Hotel, Kennedy Centre, The Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial. Some great sites that tourists visit are passed on our run.

Heading into the Haines Point park section nearly at the half way point between 12 and 13 miles we enter the Blue Mile. All chatter among runners is silenced as we begin to see the photos and names on so many signs beside the course. There is a full mile of these signs, each representing a brave marine killed in the line of duty. My personal experience is a sense of profound sadness and grief for those I never knew but made the ultimate sacrifice. At the end of the Blue Mile are supporters including family members with a whole line of flags cheering us, thanking us, giving fist bumps and high fives, and the mood lifts.

My takeaway from the Blue Mile is that while it is a sad and sombre experience, the love and support of those people at the end lifts our spirit and it's like they live on within all of us running that day. Also I feel like the inevitable pain of running this marathon goes away when I think of the pain those families went through. It's like a reality check that says get moving because there's half a race still to come.

At 59 on race day I was a "seasoned" runner whose best times are behind me, but still able to run somewhere in the 3:30s in a marathon. This meant I was unaware going into the race that there were these things called "gauntlets" and that the bridge across the Potomac that comes between 20 and 21 miles was one of these gauntlets. What this means is that runners who are not able to make it to the bridge by a certain time are actually cut off there and cannot continue in the race. It's a brutal reminder that roads can only be closed for so long and the city must revert to normal traffic. My heart breaks for these warriors who are on their feet for such a long time and then are no longer allowed to continue. I give them massive kudos and respect and I know they will do it next time.

After the bridge it's a particularly tough time in the race as it's the typical "hit the wall" portion for a lot of runners. A few turns through streets and you her the unmistakable sound of the Pitball song "fireball" playing on repeat. What could this mean? Oh yeah there is a "fireball aid station" where they are handing out shots of this cinnamon spiced whiskey! I passed this station thinking I might just throw up if I had that.

On to the out and back section that is Crystal City. We pass cafes with patios and people enjoying their Sunday. The smell of food cooking at these restaurants definitely makes me hungry! It's easy when you are marathon tired to feel a little sorry for yourself as you see people enjoying a beer with a meal. But entering here we still have 4 miles of hard work left to get to the finish. The one mitigating factor is the large crowds who take it upon themselves to cheer us on! this is very heartwarming and pushes us through a tough part of the marathon before we get back on the parkway where crowd support thins.

With Crystal city behind me it was time to buckle down and try to keep the speed up somehow across the Jefferson-Davis Highway where it is nearly impossible to spectate. On our left we pass the athlete village thinking about how it seemed an eternity ago that we were there shivering in the dark! The Pentagon stands proudly in the afternoon sun and I got a feeling of finally getting this epic race done while at the same time feeling like it goes on forever! But that is the marathon game for you with the last few miles hurting the most.

Some of the white tombstones from Arlington Cemetery gave me some of the feelings I had on the Blue Mile, but at this point I had laser like focus on the left turn coming up where we turn into where the finish line and Iwo Jima Memorial are located.

I had heard there was a slight hill at the finish after the turn. What it actually turned out to be was a short but steep slap in the face! It's like you feel that finish line but the phrase "Always earned, never given" by the marines totally makes sense. They weren't kidding. After willing my super tired legs to pump up that steep little hill it was a right turn into the finish line!

I forced myself to try and look like I could run decently fast up to the timing mats. As soon as I crossed the finish there were military medics and a ton of marines cheering clapping, fist bumping and generally making us feel like we are so appreciated and respected for our efforts. If it's one thing marines appreciate it's hard work and dedication. They all looked so young and it made me feel like the future is going to be good because of this generation of respectful and disciplined warriors.

As you can imagine a race this big has the potential to become a huge mess at the finish as we all pile in there. The reality is that like most marine organized events it was really amazing! A marine came over, shook my hand and said "congratulations sir! Well done!" and placed a medal around my neck. A few photos by the memorial, and then a walk through the water and food area, picking up a box lunch, water, other drinks and a great jacket that was much better than a mylar blanket. It was very easy to find Mercedes in this vast crowd and continue to get our near beers and see the marine rock band perform.

November 16, 2019 Running

The Canadian Death Race

The Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache, Alberta has a long storied history stretching over 20 amazing years. I was curious to find out what it was all about based on accounts from friends who had completed the race. Also I had been a five time veteran of Death Race director Brian Gallant's Sinister 7 race in the Crowsnest Pass. I knew that besides being heinously difficult it would be well organized so it was time to check it out!

With 125 km (77 miles) and a cumulative elevation gain of 5,181 metres (17,000 feet) in a 24 hour time limit, I knew this was nothing to take for granted. Sure it's not 100 miles, but given the location of the race - Grand Cache Alberta, you would be hard pressed to find more rugged mountainous terrain in any race.

Divided into 5 legs, the race ascends and descends 3 major mountains, Flood Mountain, Grande Mountain and Mount Hamel. All three of these peaks are above 1,800 metres (6,000 feet) above sea level with the highest point on top of Mount Hamel being 2,129 metres (6,986 feet) ASL. Bring your best lungs and red blood cells to this one because the air is thinner up there.

The legs although traversing remote mountain wilderness have a nice way of coming back to civilization so you can lick your wounds, get support, fresh clothes or shoes, calories and fluids before heading back into that wilderness. The start and finish are also in the same location which makes crewing a little easier.

Feel a little unsure about this adventure? There is also a trail marathon event that lets you experience some of the course and get your feet wet before coming back for the full adventure.

The town of Grande Cache is friendly and the people very welcoming of this insane weekend and I think take tremendous delight in seeing us come to play and suffer in their back yard!

Then there are the other racers. It's the people who count and some of the most wonderful tough, resilient, giving people I've ever met make up the "usual suspects" list at this event. They can be seen at other ultra races with sometimes ominous names like Sinister 7, Black Spur, River's Edge, Lost Soul, etc. They are like family thanks to mutually overcoming adversity, but also just because they are wonderful people!

Leg 3

I set out on 3 with my heart buoyed a little by the brief interlude of sun. I wasn't sure how long it would last but I was happy.

This leg is fairly benign as it doesn't have much vertical change and follows the Smoky River. I mean it has some elevation for sure but with it's net loss it feels like a break after the horrors of leg 2.

This year (2019) there had been some sections that were a little washed out from a super wet summer and as a result we ran the side of the road for a section along the highway. I didn't mind at all and took the breather before the Hamel assault to try and recharge.

Upon reaching the end of 3, I met up with Angie Z who was waiting for Hiro and helping crew me as well and she was a welcome sight. She is so experienced at crewing that she knew precisely what to say and do and how to keep my tired brain on the proper script.

Hiro had arrived shortly and we regrouped to prepare for the assault on Mount Hamel. This meant packing up lots of calories, my wind and rain proof jacket and headlamp and other assorted safety gear. Being close to supper time meant eating a lot of calories to prepare.

Leg 4

At the bottom of leg 4 it was a nice balmy temperature for Grande Cache of something like 15 C as Hiro and I departed for the Hamel assault. What we found was a switchback filled with mud and lush vegetation. This part went on seemingly forever as we kept climbing.

After a relentless forest climb we opened out to a clearing and a road. This gravel road continued to climb. The views were getting more amazing around every bend.At one point I was flowing along so I looked back at one point and Hiro was not there. Given his experience I was sure he was fine though and continued upwards. It was so great seeing him later on getting his washer at the summit!

Eventually above the trees the final switchback appeared and as I went ever higher, the wind gradually picked up and the temperature gradually fell. I reached my wind-proof jacket out from the pack and put it on.

On one of the last switchbacks right at the summit I looked out to the west at the surrounding mountains just as the sun was about to set. I think that was the most epic view of the race. It definitely made my day to see clear skies and a beautiful orange sunset from the summit.

On the summit, it had to have been sub-zero wind-chill and the wind was so powerful that it buffeted me several times off the trail. Some of the small pin flags marking the course were shredded down to a pin with a ragged edge of plastic where a flag once was.

Then came the sick joke played on all of us of going out along a ridge to pick up a washer and bring it back to the marshals! Nice one! I put my head down and pushed into the gusting high winds as dirt caked my face sticking to the sweat. I smiled at the absurdity of the whole affair.

After passing the prayer flags and stopping momentarily to remember those who were lost and contemplate the meaning of them, it was off down the other side of the mountain.

I noticed immediately that my energy came up higher than it had been. This as partly because of the fact I like to run the downhills but also because the trail was rocky but dry and it was considerably less windy and cold.

After a really long descent and back into the trees, I came upon the next cruel joke... The Ambler Loop! I had filled my stomach with salty hot broth and some other calories from the amazing aid station so there was that small grace, but then we were directed out towards this swampy loop that was psychologically trying I found. Not sure why, but it got to me.

After Ambler came the Beaver Dam road. This was not steep but went on for a super long time. I think that may have been because of the level of fatigue I had at that point. This road would take us close to the end of 4 and the 100km mark. I made a conscious effort to just keep one foot after the other going.

After reaching the end of 4 and the 100 km mark, I pulled into the checkpoint. If you run any of the Sinister Sports events you will find that Solo runners are treated like rock stars and the cheers that went up when I arrived were truly heartwarming.

To my surprise Steve Bridson (my Ontario Ultra buddy) was there and happily provided me the support I needed. Steve was crewing our friend Grant Monette and it was great seeing him there.

After fuelling and getting sortedI got an ominous reminder about the remote wilderness aspect of the race from a course marshal. We were being warned that it was a good idea to go out on the last leg #5 with other runners. There had been cougars reported stalking runners out there so it was best to travel in numbers. No argument here, I made some friends quickly and got ready to head out for the final 25 km.

Leg 5

The money leg that takes us home was going to start with a cautious run with bear whistles out and eyes peeled. It was about 8 km into the leg that we heard distant yells "hey cougar!!!" which was a warning from runners ahead on the trail that they had a sighting. They continued to make a lot of noise to scare them off and we continued with occasional loud blows of our whistles.

This single track leg was actually quite pretty in the night and featured a narrow rock gap to squeeze through prior to arriving at the river.

I can't remember but I think it was about 10km into the leg that I felt what seemed like a bee sting in my left knee during one of the descents. I couldn't figure out what it was, but the pain got worse and spread down the outside muscle of my shin.

We had finally reached the river and the boatman of the dead! With a blacked out face and outstretched hand the figure stood silently to allow only those who had kept their precious coin without losing it along the course of the race thus far. I jokingly gave the outstretched hand 5 and the figure just shook it's supernatural head. Just kidding... Here is your coin.

After passing the boatman at the river's edge, my leg was so painful that the boatmen had to help me get the leg over the side of the boat and get in. After a freezing super fast, short trip we were on the other side!

What followed was more forest and more hills and more fun! My leg was very grumpy with me but I ignored it, embraced the suffering and went on.

As the very first light came into the forest I was almost at the road. A road that takes us, uphill of course, to the neighbourhood where we climb up to the main street and the community centre to finish. I was hurting but so over it that I sped up and ended up running quickly into the chute and finish arch... It was done.

In the end I looked at the clock and had finished 125 km (77.7 miles) and climbed 5,181 metres (17,000 feet) of vertical crossing 3 mountains and dealing with the most heinous muddy conditions possible. It was technical, the weather varied considerably and it was every bit as trying as a similar 100 mile race.

A short time later Hiro came in and we stood there smiling and swapping war stories holding our craft beers with our times stamped on them and our immense belt buckles! What an incredible feeling of accomplishment and relief. As much as it's about enjoying the journey there is nothing like the feeling at the finish.

It was great to see Angie, Monique, Brandy, Sherri and all the others at the finish and also great to hang out and watch the kids race.

All in all I have to give kudos to race director Brian Gallant and his entire team of volunteers who make it so incredible. It was a super well executed event and I'll be back next year for the Sinister Triple! (Sinister 7, Death Race and Black Spur!)

Without Whom

I have to say thank you to Angie and Hiro for hosting me in Edmonton, driving me to Grande Cache with them and all the fun stuff we did in Edmonton. Thanks Angie and Sherri for helping me at the transfers. Thanks for being such great friends.

Thanks to Jim Chernichen for the lift back to Edmonton.

Thanks to Sherri and Dennis for meeting us in Edmonton for such a great dinner.

Thanks to Sarah and Brian Gallant & team for these amazing races.

Great to hang out with Debbie and Brian Wallace and what a great dinner we concocted!

Thanks to Steve Bridson for being there for me at leg 4/5 checkpoint.

Grant Monette pulled off a heroic OTL finish refusing to quit and I have so much respect for you buddy!

As is usually the case when you try a race for the first time there is a mixture of excitement and a little apprehension when you show up at the start. In my case I know I'm going to be out there for a long time as in all day through the night. Upon seeing the weather patterns in Grande Cache and having had a disastrous bout of trench foot at Sinister 7 race a month earlier, the apprehension seemed to be winning out.

I looked over at my friend Hiro and he looked as unflappable as ever. Looking at Hiro is to look at a man who has had so many rodeos that none of the bulls scare him anymore. It's like a quiet confidence he has that I was trying to emulate.

Leg 1

Before I had too much time to ruminate on these thoughts, it was go time. Just like that we were off and running and being cheered on by the amazing Grande Cache supporters lining the first road section. I felt like it was a good thing to provide some sort of spectacle to the local folks who happily gave us a venue to come out and play.

Before long after descending a section of road we were into the forest for the first taste of muddy trail. While leg 1 is a relatively benign one without too many serious changes in elevation, it made up with it by throwing puddle after puddle at us. They were deep and wide, leaving us with the option of just running right through or trying to skirt them and falling in potentially. I chose a combination of these and arrived relatively unscathed at the transfer point a little faster than I probably should have at 1:56, emerging from the trees to follow the rail track into the transfer.

Leg 2

Heading out on 2 it occurred to me that now the race was going to bare it's teeth and show us some nasty climbs. This was a warm up climb at first with a steady road climb that seemed to never end. Before long it changed to trail and steepness.

The trail became quite steep on the climb to the top of Mt. Flood switching back many times through the treed sections, emerging to an open area and a checkpoint. The volunteers were yelling "welcome to Flood" as we arrived and I could see what they were so enthusiastic about, the view! It was the first high vantage point of many and definitely afforded a great view of the valley and everything below.

Lest I become too Euphoric, the race dropped us roughly 1,300 feet into Washy Creek and immediately the next insane climbing began. This was the part that took us to the summit of Grande Mountain.

I should mention that this leg has some of the most technical and heinous terrain in the race. Names like Slugfest and Stairway to Hell leave little to the imagination. Stairway to Hell was basically a river of vertical mud to climb. It's a sick sadistic leg that made me smile thinking how ridiculous it really was!

Getting back to the subject of Grande Mountain, it followed some really muddy sections but opened up near the top with an amazing view looking across at other mountains near the summit. It was a gravel road that provided a brief respite form the mud and technical trail. Following that climb, the summit of Grande to me was even more spectacular than Flood had been.

After enjoying the views and the fact that rain had held off, it followed inevitably that it would rain on the descent. Of course it was no ordinary descent either. Powerline exceeded the tales of terror I'd heard for sure. People were falling ahead of me onto their butts and then sliding as if on some giant slip and slide. It was literally so slippery in the muddy trail and slick grass that anything less than shoes with giant cleats and you would be sliding potentially a long way on your butt.

I was so happy about my shoes having helped negotiate Powerline without falling that I counted my blessings and ran the grassy embankment beside the road back to the neighbourhood leading to the end of 2 which was the starting area.

This checkpoint being the race central was fully stocked with what I needed and I was happy to see Sherri Donohue there who helped me get the broth in and food. I sat there just long enough to take in the food and some dry clothes just as the weather started to clear up a little.

November 11, 2019 Running

Niagara Falls International Marathon

In all my years of running marathons and all sorts of other distances, I had never run the Niagara Falls International Marathon. It's been on my radar ever since high school when back in my graduating year of 1981, my cross country and track coach Dave Knox ran a 2:23 in what was then called the Niagara Skyline Marathon. So when race directors Diane Chesla and Henri Ragetlie asked me to come down and run it there was no way i was saying no thanks!

The concept is pretty awesome because it highlights our long lasting friendship with our American neighbours to the south. The race starts in the USA in Buffalo and ends on the Canadian side in Niagara Falls directly in front of the Horseshoe Falls. When else do you get to cross the border on foot without stopping, no questions asked?

As much as Niagara Falls itself has dramatically changed since the mini vacations I took there with my parents as a youth, some things remain the same. The crazy haunted house carnival they call Clifton Hill has not changed much with it's flashing lights, barrel over the falls, believe it or not atmosphere! It's a Vegas like carnival with rolller coasters, go carts, mixed with restaurants, hotels, everything you can think of on one crazy strip.

As far as what changed is concerned, the skyline which used to be dominated by two observation towers is now rows of hotel towers of a similar height. Gone are most of the low to the ground motels with pools, replaced by casino hotel towers. It's the Vegas of Canada.

It's a beautiful city where the business is tourism centred around one of the natural wonders of the world, the falls!

Many races feature expos. These are usually quite similar from city to city and you could walk into the expo in one city and not be able to tell which city you are in! They typically consist of vendors of everything running related and of course other races have a booth as well.

Where Niagara Falls International's expo differs is in the ideas that go beyond the basic vendor booth format. Yes there are vendors of many things and races, but race director Diane Chesla added workshops, speakers and interactive yoga and massage to the mix.

I attended some of the speaking sessions which gave wonderful advice on injury prevention, a debate on various diets and running, conditioning, and the amazing keynote speaker Ray Zahab! Ray has traveled the world running every desert on the planet, Siberia, Antarctica, and all the cold deserts too. His hour flashed by quickly and at the end I found myself compelled to join him on one of these extreme adventure.

As a vegan ultra runner I was very happy with some of the food options at the expo and then I discovered a vegan food expo right next door! Awesome!

Another feature you might not see at other ones was clearing customs! When I picked up my bib I had to pre-clear Canadian customs to allow the continuous non-stop run back into Canada from the USA. This was efficient and friendly.

To sum up the expo, great mix of vendors of running products and some not exclusive to running such as organic jams, and CBD oil! The added workshops, speakers, debates and art pieces present gave it a flavour unique to this event. Well done Diane!

After a weekend well spent so far, it was race day! I had laid out my flat runner in the hotel the night before and all I had to do was stagger out of bed and put it on bib and all! I'm not a morning person.

I ate a small carb loaded breakfast, got my coffee and drank a litre of water. The time had come to jump on the bus and shuffle off to Buffalo!

At the border the busses stopped at a processing centre because although we were pre-cleared back into Canada, we still hadn't cleared our way into the USA! After quickly showing our passport, no questions asked we were ushered back onto the bus to continue to Buffalo.

My seat mate on the bus was a woman named Mercedes who was looking for a marathon finish for it's inspiration as well as it's ability to take you to new heights emotionally, physically and mentally. I really enjoyed the conversation and when we arrived in Buffalo at the starting line I vowed to wait for her and see how she made out. I told her to run as fast as a Mercedes!

At the starting line we reached our assigned time corrals and yet more conversations ensued in the friendly mix of Canadians and Americans. After the anthem was sung, some energizing music began and the gun went! Just like that we were off.

The course at first was a tour of some nice residential areas in Buffalo. The crowds were cheering us on and I felt that not too many people were annoyed with any sort of delay caused by our passing by.

We ran out onto a parkway and headed for the bridge! Look out Fort Erie here we come! I had never crossed without a visit to the customs booth and at least stopping to answer one or two questions. We ran the bridge which presented one of the only "hills" in the entire course. It certainly has potential to be a super fast course.

Soon after we took a turnaround that later afforded us a great view of the Buffalo skyline across the lake. After doubling back on our path we were able to cheer the outbound runners on as we returned.

This led to parkway section which parallels the Niagara river which ultimately leads to a plunge over the falls! This is a long section, but very pretty with the river view, nice neighbourhoods and several tiny bridges that cross the small rivers and canals that feed the Niagara River.

The aid stations along this section are staffed with the most amazing supportive people. I never felt in the middle of nowhere. It was like every few km I got another cheering section!

After this long river following section came a downhill to the finish.

After a wonderful downhill that lasted for over a mile, you round the bend to the sound of thunderous water from the Horseshoe Falls as well as a lot of cheering and music!

I had not really gone into the race with goals but can comfortably run a 3:40 just on residual fitness from running ultras. However I was propelled along by the enthusiasm and taking photos and videos to the point where I lost all sense of pace and ran far too fast for the first three quarters of the race. I ran 1:44 half, 2:58 for 35 km then realized how hot and exhausted I was and dialled that back in a hurry. I would highly recommend that anyone running this race stick to their goal pace because it is a fast course that propels you along!

At the finish there was a good amount of bananas, oranges, muffins, electrolyte and water drinks, massage and of course the cooling mist from the falls descending and cooling! What an atmosphere!

I recovered and hung our with my friend David Wise who had really done well with a 3:28. It was really great hanging out with a fellow plant based athlete and always an interesting conversation.

After some time had passed I moved over to the finish line to wait for my new friend Mercedes whom I had met on the bus to Buffalo. I began to get concerned then heard "Mercedes Martinez" come over the PA system and there the was! So good to see people complete a marathon. Everyone is really only racing themselves. So many reasons and so many goals and I give full kudos to all who undertake the distance. She was emotional in a positive way and I was honoured to be part of the experience Congratulations Mercedes!

Epilogue

The medal was quite nicely designed and the results and photos were available not too long after. This is a really well organized event with lots of scenery, positive encouraging crowds, art installations along the course, all the nutrition and hydration products you ever need and you finish in a cooling mist from one of the largest waterfalls in the world!

The expo was engaging with more than just swag and products. It had useful presentations, speakers, debates and interactive things like yoga and massage. Oh and it's very own customs clearance department!

I will be back for sure.

February 16, 2019 Running

Ultra Africa Run 2017

I always find it amazing how sometimes a few short days, hours or even minutes can imprint in your memory so intensely and other days and weeks go by and it feels like nothing has changed. Time is so relative. These past few weeks I know will stay with me for a lifetime.

The adventure I signed up for was my first self-supported race and my first time in Mozambique. It was the creation of canal aventure. Five days, 220 km, 3600 meters of positive elevation gain and self-supported, through the beautiful beaches and tracks of Mozambique.

The week leading up to leaving for Mozambique I had this persistent low grade nausea and restless nervousness. The floodgates of self-doubt had opened and I was overwhelmed by all the last minute anxious thoughts, I haven't trained enough, I don't want to leave home for so long, why did I spend all this money, what if I get lost, what if I get attacked, what if I suffer every day, what if I can't my gear through customs, what if they decline my entry visa, and so on.

"It takes courage to endure the sharp pains of self-discovery rather than choose to take the dull pain of unconsciousness that would last the rest of our lives" Marianne Williamson

Despite all the self doubt, I said my goodbyes and I left home the afternoon of Oct 30 and arrived at my final destination of Maputo, Mozambique Nov 1 in the afternoon. It was a 40+ hour journey. In the last few months I have been really have been focused on trying to stay in the present, meditating more and assuming the best case scenario in every situation. It's amazing how much these practices help with my anxiety. Although it was a long journey, everything was seamless and I arrived in good spirits at the hotel.

The hotel was listed $$$ place to stay in my Mozambique: Lonely Planet Guide. If you know me I only stay at $ accommodations. It was recommended by the race and the crew and other competitors would be staying there as well. To simplify logistics I decided to stay there too, and after such a long journey I was happy to have the comforts of a western style hotel. The first night I just had a shower and dinner and went to bed early.

The next morning after breakfast I was going to set out to do some sightseeing and then Rafael, a fellow competitor from Germany spotted me in the hotel lobby. I guess a white girl in running shorts was easy to assume I was part of the race. He offered to go for a walk with me and I was happy to have the company. We went for a 2 hour walk around Maputo. It is quite a modern city and I found it less chaotic then Moshi. It is the capital, so most people seemed well dressed and stylish. There were the typical street vendors, but no one was very aggressive and there wasn't anybody begging in the streets. Of course we talked running and the race. This is when I started to learn how experienced and accomplished some of the other competitors were. Former UTMB winner Marco Olmo, four of the competitors had published books (including Rafael) about their adventures in running, one of the female competitors had done TDS, Tor de Geants and 4 deserts, Atacama crossing, all this year!! One of the other female competitors had run across America, Europe and Siberia!! Oh and Takeo a runner from Japan, had a whole film crew following him. Usually my anxiety dissipates when I actually get to the race, but learning all of this, it just got worse! Serious imposter syndrome!

Then we started talking gear and pack weight and I became even more anxious that I had made the wrong choices and my pack was too heavy etc. Rafael was very positive and encouraging and he even commented on my walking style and said he could see how strong of a walker I was. I agreed and told him I hoped this would help me because I couldn't see running a lot of the miles and hoped my walking would save my race. We parted ways and I went about distracting myself with pool and free WiFi.

That afternoon I met Brian who is from South Africa and was helping out with the race. This was great because he was fluent in English and beer drinking and didn't want to talk about running. So I finally started to relax as we joked and talked about travel, politics, family and his love of Celene Dion. Later I met Andrea and went for dinner with her and Rafael. This was her second self-supported race, she had completed the 4 deserts Namibia race earlier this year (this made her infinetly more qualified than myself) . She was a part of Rafael's Little Desert Runners Club, an online club that helps runners new to multi-day self supported races. I wished I had found something like that before the race. We made fast friends and I took in any advice she and Rafael offered.

The next morning we took a six hour bus ride to the lodge where we would start the race. I was pretty quiet, the other competitors seem to know each other and there were many different languages being spoken. I was the only competitor whose first language was English. I silently cursed my entitled North American background of being mostly unilingual. When you have limited language it's hard to get past small talk. We arrived at the Nhambavale Lodge in the afternoon. It is this picturesque place with traditional huts on the shores of a beautiful lake. It was hard to remember we were not just on vacation.

We were assigned roommates and I was assigned Kuzuko from Japan. There were many blessings on this adventure. But this was truly one of them. Kuzuko is 64 and is probably half my height and maybe weighs 100lbs. She has the biggest smile and her spirit is amazing. I speak zero Japenese but Kuzuko tries really hard with English and we soon figured out a way to communicate with each other. She has kids the same age as me and has been doing long distance running for over 30 years and has run across continents. She is the most humble, gentle and kind person. We became fast friends, she made me feel at ease and my anxiety started to lessen.

It was a simple breakfast of cereal and coffee, last minute check of my pack, pics with the competitors and last minute bathroom break and we were ready to go at 8 am. My plan was to go super conservative and make sure I looked after myself. The first 2.5 km were sandy rolling double track. I took it easy and walked any climbs and then we were over the sand dunes and on the beach. I am more of a mountain girl than beach girl, but this beach was breathtaking. The sky was so blue and the water was turquoise and crystal clear. To the left were sand dunes. This section was 19 km and there were no houses or resorts, we would see the occasional fishermen. Thankfully the tide was out so this section was quite runnable. I found myself in 11th place. I ran conservatively and passed three runners before we left the beach. I was feeling good and stuck to my plan of drinking each km, gel every 5 km and salt tab every hour. There was a breeze on the beach, but once we turned off you could feel the heat and it was getting later in the day. I stuck with my plan of walking the uphills and if the sandy track was using up too much energy to run then I would walk for a bit. After check point #2 I caught up to Ita. She said she was a bit tired ( no wonder, she was the competitor that had done TDS, TDG and Atacama). She said she was good so I carried on. Along this section we ran past our first villages and everyone was friendly. At 30 km I stopped and bought a soda. Jerome the Race Director had said we were allowed to stop and by a cold drink if we wanted as it would give us an opportunity to engage with the locals. The last 5 km were hot with sandy rolling track. I knew I was second female and so I took my time and finished around 4.5 hours. I arrived at camp to find out I was only 5 minutes behind Rafael and Andrea (the first place female). I felt good, I didn't feel like I pushed too hard.

There were lots of kids to greet us at camp. I got set to make sure I got my recovery drink into me and ate my salted cashews. I then observed the other competitors and followed their example of resting. I organized my gear and tried to stay off my feet. That afternoon, many locals stopped by to observe us, we sang and danced with the kids. It was awesome. This is really why I wanted to come back to Africa, it is amazing to be able to spend time with the local people and see villages and schools where tourists don't usually go. Even when your hot and tired it is impossible not to have your spirits lifted by the laughter of the kids.

The evenings are short. I cooked my dinner early and choked back the tasteless backpacker meal, drank more water, meditated and went to sleep by 7 pm. I had survived my first day!!

I woke up early around 4 am. I took the time to meditate and then got ready packing up and cooking breakfast. I was ready to go by 6 am, but we weren't starting till 7 am. So I rested, I watched the village come to life, kids walking to school, women going to get water or carry materials to town, young boys taking cattle somewhere, and then we were off at 7 am. I felt ok, my legs weren't sore at all, my back now that was a different story. Finishing well the first day, my goals had slightly changed from merely surviving to maybe trying to stay second female or to try and win a stage. I still knew I had a lot kilometers ahead so I started off conservative again. Today was mostly sandy dirt track and we ran through many villages to start. I passed a few runners and stopped to take a few pics with locals. After checkpoint # 1 I felt a little low and was worried about how many more kilometers I had to go. I took a gel and decided to use my i-pod. The combination of the sugar and music was amazing, all the sudden I was smiling to myself and the kilometers were clicking by. I caught up to Rafael and Andrea and kept going. Running faster I was a little worried I would miss a marker. So I stopped a few times to double check. Rafael caught me at the 30 km I tried to keep up to him but he was too fast so I slowed down to my pace again. After 30+ km of similar looking terrain, we were treated to solid dirt road with a crazy view of this beautiful lake and palm trees, like a postcard. I was running well till the last 5 km, the hot sandy track started again, I could feel myself losing motivation, again I stopped and got a Coke from a stand and rolled into camp around 5 hours and 9 minutes. Ita from Italy had taken the lead as first female. My time was good enough again for second female and seventh overall.

Camp was a surprise, we were on the lake! That meant swimming! I went down to the lake with Steven a French competitor and told him in my awful Franglais that if we saw snakes I would be jumping on top of him. But there was nothing scary there. It was pristine, clear water and white sand. I just floated and felt on top of the world. After, was reality check, my feet were getting some blisters and I had lost a flip flop (dammit), now I'd have to wear my running shoes around camp. On the bright side though, it was a few less grams that I would have to carry. Dr Bruno helped me out with my feet.

Dr Bruno became such a good friend to me. He reminded a bit of a great teacher I had in high school, Mr Fischer. He kind of had that same quiet but encouraging attitude of having higher expectations for you than you do yourself. Once he knew I could speak French, there was no going back to English, he let me struggle to find my words and even if I was speaking Franglais he would answer always in French. He was accomplished ultra runner in his own right. He competed in the first Marathon des Sables among many other ultra adventures. A cervical fracture while skiing in the mountains prevented him from running competitively anymore. He has since been the medical director on 34 ultra trail adventures all over the world. He was so knowledgeable and looked after the competitors so well.

One of best things about these adventures is the simplicity, there is no distraction of the internet, work, family and other obligations. Routines are simple, recovery, foot care, cook, eat, drink, sort gear, go to sleep. Smile and play with the kids and chat to other runners in between.

After two days there was only a few minutes separating the top 3 female competitors. I was hoping to be conservative again and maybe catch the leader Ita later in the day. This did not work out. She put a gap of almost 50 minutes on me. Her strength and ability are really amazing. I started out the same as always, this was probably the worst day for my back, I was getting these sharp stabbing pains in my shoulders and upper back and my feet were starting to hurt. I caught up to Andrea early and we ran into check point one together. I took some Aleve, knowing the risk but hoping to only take it the one time. My back settled down and I continued to run with Andrea. It was so great to have the company because this was going to be a long day. We enjoyed the kids and stopped to take some pictures and video at the local school, shortly after that I got a little ahead of Andrea. I was running by myself and suffering a bit, thinking how hot and tired I was and I still 25 km to go. Then I heard the sound of a giggle. I turned around and there was this beautiful girl probably in her early twenties named Iza. She was in a blouse, skirt and flip flops and she was running with me. This instantly lifted my spirits and we ran the next mile or so together. We shared few words, but running and smiles are universal. She stopped when we met up with her friends I thanked her and kept going. I rolled in check point # 2 at 30 km in good shape.

Then I saw that Julen the current second place competitor from Spain, sitting on the ground looking hot and exhausted. I quickly learned he was not injured but maybe just overheated? He had been walking a lot and he didn't want to do the race like that. Andrea came in just behind me. Andrea, Bruno, Jerome and I convinced him to keep going. I was ready first so I left and he and Andrea left just after me. There's a saying if you want to feel better or worse in an Ultra just wait 10 minutes. Just minutes after leaving the checkpoint I started feeling hot and tired and lamenting to myself how long these next 21 km were going to take. Julen quickly caught me on a long hot dusty uphill and I was happy to see he decided to stay in the race. The next few kilometers were solitary, no smiling villagers, no little kids to run with me and although near by I couldn't see Julen or Andrea. I tried to stay focused on looking after myself in the heat and lost all interest in trying to catch Ita the female leader. Even after a few kilometers when I came to the next village it was hard to run fast enough to satisfy the kids who wanted to run with me. I came to a stand and bought a COLD Coke. (This in itself seemed miraculous) . In Tanzania I never found anything that was cold. The sugar rush hit and I was running, I caught up to Julen again and came into check point # 3 just ahead of him. This checkpoint was on the beach and the water looked so inviting. I decided to go for a swim, best decision, I could feel my core temperature lower and I was renewed. I left the checkpoint behind Julen and ahead of Andrea. We were warned the next 10 km were hard and they did not disappoint. It is really hard to run on soft sand, and while the scenery was gorgeous these last 10 km grinded away at me and I hiked most of them. Finishing hot and exhausted around 7.5 hours second female and eight overall and having no idea how I was going to recover enough to get up and do it all over again tomorrow.

Camping on a beach is kind of like having sex on a beach. It seems kind of romantic but all you do is end up with sand in places you don't want, this meant even in my dinner. Plus the water was blocked by large vegetation and not the easiest to get to, so most of us didn't swim. It was later in the day and my feet were getting worse, Dr Bruno helped me again get them sorted. I struggled with starting a fire and thankful Ramon and Raul from Argentina and Chile were able to help me yet again with getting a fire going. They speak about as much English as I do Spanish but we figured it out. Hanging out with the South American runners and listening to them speak Spanish made me really homesick and miss Frank even more. I had drank at least 6 liters of water and hadn't peed since 7 am. I really wanted to go to sleep so I thought I would try to pee before bed. I tried and then found I was peeing blood, my heart sank, I remembered the Aleve I had taken earlier (did I take or one or two?), how I still felt overheated and I was nervous this was the start of something ominous. I went and told Dr. Bruno, and again was thankful for his experience as runner and not just a Dr. He was unfazed by my revelation and said it had happened to him at MDS and other races and that stress of running can sometimes cause hematuria, he told me it was a common problem and not to worry about it and to stop with damn NSAIDS. He said my kidneys would be fine and go drink more. Were only allotted 8 liters a day of water, today because it was the long day we got an extra 1.5 liters. I went and chugged the rest of my water and waited impatiently for the urge to pee. It was now 8 pm and I finally I had the urge to pee, by the light of my headlamp I could see it was clear, success!

I didn't know if I could take another day of heat and the universe heard me, I woke up to glorious rain! I can't even say how much joy that gave me. It's never fun to try and get ready or stand around in the rain but I didn't care! The rain didn't take away my foot pain though, when I put my shoes on they hurt and felt too small. My feet were starting to swell, why didn't I buy shoes a half size bigger! We started with a few kilometers on tarmac (the only in the race), but I was slow and stayed behind. Most of the tract was pretty runnable but it took me almost an hour to kind of wake up and find my legs. I finally caught up to Andrea and we ran and chatted for the next several kilometers. The track was packed down and it was nice not to fight with the sand. It was a little frustrating because I could've run a faster pace but it was day 4 and my feet were hurting constantly and so I kept to a pretty conservative pace and the highs were getting more and more spread out. After checkpoint # 2 I caught up with Giuseppe from Italy. I got a little bit of ahead of him and I had to pee, awesome, I had never had to pee yet during the race, I must be doing a good job of being hydrated, yay me. Then I look down and blood again, dammit. I tried not to let it bother me and kept focus on drinking. I got to a cross roads and some kids were playing with the marker, I thought no problem, I will pull out my map.... fuck. No map, it must have fallen out when I stopped to pee. I ask the kids which way the marker was they assured me it was pointed to the left and I could see footprints so I headed down the path. But, I was too unsure, plus I am not in the greatest shape with the sore feet and peeing blood so I don't want to get lost on top of it. I waited for Giusppe and he had also lost his map also but reassured me that all the front runners shoe prints were there so we stuck together until the next marker and then I kept going at my pace. These next kilo-meters were hard mentally. I was kind of over being distracted by the scenery and people. It was like at the end of a 100 miler, I couldn't think a lot and focused on one foot in front of the other and one kilometre at a time. Four kilometres from the finish Dino (our photographer) and Brian had a surprise checkpoint with Fanta, I took a swig and their encouragement propelled me on to the finish. I was about 6.5 hours, second female and eighth overall.

It was still raining at camp, so there was the added challenge of drying out gear and finding dry firewood. Raul the fire king had no trouble getting a fire going and I was so grateful. I ate my backpacker pasta and it didn't taste half bad. My feet were super painful and getting swollen and I wasn't sure how well the last day was going to go for me. Andrea found my missing map, she had also found it day 3 (my map angel).

It was probably my worst night sleep, I couldn't find a comfortable position and were up at 330. I was done fighting with the fire and skipped my oatmeal and coffee and ate a protein bar (not the best decision). I got rid of anything non mandatory and kept my calories to a minimum. Its the Last Day, just 47 km between me and a swim in the ocean, beer, shower and wifi!! I thought the last day might be like the last miles in an ultra where you get a boost in energy because you can smell the finish line, not so much. The first hour was miserable although my body was tired I wasn't having any major problems, but my mind was the challenge of day 5. Other runners, kids, music, nothing was getting me out of my funk. I kept moving forward and hoping my mood would change, it did for a bit. After check point #1 I started moving a bit better and passing a few runners. I ran through a pretty village and the people were smiling and waving and I looked at all the women in the field with their babies and watched them working hard and reminded myself to be grateful. I was feeling better once I got to checkpoint # 2 and thought, OK, last 19 km and it is on this beautiful beach and the sand is runnable, let's go! But no, everything was resisting, my mind was kind of miserable, my feet hurt, my knees hurt and my watch died. The kilometres seemed endless and even though I didn't want to walk I couldn't make it more than 5 or 10 minutes without a walk break. Andrea was close to me, but I just kept going with my run/walk pace. Finally I saw our photographer Dino, he snapped a few pics of me and than ran and chatted a bit with me, my mood improved and he said I had 4 km to go. Then I saw Brian, I was close to tears, I was so tired and done with this run, he tried to cheer me up by saying the first round is on him and promised me it was only 3 km to go. The beach seemed endless and yet I couldn't see the fucking finish line, where was it!? I waited for Andrea and I said if the finish line is not around the next corner I am going to cry and walk to the finish, fuck it. She laughed and reassured me it had to be around the next corner and sure enough we saw some buildings and the race vehicles, and just like that our pace quickened and we were joyous again. We crossed the finish line together, instant relief and happiness washed over me, celebratory hugs from Bruno, Jerome and Rafael. Damien had Coke and fresh Coconut water still in the coconut ready for us, amazing. Then I go down to the water, the same water I stared at for the last 19 km, the same water where we started 200 + kilometres ago. I go in and let the waves crash over me and I laugh and float and go with the flow of the waves.

I just ran 220 km in Mozambique! How lucky I am I? So grateful for this life! Now where is the beer!?

February 18, 2018 Running

Stride Inside 6 Hour Indoor Track Race

My first race of 2018 ended up being an indoor track race. With Canadian winters being as harsh as they are for runners I thought that the relative comfort of running indoors would be a welcome relief from the bitter cold and slippery conditions.

Having met the race director Jeff Rowthorn at a 50K trail race in October 2017 I started hearing the buzz around this event and was intrigued. When I found out that he and his wonderful partner in crime Heather Borsellino had dedicated this run to ShelterSafe, an organization that supports shelters for abused women and their kids across Canada I went from intrigued to registered. I thought that it would be a nice follow-up to my 55K run on my 55th birthday in December 2017 which raised about $900 for our local shelter My Friend's House. ShelterSafe was the same cause with a larger scope.

I have to say that Heather and Jeff are two of the nicest people you could ask for as race directors. Their passion for running shows and the event had all the amenities that ultra runners expect. Since they are regulars at Ontario Ultra Series events, everything was like "old home week" as all the familiar faces of close friends were in attendance.

The event featured 1 hour, 3 hour and 6 hour races with the object being to run as many laps as you can in that amount of time. There can be no DNF, just some amount of laps run so no pressure at all!

Need a washroom break? Aid station? No problem! You are never more than 100 metres from either facility. The aid station was well stocked with every type of salty and/or sweet snack you need and water or electrolyte drinks in abundance. Showers were also available for after the run.

Overall very well organized and while I wished I was outside on a trail, I was happy to be inside on this cold January 6th day socializing for 6 hours with good friends as we went in circles!

I know I'm in good company with the other crazies in choosing 6 hours but it was cool to see others I knew coming off injury had a shorter time option. And of course the 1 and 3 hour events were different beasts altogether because people were absolutely killing it pace wise! My hat is off to all the athletes in all the events.

I started off knowing I needed to take it easy because it's tempting to run faster than you should on such a flat perfect surface. Of course I ignored my inner coach and went too fast for about the first 80 laps. It just felt so good and I could hang out with friends doing the 1 or 3 hour. So a little slap on the wrist from self coach ensued. Since I had run 55 km just a couple of weeks before to celebrate my 55th birthday, there was no way I'd be fresh enough to hold that pace!

Having gone out way too enthusiastically and starting to feel my achilles giving me grief I showed at least a little common sense (It's rare) and adjusted the pace down accordingly.

It's the part of an ultra where you normally are in the middle of the woods and can be alone for many hours. Not here! I really enjoyed catching up with friends Steven H, Steven P, Grant M, Kristina J, Robin B, Patrick M, Hans M, Michelle T, Ken N etc.

It really started to become tough because of the constant turning. In my high school track career the most I'd done was 16 laps of a 200 metre indoor track to complete a 3,000M event. In this 6 hour span I ended up with 258 laps of a 214 metre track. This was madness! Although we changed direction every 1.5 hours I personally found that my achilles tendons and calf muscles were finding the cornering again and again challenging. But... We are ultra runners and suffering is all part of it.

After the first 200 laps I started realizing that I might only get as far as about 55 km in 6 hours which would be a lot slower than my 55k birthday run in 5:05 which was outdoors on road. I realized I'd have to walk off some niggling calf cramps around this point in time.

Being a fun run and social I now decided it was a good idea to walk about 10 laps. Lucky for me I found Michelle Tanner, someone I find inspiring because she did the Haliburton 50 miler while pregnant! And so I had such a great conversation with her while I walked off my cramps and totally forgot the pain.

It was down to the last half hour! I had been trying really hard with my problem achilles to compartmentalize the clock into segments to make it seem ok somehow. In distance based races I usually compartmentalize it into distance segments. I make deals with myself like to hold the pace for just the next 10K and see how I feel then. When I get to the end of that 10K segment I make another deal. In this way you can trick yourself into maintaining pace! With this event it was hold that pace for half an hour and take another trip to the aid station room for fuel from our friend "Tanker" and back out.

The best feeling in the world was to see that I was within the last half hour. Soccer and ultimate frisbee teams had come and gone over the course of 6 hours and still we were there, running in circles!

Crossing the line at the last practical lap within 6 hours it was quite a fist bumping back slapping moment where we got our cool Stride Inside medals. My ultimate supporter Susan was there to congratulate me. She is a great cheerleader and although she confessed to going out to a coffee place to do a couple of hours of her accounting work, I know she was there in spirit for the whole 6 hours. I mean running can be a great spectator sport, but not for 6 hours really!

I was glad I did it and had a lot of fun. I probably killed my right achilles from the turning and not running on trails but these things happen to all of us from time to time. It's all back to normal now and I'm looking forward to the trail racing season of 2018!

Date January 5, 2019
Time 9am (1hr & 6hr) 10:30am (3hr)
Location Royal Distributing Athletic Performance Centre - Guelph, ON
Distances 1 hour, 3 hour, 6 hour

Description This race is based on a professional indoor track. This event is family friendly and we encourage both walkers and runners to take part. There will be music and food available to participants along with product and gear representatives.

Race Kits & Medals Race kits will have a multitude of goodies including a custom race tank. Finishers will receive a custom race medal.

This race will support Women's Shelters Canada and its website sheltersafe.ca in its efforts to provide safety, hope, and support for abused women and their children.

Information about this race and others: www.happytrailsracing.com/races

December 29, 2017 Running

Running in Kenya

As a race director and lifelong runner who coaches Kenyan athletes remotely it has always been a dream of mine to run in Kenya. There is something very compelling about going to the country that has the reputation of being home to the fastest humans on the planet. In May of 2017 through some twists of fate my opportunity to go finally came.

I was asked to produce a website promoting run tourism for runners from North America to participate in the Mully Half Marathon, a race designed to raise funds for the Mully Children's Family. These funds provide housing, food, medical care, clothing and an education to thousands of orphans and street kids. It seemed only fitting that I would participate in the race to find out what we were promoting.

Beyond the first week with the children of the Mully Children's Family I was able to travel 350 kilometres north of Nairobi to Nandi county to run with elite athletes I know in the towns of Kapsabet and Eldoret. These towns are located in the hilly country at 6,600 feet and above, which partly explains the incredible cardio capacity of these amazing runners.

During my time at the Mully Children's Family facility in Ndalani Kenya I was privileged to have been able to meet hundreds of children of all ages. I spoke to them at assembly and was able to run with them.

My message was simple. Running can be a way of life and a way to stay healthy over the course of their entire lives. This is quite a new concept for a lot of Kenyans who train to win and to be the fastest at all costs. They feel that their livelihood and all opportunity is entered around this idea and often give up running in their 30's if they don't become the next world champion. That idea is reinforced by the fact that there are generally no participation medals in most races - only top 3! I wanted to say that it's a great metaphor for life and not to be discouraged and give it up.

On the second last day of my stay at the Mully Children's Family facility we were transported by land rover out to the start of the race in nearby Yatta. The dew was still evaporating as we drove the dirt road out to the highway past roadside stands selling all sorts of goods.

Upon arriving at the starting line the other Canadian runners Ross and Bernie from Calgary and I were surprised that they were still taking roadside registrations and had large lineups. The banner was still being strung across the road and the race marshals, members of the Kenyan police were present in large groups. They were all armed with automatic weapons so I doubt any drivers would cut off any runners or cause any other sort of nuisance.

We were quite a novel addition to the race as the only 3 Mzungus (white men) participating. Kenyan national TV (NTV) was quick to interview us to ask about our goals and what the race was raising funds towards. In fact it was the exact opposite of North American races where there is a lead pack that invariably includes Kenyans that breaks away. Instead it was a large pack of very fast Kenyans leaving the 3 Canadians in the dust!

The heat that day was nearly unbearable as Yatta is nearly on the equator so the sun was almost directly above us. Heat from above combined with the heat reflecting back up off the road cooked us. This was compounded by the fact that the start time had slipped by nearly three hours! We had hoped to start before the sun had gotten very high, but the race day registrations had taken longer than expected. This is why most races in other parts of the world have pre-registration with online registration and payment. Be prepared if you do race in Kenya to pay cash or using your phone with the MPesa app. There might not be pre-registration!

Oh that heat! At home I'm capable of something close to a 1:30 half marathon and maybe I'd take a sip of water half way so that I can keep the pace up. This was definitely not the case in Ndalani/Yatta that morning. As the race time had slipped and the equatorial sun crept higher, the pavement got to blast furnace status.

I started at what I thought was a reasonable half marathon pace like I normally would. The bulk of the race of super quick Kenyans receded ahead and I settled down into a pace I thought I could sustain, being careful to take water whenever it was offered.

About 10K in I had climbed a couple of hills and was completely soaked through! I had also used 3 bottles of water in just 10K! Be prepared because in Kenya most races have no electrolyte drink along the route at all, just warm bottled water. Most elite Kenyans will not take water in a half marathon anyway, but some did on this day given the temperatures.

At 15K I passed a very fast looking young Kenyan who was sitting in the ditch with his head between his knees. I stopped to ask if he was alright and he insisted he was. Since he looked like he had heat stroke I gave him an unopened bottle of water I'd been handed and a couple of guys on a motorbike arrived to look after him.

Moving right along, a couple of things over the last 6K struck me as odd. One was that the race had no cones or barriers so that you really had to be careful to watch for cars and trucks whizzing by. The other thing was whenever I passed a crowd who had come out to see the race from a small village they seemed completely astonished! They must have been completely astonished and wondered who the 50 something white guy with grey hair was! As I passed them, some yelled out "Mzungu! Go Mzungu!" and others laughed outright. I really didn't take it as an insult because I'm quite certain the laughs were the type of laugh you get when you catch someone completely off guard. After all, not many Kenyans in their 50's or even 40's are competing at running or even running at all. This is something I'd like to change for the sake of their long term health.

At the 20th kilometre I reached the place on the highway where the race turned onto a dirt road for the last 1.1 km. I had consumed 8 bottles of water and looked like I had been swimming due to the sweat. I'd never been so happy to be close to the finish line.

At the finish a nice finish tape had been strung across for me as the first Mzungu to finish. I had actually beaten some Kenyans much to my surprise as well given my slow 1:57 time. I truly felt like a celebrity although I know it was really just that Kenyans are very hospitable welcoming people for the most part.

Another way that running is different in Kenya is that it is revered and celebrated the way Americans celebrate football or how Germans celebrate soccer. In Canada or the US after a race, there may be a modest medal presentation for the top 3 in various age groups, but the vast majority of runners get a participation medal. In Kenya it's medals for the top 3 only. It's is the dream of every young Kenyan to win at running. The podium is all they are shooting for. Success can mean travel, sponsorship, scholarships, in short a better life for them and their family.

At the finish line my friend Edinah Rotich was there to make sure I didn't drop from heat stroke and to get me to the massage area where a young therapist worked on my calf and achilles area which had only recently recovered from injury. Edinah is a top volleyball player on the Kenyan national team and an ambassador for clean sport/anti-doping as well as a guard to the first lady! I was in good company.

After my massage I was ushered over to a large rectangular area that was surrounded by open tenting with seating underneath. We were afforded VIP seating near the race officials and the man himself, Dr. Charles Mulli! There were speeches, choirs, presentations of every kind. For me personally the honour reached it's peak when I was asked to present the medals and bouquets of flowers to the top 3 finishers in the half marathon who had run under 62 minutes!

When the ceremony which was attended by hundreds of people was finished we were invited by Dr. Mulli to a big barbecue meal to cap off an amazing event and day. Although there was some meat at the table, I kept to my vegan diet. It's quite easy to do in Kenya with the fried greens, ugali, corn, rice, potatoes and other vegetables in abundance.

During the ride back from the race I reflected on how lucky we were and the generous, loving character of the Kenyan people. I was made to feel welcome despite being from a different place and having a different colour & customs etc. I think a lot of other cultures could take a cue from Kenyan culture when it comes to not only accepting the differences of others, but celebrating them! I will always have a special place in my heart for my Kenyan friends and they are welcome here any time.

Takeaways

When in Kenya always stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water
Expect race plans to change including details such as start time
Arrive early but be prepared with shade or at least a good hat for waiting
Sun protection is key
Stay alert and watch for passing traffic and don't wear headphones!
Follow instructions given by course marshals

The Oak Island Marathon

Race day - Lining up!

The Race

The Finish

Conclusion

On the ferry at sunset heading back

Bald Head Island Marina

Looking back at Oak Island lighthouse from the ferry

Old Baldy Lighthouse

The Coast Guard Marathon

Race day - Lining up!

The Race

After the Race

Exploring Elizabeth City

2023 Coast Guard Marathon Medals

The 2023 Coast Guard Marathon

Pre-Race

Go Time!

The Blue Mile

The Bridge

Crystal City - Fireball!

Iwo Jima - On to the finish

Without Whom - Mercedes

The Canadian Death Race

Race Day

Links

Quite an Experience

The Falls!

The Expo

The Race

The Course

My Race Report Video

Links

The Finish

Epilogue

Introduction

New Friends

Nhambavale Lodge

Kuzuko

Final Preparations

Day 1: Nhambavale Lodge to Kanda 35 km 657 m ascent.

Day 2: Kanda-Quissico 39 km 716 m ascent

Day 3 (The long day) Quissico to Lac Poelela 51 km 803 ascent

Day 4 Lac Poelela to Cambula 47 km and 807 m ascent

Day 5 Campula to Jangamo 47 km 507 meters ascent

By the Pool.

Race Start

Kuzuko

The Lodge

Day 1

Day 2 - Dr. Bruno Thomas

Day 3 - Iza

Day 3 - Beautiful Views

Seen from the race

On the Beach

Introduction

6 Hour Kickoff

Mid Section

Last 58 Laps

My Results

Medal!

Running in Circles!

From the spectator's Balcony

Keep on keeping on!

2019 Race Information

Introduction

Mully Half Marathon - Ndalani Kenya

The Race

After Race Activities

Takeaways

Morning trip to the starting line.

Picking up the race bib.

Kenyan runners at the starting line.

Ross, Me, Edinah, Kenyan runner, Bernie - Start

Finishing like a winner despite being near the back!

The youth leaders of Mully Children's Family.

A massage and shade!

Kenyan choir at the medal ceremony.