Category: Running

The Dirty Girls 12 hour trail race is one of 3 events on the weekend of August 8, 9, 10, 2014, the other two being 24 and 48 hours! The race is located at Mansfield Ontario, Canada at an outdoor recreation centre that features an 8 kilometer forest loop trail with roots, rocks, sand and it’s all hills. There is one aid station at 4 km and the main start/finish area which features the mother of all aid stations! I’m talking about all sorts of fruit, french fries with a salt dip, grilled cheese sandwiches, Perogies, lentil soup, broth, all the sport drinks and water, literally anything you need to get through at least 12 hours of running.

Setting Out
I thought I’d get my feet wet at this event by keeping it to just 12 hours. The 12 hour race began at 8pm Saturday night. While most people were going out to dinner and a movie or pursuing some sort of fun weekend activity, we were preparing to run all night! We left the starting line promptly at 8pm. For the first loop, we remained fairly close together on the single track, with the breathing and footfalls of others all around. Like usual I got a little caught up in the enthusiasm of the start and went a little faster than I wanted to for the first lap. By the second lap people were spreading out and I felt a sense of peaceful contentment come over me as the headlamp went on and night fell.

10 P.M. to Midnight
Now that darkness fell I found that the roots blended in to the soil in the light of my headlamp. It became so easy to trip over rocks and roots that I began to try and memorize their locations on the course for the next lap. It was a time of transitioning from normal running into what I consider extended running and breaking the ultra barrier in exceeding marathon distance. Still feeling comfortable yet feeling the effort and the challenge starting to build particularly with the hills on the course. There really are no level places at all. You climb or you descend again and again. The “Super Moon” made it’s presence felt as a glorious round super bright object shining through the trees. It provided a cheery companion that got me through the night appearing briefly in the few clearings in the forest.

Midnight to 5 A.M.
It’s on! crossing the threshold of pain and hunger. Six hours or so in I had massive hunger pangs and needed more serious food! In addition to this I knew that given my perspiration rate I’d need salt soon to prevent cramping. I made sure to take some fries and dip them liberally in the salt bowl. Way more tasty and satisfying than salt pills and with grilled cheese sandwiches it really filled me up! With a full stomach I went to battle again with the trail. The temperature during this period dipped from the Saturday evening 25 Celsius to 15 Celsius but the humidity remained hanging in the woods. The sensation was one of feeling chilled yet hot at the same time and sweating a lot. I drank lots and urine output was good and it remained fairly clear. There were still no cramps!

5 A.M. to 8 A.M. Finish
The bewitching hour came after a struggle from 5 A.M. to 6 A.M. in which I truly felt beat up and tired. A race like this runs opposite to your normal circadian rhythm and your mind can really play tricks! In the early pre-dawn before it brightened up I began having some hallucinations. Plants beside the trail took on the shape of animals and actually startled me! I kept seeing creatures darting across the trail ahead of me but luckily it wasn’t my first rodeo and I recognized that my mind was playing tricks with the beam of my headlamp reflecting off the ghostly trees. First light came as a surprise as I looked up and the sky was not as dark. Slowly certain tree trunks began having reddish highlights on them. Eventually I came to a lookout point on the trail and could see the red brilliant light of the tip of the sunrise over the valley below. When the sun was over the horizon the forest erupted with light and color and my night adjusted eyes brought everything into hyper focus. I was so amazed at how different the trail I’d done so many times looked! I met a young woman on my ninth and final lap. When my energy was low and she passed me I made an effort to keep up with her and we began a pleasant conversation. She helped me pull through to the half way aid station at 4k and then she was the one whose energy was low! She began worrying about making the last 4 km before the 8am finish. I told her there would be no talk of not making it and we had plenty of time. I pulled her through the last 4km to return the favor and we sprinted to the finish together!

Final Tally
I managed to get through 72 kilometres of some bad ass trail with a lot of hills in the 12 hours finishing first for my age group and 9th overall, 8th male. There is no way to DNF this race. It’s all about how far any given runner can get. For instance my good friend and brother from another mother Peter Taylor lapped me and not only won the race but set a new course record of 106 kilometres! What an amazing night! What an amazing breakfast after the race! Pancakes, bacon and eggs, and good German beer, the best recovery drink! I’ll be back to do the Dirty Girls again. It’s a well organized race in a beautiful place and running at night is so peaceful!

I recently had the pleasure and honor to spend a full day as a running guide for the amazing blind trail runner Rhonda Marie Avery. If you thought you read that wrong I can assure you she really is a blind trail runner!

Rhonda decided to tackle one of the toughest trails in Ontario Canada, the Bruce Trail. The Bruce Trail presents a seemingly never ending array of undulating technical terrain over it’s 885 kilometres. From the town of Tobermory at the extreme northern tip of the Bruce Peninsula, the trail travels continuously to Niagara Falls in the south. Following the amazing Niagara Escarpment over it’s course, the Bruce Trail has a hilly spine with plenty of elevation change and breathtaking views.

Rhonda needs to be sure to have early bedtimes and an early start to the day. The approximately 45 kilometres she covers each day is best undertaken in the cool of the morning before the sun gets too hot. Another reason for such an early start is the length of time it takes for her to negotiate the trail and it’s technically demanding terrain. The run will last twenty days.

A blind runner requires guide runners, and a run of this length required two fresh guide runners for each day. One guide runner leads and navigates to ensure the excellent trail markers are in sight and that they are still on the trail. Behind the lead runner is the guide runner whose responsibility is to call out every root, rock and undulation in the terrain. Rhonda who runs directly behind the guide runner has an uncanny ability to time her steps to avoid every obstacle the guide runner calls out. The guide and lead runners swap positions for two reasons. One is that it’s mentally fatiguing to call out the terrain and two is that it’s good for Rhonda to hear a different voice and style of callouts.
Having run the Bruce Trail for most of my life I can say that the roughness of the rocks, roots and hills provides a challenge to perfectly sighted runners. Lose your concentration for a few seconds and it’s easy to face plant! Rhonda’s accomplishment is all the more impressive given the fact that she is negotiating this terrain blind.

What motivates a person to undertake a run of this magnitude and difficulty? According to Rhonda the answer lies in the desire to do something nearly impossible; something with no guarantee of success. To quote Rhonda, “go big or go home!”

Today is August 8th, 2014 Rhonda is carrying on with more than a marathon per day every day. My day is done and other guides have taken over. And so it goes, this rhythm of run, eat, sleep and make friends along the way. At the end a sense of supreme accomplishment, a pinnacle achievement and a lot of amazing memories.

Let us not forget that Rhonda is doing this for a cause that can help many, Achilles Canada.

None of these activities are easy for me to manage without the help of Achilles Canada”This nonprofit organization connects those with disabilities with volunteer guides. “Over the years, they have helped me to take part in events from 5Km to 100 miles of running, 13km of tethered open water swimming, and 500km of tandem cycling. Without their involvement, I wouldn’t be possible for me to participate to this degree. Oftentimes, for the disabled athlete, getting to the start line is the most difficult task. As a disable endurance athlete, my goal is always to show up, do my best and put all concepts of my disability aside.

To support Rhonda’s cause please visit: http://www.gofundme.com/envisions-on-the-bruce

Godspeed Rhonda!

Here is the play by play of what happened written the morning after:

Just woke up after arriving at my tent at 4:30am. This is a beast that changes every year and you never know what you are going to get. I’m completely drained. This year it was the hottest most humid Sinister 7 ever! The proof is the approximately 25% finish rate for soloists. Got a ride from race director Andrew Fairhurst back to the finish who says some of the best soloists dropped out early.

Summary:
Leg 1: nice easy run no issues. Climb went really well.

Leg 2: this one was a killer as the temperature had already gone to 25. All the moisture from the late spring made the humidity nuts for high up in the mountains. I wet my hat and legs in every stream.

Leg 3: nicknamed Satan’s sack, this was positively evil yesterday. 35km leg with 4,500 feet of climbing. Again I drank everything, dropped into every river, fell up to my waist in the mud bog I was creeping around, and then the notorious final climb. I poured it on thinking I wanted to preserve my margin on the cutoff time and used the downhill after to speed into the transition. Despite 2 gels an hour and eating everything I could and taking salt capsules my stomach cramped up like I thought I would die. This was the 67.5km mark. Got great attention from the valet solo runner service. A volunteer nicknamed mother hen even peeled my mud crusted shoes and socks off, cleaned my feet and put on my change of socks and shoes! That’s service! Off I went onto 4.

Leg 4: Dastardly climb up part of a ski hill right out of the aid station. Half way up the stoic and amazing ultra runner Hiroshige Watanabe was in distress. The heat got him too on leg 3. He wasn’t able to keep anything in his stomach. He swore he was ok and bid me on my way. Then into the mosquito ridden woods for more climbing, mud and then the long cross country portion. At the barbed wire fence the pond from last year had doubled in size so you had to go through knee deep water. So much for the fresh shoes and socks. Made it to the end of 4 feeling sick to my stomach. Nausea came in waves for the better part of 20 kilometers. Drank tons of beef soup and then flat Coke, the saviour of a stomach in distress. I never have had a sick stomach in any race in my life! That’s how sinister it was.

Leg 5: What can I say… Everything sinister but more muddy than any other leg! I had mud caked to my legs right up to my waist. I ran, crawled, begged and pleaded, often having no choice but to wade through standing water all in the dark by headlamp. Saw something move on the trail when I had climbed the mountain and was truly alone. Actually drew my bear spray and removed the trigger lock! It snorted and moved away. Not sure what it was from a distance could have been a few different animals but most likely a bear. Passed a lost soul runner with 5k to go who assured me he was ok. When he pulled into aid station 2 on leg 5 his hand was bleeding and he needed medical help.

My journey ended at 105 km which is the longest distance I’ve run before. The reason is that I simply didn’t have enough time to get the 10k left to the end of 5 before the cutoff. My stomach had recovered to a degree but I was clumsy. I would have continued though. I don’t know if conditions will ever allow me to unlock the key to this insane race. It is indeed the toughest test of a runner I can think of! Mad respect to Hiroshige Watanabe wish you could have continued on leg 5 with me Hiro! Mad Respect to Peter Taylor who gave me the coaching to get me to almost the end of 5 on the hottest wettest running of this race so far, and for his 2nd place finish here last year which doubly blows my mind this year.
Bring on Sinister 7 2016. 3rd time is the charm!

Finished with a smile, and a fat plate of PAELLA!!!

Flight back from La Palma..4 hours was a flash as I reminisced with Jan and Vanessa beside about the race we had and yes everything that goes with it.
Another TRANSVULCANIA come and gone. I love to sit and feel what went on in a week…once it is past..I find a story come together and a rather cool one each time.
This one I got to spend with a sister of friends my SIMONY ZITRONY…which makes the story even better!

Each time I am at an ultramarathon I come back with more…I feel richer..
I once again understand WHY I LOVE to do these crazy cool races. They test us in different ways and we are all here to take on that adventure.

Sometimes you can be not so ready and trained and pull off and excellent race and other times you are soooo ready, fit, trained and good to go and things don’t unfold as you imagined… for anything can arise. It’s all part of the beautiful package. I learn so much every time I do one. But the best thing I come back with is another experience, that fills me with joy..new friends…and moments to look back at and laugh on. 

This week high lights – rock n roll time with sister Simone, a hard pre race fall that landed on my ribs and gave me some La Palma scars, Car dancing around the crazy curves of the Island roads, octopus indulgence, my daily high of passing by the Yellow T2 VW beauty van in Tazacorte…., picture posing like nuts, holding my mouth trying everything not to throw up on the BUS RIDE to FUCALIENTE race morning, unbelievable gusting winds waiting for start at the lighthouse early raceday, Mirador El Time shop with amazing people and awesome jewellery that I get sucked into, …these are just to name a few…

With a shivering chatter nearing the start, nauseated I forced down my breakfast ISALEAN SHAKE..that I knew I needed for my first few hours of power. Being here at 5:55am at the Start line in Fucaliente on 10.05.14 at the Southern tip of the Island of La Palma is a MOST AWESOME FEELING…as the energy of ‘THUNDERSTRUCK’ booms through the air…all cold and nausea washes away for moments of ‘I love this’ and dancing…a surge of energy and celebration takes over everybody…BRING IT ON BABY!!!

With a race that climbs for approx 50km…puts you right on in the beaming hot sun…and then after a pasta fill….sends you booming down a 20km technical, steep downhill..on the lava rock…
My nutrition is critical and my grounding is my ‘IONIX and ENERGENIX’ in regular doses – my electrolytes, minerals and adaptogens for steady energy …keeps me focused …

The downhill takes back down approx 2400m…back to sea level…and then YES….back up!
I felt so happy deep down, coming to the finish today..that was victory for me (as I was not sure if I would finish at the start) These last 5km…was a grind for me…so close to finish..but just one step after another and HEAD DOWN…Behind this though was joy..and yes definitely some swear words flying out…but once the top of the hill is reached the swearing stopped …1.5km stretch to the finish…as runners you always can find the juice..just enough..to sail through to a smile at the finish. I cannot be more grateful for the people that cheer us on this island..they pour there hearts out for the day to bring us through…little kids are enthralled at what they see…the people here are incredible…we are taken care of ‘Over the Top’ and this would not happen like it does..without all that…
Until next year TVC…xoxo

Karrie Gregson is the owner of Livin’ Adventure, an Austrian based adventure tour company led by an experienced Canadian hiking guide: www.livinadventure.com

 

The Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon is the premier Toronto race in my books. The route, the organization, the spectators, the entertainment, basically everything is top notch. Of course I admit I’m biased based on the fact that I’m the race director of the Collingwood Half Marathon & 10K, a sister race of this one! Still I have been running this race since 1989 off and on and I have to say it’s truly grown into an international destination race.

The Course

The course runs from the north end of the city in Mel Lastman square straight down Toronto’s main north-south corridor, Yonge Street. After running through several pretty neighborhoods including passing Casa Loma, the course winds it’s way through the Rosedale Valley which is so well treed and beautiful that you forget you are in the 4th largest city in North America. After heading south on Bayview it turns into the historic St. Lawrence Market area and on into the heart of the downtown financial district. It carries on to the waterfront for a tour of Ontario Place, the lake shore parks, the Humber pedestrian bridge and Humberview Park. After turning around and heading back along Lake Shore Blvd. you finish to the roar of the crowd at Ontario Place right across the street from the Canadian National Exhibition grounds. It is indeed quite a scenic tour of the city.

The Support System

The Toronto Marathon has literally and army of volunteers including bike marshals, intersection marshals, water station workers, police, EMS and more. I’m constantly amazed at how this army mobilizes to make the race as problem free as it is.

Water stations are every two kilometers on the route and well staffed with water and Gatorade available.

Along the route you will find everything from a Jazz band, buskers, cheering crowds, the amazing Bishop Strachan School for Girls cheering section, and generally not a single part of the course without some moral support from well wishers. Thank you Toronto for being there for us!

The finish line of any marathon is the most inviting thing in your entire life if you are a participant! The finish line at the Toronto Marathon is heaven. Right away you get your medal and pass well stocked Gatorade and water tables. From there you head to the food tent with it’s apples, bananas, oranges, and this year these cool round pita like breads that had raisins in them! From there it’s on to the massage and stretching tent where eager physiotherapy and massage therapists work their wonders on your trashed body.

The Medal

In all the hundreds of events I’ve run I have never seen a medal like this one. It’s heavy! It’s large. In fact I call it a sushi plate! Even the race director, my friend Jay Glassman sees the humor in the medal and saw to it that it was inscribed on the reverse side with the following message: “Holy….! Yes, this really is the medal! Caution don’t drop! Do not pack in carry-on luggage. Suitable as a personal protection device. We cannot be held responsible for personal injury.” It is so big that it gets it’s own paragraph!

My Race in 2014

So how did I do in 2014? I was 17 minutes slower than I’m capable of doing and I’m happy with that result. Why? Because I ran a 50km trail race with 8,000 feet of vertical up and down in it 7 days before! It’s all part of my back to back stress training for the Sinister 7 100 miler in Alberta Canada in July.

During the first half marathon I felt really good and ran 1:39 at the half marathon point. That would have been good for a 3:18 marathon. However one piece of advice I have and I knew it before the race anyway is that you can’t fully recover from a long race in 7 days. It was an experiment to see how I could cope with back to back long races.

In the second half things really slowed down particularly around the 34 km mark where my legs made their presence felt with a lot of pain. Cardio was fine. Cramping ensued and I had to walk/stretch the cramps away for a couple of minutes. By the time I finished I had a 3:47 marathon on my hands.

I’m actually thrilled with this result because my experiment taught me so much! I know that I can tolerate two long races within seven days. I know that it only added 17 minutes to my 42.2km time. I found out a lot of things including don’t run such a ridiculously positive split time when you totally know better! 

Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon Details

The next running of this iconic race will be May 3rd, 2015. I highly recommend the experience!

• Marathon
• Half Marathon
• 5K
• Race Expo on May 1st and 2nd

All details are available on their website: www.torontomarathon.com

The Goodlife Fitness Toronto Marathon is organized by Running First. For details on other races by Running First visit: www.runtoronto.com

If you are looking for a great fall Half Marathon, come to Collingwood for October 4th, 2014. For all details: www.runcollingwood.ca

Saturday April 26th I had the pleasure and pain of participating in the Pick your Poison trail race. The race took place at the Heights of Horseshoe at Horseshoe Valley in Ontario, Canada. It’s aptly named Pick your Poison because you can pick 12.5km, 25km or 50km which equals 1, 2 or 4 times around the grueling course.

With nearly 8,000 feet of elevation change in all the ups and downs the 50km race proved a difficult test. Our late winter and cold spring of 2014 resulted in ankle deep mud and corn snow in places that typically are hard packed trail. However, I can say that the rain did hold off and the grey skies kept the sun out of our eyes.

The course loop featured 3 aid stations located at the start/finish area, and every one third of the loop fairly equally. They were well stocked and had a variety of what ultra-runners crave including, water, Heed, salty snacks and sugary candies. The start/finish station even had wonderful salty chicken soup, the perfect source of calories, salt and heat on a relatively cold 4 degree celsius day. All volunteers were amazing, friendly and helpful.

From a psychological standpoint I found that it can be an extra challenge knowing after the first of four laps every hill and every tricky spot, and knowing I would have to do them all 3 more times. Still it’s just one of those things you deal with and can only make you tougher. The flip side is that I found that after climbing the last long hill on the last lap I knew exactly how close I was to the finish!

I highly recommend this race and would do it again.

For complete details about Pick your Poison 12.5k, 25k, 50k Trail Race visit the race website: http://pickyourpoison.ca

I recently had one of the most intensely difficult, painful, draining yet joyous, moving experiences of my life. On July 6th, 2013 I participated in the Sinister 7 Mountain Trail Race. (www.sinister7.com)

It really is sinister and yes you really do feel all those sensations and emotions over it’s 148km distance. As if that distance isn’t hard enough there’s 18,000 feet of climbing and descending, mud bogs, river crossings and a 27 hour time limit! Located in the fantastically beautiful Crowsnest Pass in south-western Alberta Canada, it’s mountains are located right on the continental divide. It has a rugged beauty all it’s own!

Preparations
In order to prepare for this beast of a race I had a plan in place that took up 7 months. I have run for 40 years and have competed in many marathons, half marathons, 10k’s 5k’s, you name it, so I wasn’t starting from ground zero. Nevertheless I knew that the training that was going to be required for this beast was something entirely different. Less speed work and more long slow distance. It was going to require many hill repeats on our small ski hill here in Collingwood Ontario. It may only be 720 feet high, but 5 repeats of it in the middle of a 30k run was not much fun!

So many times I remember running 30 to 40k in the middle of nowhere seeing my road cycling friends go by and wish me luck. Every month the grind went on with no seeming end in sight other than a vague idea that July 6th I’d somehow get through the 7 grueling legs of the S7 in one piece in under 27 hours.

Through an unseasonably cold spring, the training continued. With a feeling of constant soreness in my body and feeling completely drained I pressed on. Sleeping was easy. Eating was also easy! I got down to 165 pounds on my six foot frame despite eating a lot with my sons aged 21 and 17.

It was tough but also toughening to put in up to 120km per week leading up to the race, and when the tapering period came up 10 days before it felt strange. Taking days off and running 5 to 10km easy to stay sharp and build reserves sounds easy but can be tough to stick to!

The Race
On the morning of the race I woke up in my tent filled with nervous energy but not as much as I would the morning of a 42.2km road marathon. I had nothing to prove. I had run 100km before non-stop, but this was uncharted ground and there were no expectations. No pressure.

Leg 1 of 7
16.5km (9.94 mi.)
Elevation Gain: 502m (1,647′)
Elevation Loss: 329m (1,079′)

At the starting line everyone was upbeat with nervous laughter filling the air. The cool mountain air of the night made fog which was only starting to burn off in the heat of the rising sun. The gun went and we were off and running from Blairmore towards the Frank Slide, a huge mountain rockslide that covers the road with rock from time to time.

After the slide we climbed up to the base of Hastings Ridge. I felt super good and filled with energy and optimism about the remaining 6 legs.

Leg 2 of 7
Distance: 16km (9.94mi)
Elevation Gain: 937m (3,074′)
Elevation Loss: 1,110m (3,642′)

On leg 2 any feeling of optimism and feeling like it was attainable was dashed on the rocks! The climb up Hastings Ridge was a tough one but at least it was still cool. At the apex of the climb the view opened up to something so spectacular that it literally took my breath away.

The descent ended up being tougher than the climb in some ways. It involved mud slicked forest trails for the last third of the distance. The constant relentless descent pushed my feet against the front of the shoes causing some serious toe blistering. At the time I didn’t think anything of it.

One river crossing and I wound my way down to the tent city at transfer and aid station #2/3. After refueling with all sorts of fruit, breads, candy, gels, electrolyte drink and water, I headed back out.

Leg 3 of 7

Distance: 35km (21.75mi)
Elevation Gain: 1,327m (4,354′)
Elevation Loss: 1,327m (4,354′)

Affectionately named “Satan’s Sack” by the runners, this leg is a hideously challenging one.

One thing I know about running such long difficult races is that my emotions sometimes feel amplified. Positive or negative emotions are more intense. Controlling these emotions and pushing through the tough times is for me the tough part about ultra running. For example the views were so spectacular that I teared up with joy and awe. This leg’s huge 4,500 feet of vertical was a challenge particularly in the heat that came in the mid day even at altitude.

Leg 4 of 7

Distance: 17km (10.56mi)
Elevation Gain: 675m (2,215′)
Elevation Loss: 617m (2,024′)

This leg began with a change of shoes and socks for me and the first hints that blisters were developing under my toenails from the punishing descents and from being wet from crossing rivers.

Immediately I found myself climbing a decent sized ski hill. The climb seemed to go on forever followed by ducking into the woods where things got a little muddy. After jumping a fast flowing creek onto a mud bank on all fours I found it opened into a long flat valley that reminded me of a really long golf course fairway without the manicured grass of course! In the distance was a beautiful rocky peak that was so distant that it seemed to take ages to get close to. After passing that mountain it was a climb up to the 100th kilometer and the end of 4. At only a couple of km from the end of the leg there was a despicable gravel valley with a pond at the bottom followed by the same type of gravel on the climb-out. At this point I was running by headlamp and had my jacket and toque on because the temperature went down to 8 celsius. After stumbling down the valley I slipped and fell into the pond soaking me from head to foot. 

After reaching the aid station at the 100th km I began shivering in the line to drink as much chicken broth as I could and to eat meatballs. The shivering would not abate and the doctor at the medical tent suggested I sit down. They wrapped me in blankets and he told me that I was going into shock and hypothermia and that I should withdraw from the race to avoid serious medical problems and a potential ATV rescue. Two toenails were coming off at this point as well. Had it not been for the shock I’d have duct taped my toes and continued, but it was not to be in 2013.

Epilogue

I consider Sinister 7 to be my Apollo 13 – a successful failure. It was a hard pill to swallow but at the end of the day I’m proud to have covered 100km and climbed and descended 14,000 feet in 17 hours. It was successful because I learned so much from it.

I learned that I had to find trail shoes that had the perfect shape for my feet particularly in the toe box area. I found the Brooks Cascadia shoe and I’m training in them now for months with no issues.

I feel the training I did last year was not the issue so I’m following a similar routine this year and I’m heading back this July! That’s right – I’m doing Sinister 7 2014 and intend to finish this time! Sure they went and added 12km to make it 160km total and a true 100 miler, but that will not stop me now! I found out a lot of things in those mountains, but the most important find was myself. I found out who I really am, what I’m made of and I discovered that my life’s mission is to inspire and help others.