24 in the Forest Trail Race

It's settled; the 24 in the Forest Trail Race at UBC on July 5th 2014 now has a course! We decided on a 5.18 mile (8.33km) loop all on trails through the south-eastern part of Pacific Spirit Park. This distance will make it really easy for those runners wanting to do 25, 50 or 100km as they just have to do 3, 6 or 12 laps, respectively. For anyone brave enough to go for 100miles they need only do 19 laps of the main loop, and one lap of a shorter loop (see course description here).

The idea of a 24 hour race is certainly not for the faint of heart, but this event should not be intimidating to anyone! Since it's a Club Fat Ass style event participants are free to go for as long (or little) as they feel like. To help breakdown any possible barrier for beginner runners we have decided to include a 1 lap category. And for anyone doing more than one lap, their first lap will also be scored in the 1 lap category results.

Course map for 24 in the Forest Trail Race - one lap is 5.18miles (8.33km)

See you out there on July 5th!

North Shore Enduro 2014 Edition

After a glorious sunny week in Vancouver with temperatures in the mid-20s, we were excited to take on the North Shore Enduro for the first time.
The weekend forecast, of course, was for rain! They don't call it raincouver for nothing, after all.

The race is a 7.6 km looped course on trails in the Lower Seymour/Lynn Valley area. The idea is to run as many laps as you can in six hours. Each lap has approximately 200m of elevation gain, so its not just a walk in the park. The event is run by Club Fat Ass - a just for fun running club where people post a variety of races and runs. You can check out upcoming events here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/clubfatass/

We were just using this as a fun training run, however we set ambitious goals as always. Chris set out aiming for 7-8 laps, and I was hoping for 6-7. The record for the most number of laps completed within the time limit is nine.

It was overcast to start, but warm enough to be in shorts and a t-shirt. Chris took off at a blistering pace - completing the first few laps in 40 minutes each (on pace to do 9 laps!). Unfortunately he suffered from some diaphragm and stomach issues from lap 4 onwards, and had to throw in the towel after lap 6. He ended the day completing 6 laps in 4h 42m!

I paced myself a little more conservatively, completing 6 laps in 5h 42m for a total of 43.87km with 1250m of elevation gain! Not bad for my first Club Fat Ass event - I will definitely be back for more!

North Shore Enduro elevation profile from my new Suunto Ambit2R

The highlight of the day was midway through lap 3 when the rain came! Of course, I was on one of the most open parts of the trail, trying to hug the side of it to stay under the trees for protection. This section is followed by a gnarly uphill section with lots and lots of staircases. As I started the ascent - it began to hail! I crossed paths with someone coming down the hill who noted that the hail felt quite exfoliating, which I found rather humorous. The hail only lasted a few minutes, and it only rained for about an hour and was replaced by an attempt at sunshine. So I guess we can't complain.

Hope to see you out at the next Club Fat Ass event!

-J.B.Running

Our 2014 Race Calendar

After much debate and indecision we have finally decided on a tentative race calendar for the year (or at least until August). We've updated our Race Calendar.

Jenna and I are both doing the DirtyDuo 50km on March 8th in North Van. It'll be Jenna's first
attempt at this race, and my third. This a two-loop race through some very technical trails in the LSCR (Seymour) area.

We'll then tackle the Vancouver Sun Run 10km on April 27th as some speed work.

The following week will be the North Shore Enduro 6 hour race (a ClubFatAss event). This one is also in the LSCR/Lynn Headwaters area and will feature some tough hills stairs! and a mix of technicality.

From there, our next race will be June 7th when we attempt the Vancouver100 (CFA event) a 100km race from Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay (technically Nelson Canyon Park) and back along the Baden Powell Trail. This will be Jenna's first time at this race and only my second attempt. The consistent level of technicality of the trail and the possibility of snow at Hollyburn and Cypress makes this a difficult race for sure! Plus racers need to be self sufficient or find their own crew. Even then, access points are minimum every 15km for a very dedicated crew, or 25km for a "normally-dedicated" bunch. Nonetheless, lots of fun to be had!!

The next big stop will be FatDog in Manning Park on the weekend of August 15th. Jenna will be attempting the 70 mile option, her longest yet, and I am hoping for some redemption with the 120 miler.

If you're interested in any of these races, want to find out more, help out as a volunteer or as crew, either click on the images above, or send us a message via Facebook or as a comment on here.

-UltraChris