Winner of the Adidas Eyewear giveaway !

Congratulations goes out to Lousie Melgard! Lousie won water bottles and a watch from Adidas Eyewear.

Check out Adidas Eyewear's great line up, by far they make the lightest eyewear on the market. My favorite are the Adidas Evil Eye Clima Cool Pro S and they work great for both running and biking. When you are adventure racing you don't want to worry about your eyewear. That's why I trust Adidas Eyewear to give the right tools to reach the elite level of racing.

Lousie has been working hard all year getting for her first half ironman on June 23rd . This year part of the Whistler Running Experience at the Escape route , with the help of some great sponsors like Adidas eyewear. We would like to recognize a few local, un-paid athletes. Lousie was one of our first runners, (over 5 years ago) now look at her go.

Good luck Lousie !

Next Hash Run: June 26Th,2007

Off to the races ! Comfortably Numb June 24th

Comfortably numb is just around the corner. June 24th , only 20 days left. Come run and mentally get ready for the The Comfortably numb race. Learn more about the trail, what to lookout for on this great race.

The training runs are for everyone, every speed. We all want to have a great race experience on this unique course.

Run leaders: Jen Seggar- gigg and Munro Duncan

Dates:

Saturday, June 9th - 2007 - time : 8:30 am, meet at Lost lake warming hut.

Route: Meet at the warming hut at Lost lake park. We will head a long Molly hogan's (warm up) then into Four Play trail ( last bit of comfortably numb)

Saturday , June 16th- 2007 -time : 8:30 am , meet at Wedgemont Lake turn-off (approximately 12 km north of whistler village) we will run the first 8 km of the race.

What to Bring?

• 1 water bottle minimum! Fanny packs or hand held bottles are the usual
• Food-energy bars, energy gels, bagels, etc.
• Optimistic attitude, trail fit bodies and a sense of direction

Please RSVP : whistlerrunners@gmail.com , just so we know who's coming !

Your facebook

Face book ? This should fix your Facebook habit.

http://albumoftheday.com/facebook/

2nd - Whistler Valley trail 10 km

Never in the world would I call myself a 10 km runner, but there I was. On rain filled sunday morning racing in the Whistler valley trail 10 km. 144 brave souls battled the rain with smiles and good spirits.

Racing a 10 km aways hurts me, for it's a full drag race. RPM's high, good leg turn over and no matter what happens, it's only 10 km. Rounding the first couple of corners I was feeling great, until Kristina Rody( 10 km speed-guru) came for behind with lighting speed. I felt like I was standing still.

I felt great all race and never had any problems, only wish it was about 40 km longer. Finishing 2nd is still nice. It's great to live in Whistler because of the great racing talent here. Dave Higgings ( 1st men ) a great Tri guy, and boy can he really show his speed in a race like that ,man can he go !

Thanks to Christine Suter (Race dir.), she did a great job !

For full Story visit here

PQ is back in 2008 !

After missing last years PQ. (due to a 13 week shoulder injury) I will NOT miss this one.

Check here and learn will this is the world's toughest race.

The count down begins !

what the heck are Fartleks ?

FARTLEKS - FARTLEKS - FARTLEKS I just love saying the word FARTLEK! Fartleks are the key to speed and endurance during the race. We can all go out and run for an hour and cover 5 miles but how many of us can cover 9 miles in one hour? If you want to cover more ground in a shorter period of time during your next race then start the FARTLEKS!A Fartlek is a Scandinavian word that means "speed play". Simply playing with your speed during a training session not only breaks up the run and helps the time go by quickly but it will improve your speed and recovery during the race. I would suggest a Fartlek run at least once a week.A fartlek is simply a change in speed for a short period of time. So during your next run after you have warmed up for about 8 minutes at an easy jog turn up the tempo. Run the next minute at a level that makes it had to talk. After the minute of hard running, slow your pace back down to an easy jog for about 3 minutes. Repeat the one minute on and three minutes off for 4 times. Make sure you cool down for about 8 minutes after your last hard effort.Over time you should slowly increase the length of each interval. Maybe run hard for two minutes and jog for 2 minutes. We have some athletes that will run hard for 10-12 minutes with only a 1-2 minute recovery jog between. The goal is to slowly increase the length of time you can run hard and decrease the amount of time it takes you to recover.In no time you will be able to put the hammer down and leave the other teams in the dust!

see you on the trails!

4th at Momar.

Momar, Mo- Fun! What a great way to spend a Saturday in Squamish. First time for The Momar race to come to Sqaumish, and what a route ! Momar race route was decided by Jen Seggar -Gigg a world-class racer for Dart-Nuun. Jen gave me the heads up on a few trails that might be in the race. I would be racing solo beacuse Chris Clark torn his knee apart, about a month ago. When racing solo- adventure races it's you and you only. No one is there to back up your navigational choices. The race started with a good 10 km trek/run with some very tricky checkpoints. Going on to the first bike leg I really had no idea where I was in the race. A Kiwi in the crowd told me I was right up there. Yippee! Now for some fun hogging! The trail was in great shape, made it over to the famous POWERHOUSE PLUNGE. The steep technical switchbacks of the Plunge will have your eyeballs a popping. A few racers will have to check their shorts at the end of the ride. A quick rip over to the rappel line and then off to the finish line. Using this a "C" race (training race) was great and hitting the finish line in 4th was great. I am very happy, there were some big name racers from all over the states. So the competition was there. If you ever would like to try a MOMAR also for full results. Up next The KNEEKNACKER JULY 14TH, bring on the pain !

3rd place for Salomon /Giant / Bike Co

The north shore! I’ve been there…. I can run. Heck, I have even finished the Kneeknacker. I forgot how hard it is to run the “shore”. Chris Clark (Giant / Bike Co.) and myself teamed up for the Dirty duo. The dirty duo has 5 races in a one-day event. There is every kind of racing in this event. Chris and I signed up for the relay, I was running (25km trail run) & Chris (30 km bike ride). The rain and the mix bag of snow at high elevation were going to work us over. But we are only in it for fun. (yeah right)

All up hill, then downhill with lots of wet roots, mud and snow was everywhere. My legs felt great, until I fell at the top of Ned’s landing on my back on one of the log stunts. Ouch! The pain was there; I was feeling a little zapped of energy until I threw down a Clif Block. MMMMMMM. …Clif Blocks cola.

Running into to the transition area in 4th was setting Clark up for a great ride. Chris caught all of the riders in the first couple of kms. Feeling strong, looking strong on his Gaint Anthem. Until the flat at the top of Ned’s. After fixing the flat and charging to the finish line with a smile and mud on his face, we finished 3rd. Oh Well, that’s racing. We both had a great time and the event was one of the best-organized events on the shore. visit www.dirtyduo.com

Chris Clark and I will be racing again at the MOMAR in Squamish in may. www.mindovermountain.com Look for us there.

Munro rolls into 2007 with Spingery wheels

When Whistler is your training ground for any Endurance Athlete, You need the right gear, that is light and strong. Riding 100km in Whistler your wheels are going to get you there, and fast.Last thing you need to worry about while riding Comfortably numb or , as the locals call it" uncomfortable bum."I am very happy to join the Spingery Team, and to take part in another year of racing on The Xyclones.
Racing at this level has reached such a level of complexity that it is important to be entirely dedicated in order to achieve the results. Spingery wheels are dedicated to making the world's toughest and lightest race wheels. The Xyclone Disc is the lightest disc brake wheel set on the market. PBO technology helps reduce weight, without sacrificing stiffness or durability.
Custom US made alloy freehub with vacuum seal, CNC machined hubs, with sealed cartridge bearings for minimal rolling resistance, Only 1610g per set. Available in black with sweet white or black spokes, standard 26" size with white highlight graphics. The White spokes keeps you riding with style. Visit http://www.spinergy.com/
Thanks, Chris at Spinergy.

Munro hangs in to finish 100 km ultra run

By Andrew Mitchell
According to one race organizer, the fastest teams in the Haney to Harrison 100 km relay didn’t see any rain on Saturday, always staying two steps ahead of a storm that turned roads into rivers along the race route.
The race consisted of 274 relay teams of eight people, although more than two dozen athletes did the entire course on their own. One of those athletes was Whistler’s Duncan Munro, who placed second overall in the Under 40 ultra category with a time of 11 hours, 37 minutes and 39 seconds.
Munro was ranked second after stage two of the race and held onto that position for the next three legs.
“At about the 50- to 60-K mark things started to go south,” he said. “I couldn’t get any food into me, and then I started having some stomach problems. I dropped from second and over the next few legs fell pretty much off the charts.”
Wet and cold, Munro threw up twice and had a difficult time consuming the energy he needed to keep up his pace. He still managed to keep jogging along at a slower pace, but the race conditions and his physical problems at last took their toll on the difficult seventh leg of the race.
“My muscles basically went into spasms after the last downhill on leg seven, the 11 per cent decline into the valley just destroyed my legs. That’s when things really started happening and I couldn’t even walk.”
But walk he did, finishing the last 12 km at a limping pace. It took him more than two hours and 20 minutes to get through the last stage, just 8.03 km, to the finish line.
Despite the hardship, Munro is happy with his race and is already planning his next ultra run.
“It was awesome, absolutely awesome,” he said. “I had such a good time out there. The last 10-K was a unique experience, definitely hard on my psyche, but I enjoyed the whole race — even getting soaked by trucks going by. Not everybody needs to run a 100-K though.”
Munro had people walk beside him for most of the last stage of the race, and he appreciated the support. If he had been showing any signs of mental stress or a decline in mental awareness he would have been pulled out by race organizers, but he talked and joked with everyone who came by to wish him well.
“I had to stay positive,” he said. “I was mentally there and I was going to finish no matter what. I have to thank people like (Scott Whelan), Tiffany (Whelan), Kevin Titus, John and Grace Blok, and everyone who encouraged me. It was a little embarrassing having the ambulance shadow me, but I knew I was going to do it.”
For his efforts in the Haney to Harrison, Munro was given a spot in the 2007 Western States Endurance Run, which follows a 100-mile trail run through the Rocky Mountains. Munro said the fact it’s a trail run better suits him than road running, although he said he would consider running the Haney to Harrison again.
He also knows he has some learning to do, given that only five out of 26 ultra finishers were under the age of 40.
“It’s not a young man’s sport. In a word it’s about patience,” he said. “Young guys go out fast, while older guys have patience and they know how to pace themselves. That takes experience and mileage. That’s the difference between finishing strong and falling down and having muscle spasms on the Haney to Harrison, but you have to learn that somewhere.”
There were three Whistler relay teams in this year’s Haney to Harrison. The top team was the Busted Up Wanna Be Runners, which placed 11th in Open Mixed category. They completed the race in 7:50:11, averaging a pace of 4:43 per kilometre.
The Busted Up Never Were Runners second team was 13th in the same category in 8:14:34, averaging 4:57 per kilometre.
The Postfontaines — named after legendary runner Steve Prefontaine — were 18th in the Open Mixed category in 8:43:43, averaging 5:15 per kilometre. They could have been called The Replacements, with four runners joining at the last minute.
On Stage One, 9.42 km, Alejandro Dias on the Busted Up Never team was the fastest Whistler runner in 49:59. Georgina Titus on the Busted Up Wanna team was 50:05, and Tracy Ackerman of the Postfontaines was 50:52.
On the 13.51 km second leg Dave Higgins of the Busted Up Wanna team was fastest in 56:47. Brandi Higgins of the Busted Up Never team was 1:16:22, and Tami Mitchell of the Postfontaines was 1:23:22.
The third leg was the longest at 15.12 km. Kevin Titus of Busted Up Never was the fastest in 1:01:32, while Craig Johnson of the Postfontaines was 1:07:47. Marie-Anne Prevost, less than two weeks after Ironman, was 1:09:39 for the Busted Up Wanna team.
The fourth leg was 14.42 km. Grace Blok of the Busted Up Wanna team was fastest in 1:19:11. Andrew Mitchell of the Postfontaines was in at 1:20:23, and an injured Bob Deeks of Busted Up Never finished in 1:24:41.
Scott Whelan of the Postfontaines was fastest on the 13.12 fifth stage in 59:47, while Greg Sandkuhl of the Busted Up Wanna team was in at 1:05:36, and Liane Dunsmuir of Busted Up Never was in at 1:08:19.
Stage six was 13.08 km. Nils Robinson of Busted Up Wanna was the fastest Whistler runner in 56:38, while Jen Keefer of Busted Up Never was 1:02:05, and Lloyd Adams of the Postfontaines passed on the timing chip at 1:11:13.
Stage seven was 13.31 km. Scott Young of the Busted Up Wannas finished in 54:10, John Blok of the Busted Up Nevers was 57:07, and Stuart Carmichael of the Postfontaines was 1:09:31.
Stage eight was the sprint to the finish, measuring 8.03 km. Paul Suter of the Busted Up Never team was in at 33:32, Paul Nicholas of the Busted Up Wanna team was in at 38:11, and Gillian Woodwar of the Posfontaines was in at 40:51.
The fastest team overall was Matt’s Minions of Coquitlam, completing the course in 4:30:06 while averaging 3:19 a kilometre. The Islanders of Victoria were second in 5:35:37, and the Pen Run Island Syndicate third in 5:40:30.
The fastest women’s team was the Hershey Harriers Women in 6:57:04, 10th overall. The VFAC Hustling team was second in 7:09:14, and the LGRR Lionesses third in 7:28:19.
In the ultra run, Darin Bentley of Vancouver was first in 7:56:22, followed by Richard Webb in 8:41:29 and Darren Froese in 8:43:57.
Tania Whelan of Surrey was the fastest solo woman in 10:39:52. Rea Blyth was second in 11:20:28, and Susanne Johnson third in 11:45:05.
Complete results from the Haney to Harrison are posted online at www.raceheadquarters.com. Because of last-minute substitutions and runners switching legs the posted results will not always match the results in this article.

long before the start line !

It's been a while since I've updated my site, only because I've been busy training for an Ultra 100 km marathon. In hopes of making the qualifing time for the Western State 100 mile run. What was I thinking! Why do I run so much ? I run for the pure simplicty of the sport. No flat tires, no busted derailers, no problems right? Wrong. When you run 130 km per week, your body goes big changes. My weight has gone down to 143 lbs, so my worry was " am I eating right ?" I found a online website that let you track Track your foods, exercises, weight and goals lets you view your calories, nutrition, weight loss and more. check it out http://fitday.com.

I will let you know how the ultra goes, weather is calling for 55mm of hard BC rain.
stay tune, Munny

Munro signs with Adidas Eyewear.

The great thing about Adidas Eyewear is how they just keep getting better through innovation and attention to detail. When I am working hard out there pushing my body to extremes that's the last thing I need to worry about. The Supernova's are my favorite, they weight in next to nothing. Visit them at the web site www.adidas.com/eyewear/homesite/index.aspsee. It is all about the lens.

Munro Second in BC Orientering championships.

By Andrew Mitchell

The woods around Whistler came alive this past weekend as the town played host to the B.C. Orienteering Championships. There were three courses — a short course on Nesters Hill and a middle distance competition in Lost Lake Park on Saturday, and a long distance event in the Brandywine area on Sunday.

Several competitors took part in all three events, with an overall provincial champion crowned at the end of the weekend and titles awarded for short, middle and long events.

Whistler’s Scott Brammer placed first in the men’s open competition with a course time of 23 minutes and 11 seconds, while Duncan Munro placed a distant second after struggling to find a checkpoint.

Joel Young raced unopposed in the Men’s Open 3 race.

In the middle distance race, where courses were up to 3.1 km in length, Whistler’s Martin Padroe was 10th in the Men’s 20 category in a time of 35:14. Young was second in the same group in 50:17.

Sheryl Reynolds was unopposed in the Women’s Open 3 category in 1:50:39.

Gary Robbins, a Squamish adventure racer, placed first in the Men’s Open 5 group in 30:05.

The long distance course followed a route that was up to 5.1 km in length, providing you move smoothly from checkpoint to checkpoint.

Whistler’s Mark Fearman, Robbins’s racing partner, placed 13th in the Men’s 20 category in 2:16:15, while Robbins was 16th in 3:31:38.

Joel young competed in Men’s Open 4, placing first in 1:14:48 on a shorter 2.8 km course with eight checkpoint

loop the lakes

Local runners Loop the Lakes

The second annual Loop the Lakes trail run took place this past Sunday in Squamish with 8 km and 15 km course options around Alice Lake drawing more than 110 participants.

The 15 km race was a battle up front until John Davies broke away on the descent to cross the line in 1:05:40. Mt. Currie’s Sean Wolfe finished second in 1:06:25.

Whistler’s Duncan Munro placed fourth overall in 1:07:41, and was second in the Under 40 age category.

The top female was Squamish athlete Teresa Hoivik, who placed seventh overall in 1:12:13.

Whistler’s Walter Wallgram was 14th overall in 1:15:22 and second in the 40 to 49 age category.

Lisa Kallio was the second female overall and in the Under 40 category in 1:15:37.

Daniel Havens placed second in the men’s Over 50 category in 1:16:05.

Local running coach Val Burke was 25th overall in 1:19:28.

Hilary Lindh was one spot back in 1:20:32.

Lee Edwards was 29th in 1:22:02.

Robert Tan was 30th in 1:23:13.

In the 8 km loop adventure racer Jen Segger-Gigg placed fifth overall and was the top female in 36:23.

Shannon Susko placed 22nd overall in 44:30, while Ian McCurdy was 23rd in 44:34.

Libby McKeever finished in 1:04:17.

Complete results are available online at www.loopthelakes.com.

The Loop the Lakes run is the fourth event in the Sea 2 Sky Trail Running Series. Other events are the Rubble Creek Classic trail run, a 25 km route, on Sept. 24, and the Lumpy’s Epic 12 km run on Oct. 14. For more information visit www.s2srun.com

Last Hash Run of the year !!

The Last hash run has come and gone. After the last wet hash run, the runners were a little smarter with the river crossing. The route had over 22 lbs of flour making the route long and hard and yes there was some Hard hills and burning legs. In the end everyone had fun, right Dan? Thanks to all who made it a great year! If it were not for you “hash-heads” coming out every month. None of this would happen. Thanks guys from the top finishers and the last runner we will always wait for the Tan-man.
This Summer Of Whistler Hash runs has been sponsored by The Escape Route, Salomon, Adidas Eyewear, the Cinnamon Bear bistro, Fun Hog, Whistler Running Experience and The letter “B” and the number “12” .
Caio, Munny

Not quite Canadain Hospitality

Not Quite Canadian Hospitality
Just a couch and a road ride.

That’s all my friend Munny was hoping for. After all, last summer for a whole week he put me up, fed me gourmet meals, and took me on some stunning, epic rides in his hometown in Whistler, Canada.

Munny flew down to California last week to get away from the deep snow and frostbite. He’s a full-time firefighter, but somehow finds time to train as a pro adventure racer. He was pining for some long, warm miles on the road bike, and a little time with American friends. And, I was on his list for the central coast wine country segment.

The problem was, my husband and I are in the middle of a home improvement project, in the painting stage to be precise. And for the first time since we’ve lived here, we were going to have to get a hotel room to spare our last remaining brain cells from the toxic fumes. The burnt crème custard walls looked great, but they reeked.


Turned out there was just enough space for Munny in our hotel room on the squeaky little roll-out bed in the corner. He didn’t complain once, despite my husband’s violent punctuated bouts of snoring.

The next morning at a cafe, I broke Munny the news that not only would we NOT be riding road bikes, but he’d be borrowing my heavy free-ride bike to join me as I zipped up my favorite rocky trails on my super light race bike.


“We’ll ride dirt today,” I announced. “The vineyards do make pretty road riding, but I’m kind of in the mood for some trails.”

He muttered something about low-intensity road miles and taking pictures of rolling fields of grapes, but nodded politely and sipped his coffee.

“That’s okay. It’s still California, eh?” he conceded.

Munny did a great job hammering up the climbs on my beefy free-ride bike, although his training schedule forbade it. I kept reminding him that even though he was lugging around those big downhill tires, the Maxxis stuff still has lower resistance tread patterns compared to other brands.

“You’d better clear the next loose climb!” I’d cajole him from behind. “ I always make this section! Of course I’m not supposed to try right now, in my condition.”

When we got back to my place, all I could find in our second-hand harvest gold refrigerator were two bagels: one fresh onion and one very stale blueberry. Without hesitation, he opted for the blueberry. I just shrugged and dropped the pair of dry, half-disc husks on his plate.

Crazy Canadian, I thought. I would have chosen the onion.
writen BY Marla streb

Get In My Belly !!!

“GET IN MY BELLY!”
Many people everyday ask me what kind of food should you eat during an endurance event? What do you do when your stomach starts to eat itself? You most definitely need real food baby! The question is always finding the balance between the real food and the “state-of-the-art” energy foods and sport drinks. And getting it to your system before you come a human dredal spinning around and bonking. Liquid energy foods work really well for some people, but other times you need another option. One racer eats a whopping 36 power gels in a 6 hour, a single marathon!

I try to plan to eat real food at least every 5–7 hours to keep myself sane.
How? Well, try stuffing roasted salted potatoes in a zip lock bags or, like I recently tried at La Ruta de los Conquistadors was bags full of cooked rice and beans with a little bit of egg. Now I know what you’re thinking, gross! Look the body needs real food and it’s relatively easy to make and quick and they taste good. You can also gulp down cans of Ensure- I would suggest the high protein version. Which gives you 155 calories per can.

Tracey Higgs of Auntie em’s recommends for high endurance athletes “eat lots of fat, I am not saying you should eat sticks of butter, but foods that are high in fat and in high protein like almond butter and cheese.”


The best way I’ve found to get extra calories during race is a concoction I call “Rocket Fuel” by using a mixture of Endurox and a can of flat Red Bull in every water bottle and Hydration bladder. It has 120 calories per scoop, and a can of flat Red Bull has 112 calories and making it flat will be easier on your gut. And it DOES give you wings!
It hasn’t caused stomach problems other mixes have created for me. Adding your favorite electrolyte drink to some of the of the bottles will allow you to get those electrolyte your body needs without OD’ing on the gastric-upsetting sugary excess that seems to accompany most electrolyte drinks. Greg McDonnell a, Ironman triathlete said, “It (Rocket Full) tastes like a candy bar, but it really works”

Other real meals substitutes like on the racecourse include Cliff bars, almond butter sandwiches, dried fruit and nuts. Of courses, this is just what works for me. In the end you will need to do some experimenting during training to find out what works best for you. To avoid race disasters
Now, I ‘m starving, need to go eat some thing. But what else is new.

A True "pura vida" experince

When you race, sometimes misery and pleasure are transcendent. This is the story of La Ruta. La Ruta de los Conquistadors combined 300 km with 30, 000 vertical feet of climbing, 40 degree weather with 90 % humidity, traverse 1 continent and numerous eco- systems and throw into the mix Tropical storm which has been setting record mud slides and tsunami rain conditions in the country side.

Arguably the toughest mountain bike race in the world, With torrential rain coming down, I have a funny feeling that we will be wading through waist deep mud and wondering “ why in the world any human would want to race in these conditions?”

La Ruta will climb from sea levels on the Pacific side up and over volcanoes, cross many different eco systems. This brutal three-day race will test the best riders in the world. 582 riders will start and only 260 riders will see the finish line this year.


Day One: The Total Mud Pit, 119 km, 15, 000 of climbing

A Waken at 3 am, for the 5 am start of La Ruta. The early morning air was humid, thick, heavy and lethargic. Great day for race, as we lined up for the start.
Marla Streb gave myself some last minute guidance, “ Drink lots of water and Don’t go out to hard! It’s a three-day race, Munny!”
Today we would confront relentless challenges, double track sections of thick red mud clay that would add 20 lbs to your bike, knee deep river crossings. One local rider wearing nothing but a jean cut offs with no shirt and spd’s screwed into his sandals. Looked like the late great “Rabbit”, with his gray flowing beard. Lots of hike a bike, crashes and even more clay mud. Riding 15, 000 ft total climbing and 11 hours in the saddle, many of riders were forced out of the race after finishing first day suffering from exhaustion, heat stoke, dehydration and some not making the cut off time. Can it get worse?

Day two: The Day of Attrition, 80 km, 9, 000 feet of climbing

Starting from downtown San Jose and if rush hour traffic wasn’t hard to contented with, we would have to avoid one major crash and potholes the size of a cars. As we made our slow and ever so painful climb up to the top of Volcano Irazu, which sits just under
12,000 feet.
On one of the few little descents, I managed to loose my chain, and cable housing on one of many grapefruit size rocks that littered the coarse. Forcing me to run the last 12 km up hill with my bike on my back, before the long and rock-strewn 2000-meter descent, before a couple small hills before the Finish line in Turriabla. Many broken bones on this day and lost gear, attrition was high today. One rider end up not only breaking his wrist, but add insult to his injury would have his bike stolen by the first aid crew.

Day three: The “Easy “ day? 124km 6, 000 feet of climbing

The race finally started 45 minute late, in the morning heat (32 degrees) after we were told a train derailment had taken out one of the bridges we were supposed to cross. The coarse had to be rerouted and add 45 km extra on the road to go around the broken bridge. Charlotte Klien, a naturally talented mountain biker, was excited to learn of change in the route. “I never thought I would be happy to hear that we would spent more time on the road.”

We started the climbing as soon as we left the start line. After many sheer steep hot gravel roads, the route changed downhill quickly for only 2 km, before climbing repeatedly for hours. It was very curling, with 20 km to go we rode on the bumpy railroad tracks, over rotted out railway bridges and then the Caribbean beach. The race end right on the beach. What a great race.
A true test of the human spirit and a true adventure by its definition, not only for the racers, but also for the volunteer and fans.
We are all the better for having participated in the La Ruta, Pura Vida my friends!!!

Local riders gear up for La Ruta

Local riders gear up for La Ruta

By Andrew Mitchell

While most mountain bikers are getting ready to put their gear away for the winter, four local riders are preparing for a three-day race through the jungles of Costa Rica, from the Pacific to the Caribbean.

The race is considered among the toughest in the world. While La Ruta de los Conquistadores is only three days and mainly follows dirt roads and doubletrack, it’s also 318.4 kilometres long with 9,040 metres (29,700 feet) of climbing and descending. The first day has been described as pure hell with 4,526 metres of climbing over 114.1 km.

Factor in the heat, the humidity, and the fact that some roads turn to sticky clay in the rain (it’s hurricane season and it’s been raining the past seven weeks) and you can see why La Ruta is in the same league as the Trans Alp Challenge and TransRockies.

The four locals taking part in this year’s race, from Nov. 11 to 13, are Duncan Munro from Whistler, Hillary Harrison and Ryan Watts from Pemberton, and Charlotte Klein of Squamish.

Harrison is the only rider who has done the route before, growing up in Costa Rica with her parents. She won the women’s open category one year, and placed second to a friend the next.

She was hoping to be competitive again this year, but reigned in her expectations after being hit by a car while biking a few weeks ago. "After that I mellowed out, and my goal now is just to have fun with it," said Harrison, who also raced in the TransRockies this past August.

"It’s just a cool idea for a race, going from coast to coast like that, and you get to see so much. I saw more of the country than I did when I was living there," she said.

"The first day is the hardest day by far, there’s a lot of hike-a-bike and the climbs go on forever. The second day is a lot shorter, but still has a lot of climbing, but the last day is great, you actually finish right on the beach, on the Caribbean and there are people out there surfing and everyone is in such a great mood."

This year she’s taking her boyfriend Ryan Watts, who has done the Trans Alp Challenge a few times already. He has no idea what to expect, but he’s been told that the first day is pretty tough and to be afraid of the mud.

"I figured I was going to be down there so I might as well do it – it’s not every day you get an opportunity to ride from coast to coast in Coast Rica supported along the way," he said.

In the last month or so Watts has been in all of the big local races, including the Samurai of Singletrack and Cheakamus Challenge, and he still gets a lot of riding in out in Pemberton. Otherwise he thinks he’s about as ready as he can be.

"We’re going a week early, hopefully that helps me to get used to the humidity. Hopefully the rain stops… and I won’t have to carry the bike too much," he said. "I’d just really like to finish, I have no real expectations of placing anywhere – it’s a really strong field of competitors and teams, and Columbians and Costa Ricans who live at altitude and have the home field advantage."

Munro is the only sponsored rider heading to Costa Rica, with support from Gerber Knives and Tools, and his running sponsor Salomon.

He’s been training hard for almost two months, and has even taken a stationary bike into the sauna, wearing a down jacket and touque to get used to riding in the heat.

"It gets pretty gross, I’m not going to lie to you," he said.

Munro did a 20 km beach run in Rio de Janeiro as part of a Red Bull Giants of Rio relay team last year, and wasn’t prepared for the heat. He fell ill with dehydration and heat stroke, and was sick several times on his way to the finish line. "I’m not doing that again," he added.

In addition to the sauna, he’s also been putting in a lot of miles on a road bike recently to get used to distances involved.

But for all his preparation, Munro is just hoping to finish.

"This is my third mountain bike race ever, not including the Loonie races. Part of me is worried that I bit off more than I could chew, but I’ve been training well and I’m not expecting much. I just want to enjoy myself out there, ride at the back of the pack and have a good laugh."

Klein, who competed in the Cycling B.C. Marathon Series this year and the Nelson triple crown, is looking at La Ruta as an opportunity to train for the TransRockies next season.

Her goal is to "feel good" on the course, and she’s been going for a lot of long rides to get ready for the challenge.

"I don’t know if you can prepare for something like this without living there, so I’m just going to go out there and do it and have fun with it" she said, joking that she’s not going to follow Munro’s lead "and do something weird like biking in a sauna – nothing good can happen doing that."

The La Ruta race is attracting some of the world’s top riders this year, including NORBA champion Walker Ferguson. Harrison believes he will be the first non-Costa Rican to win the race.

You can follow La Ruta online at www.adventurerace.com.

Munny on the move and no sign of slowing down !!

Munny is on The Move…again!
Fresh off a first place finish in the grueling “24 Hours of Adrenaline” relay race in Whistler this September, Duncan Munroe aka. “Munny” is a man on the move. Racing as a member of Team Gerber Legendary Blades, Munny and his Navy Seal teammates tore it up for 24 hrs. and laid claim to the title of 24 hr Relay World Champions. This tops off a very busy year for “Munny” as he continues to gather more momentum and gain more experience in a wide range of disciplines that make up adventure racing.
So what drives athletes like “Munny” to push their limits to the absolute maximum through terrain that most people would try and avoid? “The challenge, the team dynamic, the diversity, the commitment, both physically and mentally, and the ability to potentially inspire other people to get out and do different activities,” says Munro. “It doesn’t even matter what it is really, I just want to help motivate people to find something that challenges them, gets them active because it is such a good feeling and so incredibly rewarding.” Having the opportunity to travel the world doing something he loves doesn’t hurt either. “ I have been very lucky to be able to travel and race in these amazing places that I probably would never have seen otherwise,” continues Munro.
Munro has his sights set on some lofty goals like winning the Kneeknacker which is one of the most difficult and punishing trail races in North America. In his first attempt this year he placed 9th. On the list of ultimate achivements, Munro wants to be the World Adventure Racing Champion someday. That said, he has already crossed one of the things off the list which was to work for the Whistler Fire Dept. Whistler Fire Depts. training, considered very progressive, compliments his adventure race training. “Whistler is a perfect training ground for adventure racing as the terrain is incredibly diverse, challenging and absolutely stunning,” says Munro.
With good results in races like the “Kneeknacker,” Red Bull’s, “Giants of Rio” and “ Red Bull Divide & Conquer” under his belt, what’s next? A very busy year by the sounds of it, with plans to race in “La Ruta de los Conquistadors” race in Costa Rica, rated one of the worlds toughest mountain bike races, Red Bull’s, “Capetownman” in South Africa in addition to this years “Giants of Rio” race in December to name a few.

Races & Results over the last 12 months
2nd place…September 23 , 2004 Lumpy’s Epic Trail run 12km, Pemberton BC
2nd place…September 28, 2004 Rubble Creek Classic trail race 35 km, Whistler BC
60th place…December 5, 2004 Red Bull -Giants of Rio , Canadian team , Rio de Janeiro
1st place ….February 3, 2005, The Grouse Mountain Snowshoe Classic, Vancouver, BC
2nd place …March 5TH, 2005, Mosquito Lake Trail Run, Pemberton BC.
14th place ...March, 6TH, 2005, 2nd Annual, Inn Sane Trail Race, Vancouver, BC.
5th place…. April 10, 2005, Squamish Thunder, 10 Mile Trail Race, Squamish, BC
16th place... May 29, 2005, Half Knacker, North Vancouver, BC
11th place... June 18, 2005, Red Bull - Divide and Conquer, Durango, CO
9th place… July 9TH , 2005, The Kneeknacker, North Vancouver, BC
2nd place ...August 20, 2005, 5 Peaks Trail Running Series, Whistler, BC
1st place …September 3-4, 2005, 24 Hrs. of Adrenaline World Championships, Whistler, BC.