Knee knacker -
For those of you with no idea what I am on about see the lower part of this page:
http://www.kneeknacker.com/race-info-course/
Sooo.... the much anticipated race report ;) ??? (jk - not sure if this poorly written thing counts as a race report, and it is far too long for most to read)
This is the first time I have done a race this long/serious (and that did not involve navigation) and I had vague expectations, especially since most people seemed to think going under 6 hours the first time running this race was a rather lofty goal.
I started out with Nicola, a girl I know from xc at ubc, and we ended up as a group of 3 girls for awhile (including the girl I have previously referred to as plaid shorts girl - aka Shannon) as we approached the real climb. Could see 2 other women ahead, one was Lisa (I had no idea who she was at the time), and the other an older lady who Nicola had told me always did well up the climb but would not finish at the top. Shannon, is a better climber and took off up the steep switchbacks. Then Suzanne came up from behind and overtook me. I decided I wanted to stick to her (Desmond had told me who she was), and so kept near to her up the hill and actually passed her on the scree slope. When we got to the top of Black mountain I was trailing off the back of a train that included the 3 girls ahead of me (Lisa, Shannon, and 1 other). Slid down the snow and crept up the pack of pack.
Then coming down into cypress bowl on the steep downhill I passed all 3 of them as a clump. I then entered the aid station in first. However, my un-experienced plan was to try to make sure to eat enough (and particularly more 'real' food at the aid stations), so I stopped to grab some bananas and pretzels and Lisa breezed by. I skedaddled out of there, making sure to keep her in sight (and chewing on pretzels). Then passed her after leading people very slightly off route just before the first larger river crossing. Ran somewhat by myself for a bit, then with Shannon in the ski trails and Nicola catching us on the lower ski trails. Dropped them after we left the snow on the technical downhill out of Hollyburn and ran by myself some more. Stopped to pee by the side of the more secluded trail, and kept running down the more boring stair/gravel section through British properties.
Just as I came onto the gravel road that goes down to the dam, Lisa caught me, and surged into the aid station ahead of me. Wow... she never stops at the aid stations. I stopped to get new water bottles and more gels (one of which I think I dropped going out - but I did not need it and I knew Meg had an extra). I grabbed a piece of banana and orange, and some pretzels, and ran out of there with Shannon who had now also caught my 'slow to leave the aid stations'-ass. Could see Lisa up well ahead as I jogged up the hill, with Shannon just behind me. I continued to munch on pretzels I had threaded onto my fingers :), and had the chipmunk thing going with slightly chewed food in my cheeks as I slowly took it in. In the trails I quickly lost Shannon who seemed to be fading, and ran by myself to Lynn. Saw many people cheering for me just before and after the bridge, thanks guys - it is very motivational to have friends around!!! I was told at this point I was around 2 mins behind (probably lost 1 min in the aid station, the rest on running). Oddly, I saw Nicola at the Lynn aid station, she dropped due to ankle issues before Cleveland dam.
Tried to pick it up coming down towards the suspension bridge, then back up and over to Seymour river. Kept hearing cheering at the smaller aid stations, not too long before I would get there, but never saw her. As I came up to the 'Seymour grind' I caught my first glimpse of her (people seem closer on hills). I crawled up the hill, hoping to make time and see her on the straighter gradual downhill after the top. No dice... ran down the hill and out to the road. I had been hoping to see someone I knew there, to give them my now empty water belt. Luckily Thomas had just (and I mean JUST, he was still rolling on the bike) showed up so I threw it towards him. I took a drink, and asked how far ahead she was... the answer I got was 'not far', or something like that.
I bombed down the hill (or at least it felt like 'bombing', but may not have looked like it given I had been running for over 5 hours at that point) to the next road, wondering whether I had just given my water belt to some random guy on a bike I had hallucinated was Thomas. As I hit Indian road I looked along and saw her, small in the distance near the turnoff down to the trail. Ran along, as fast as I could and vaguely timed that she was less that 1 min ahead at this point. Continued trying to focus on the technical downhill (although my coordination abilities were perhaps failing a bit at this point, and it was not as pretty as it could be).
Saw her going up the switchbacks out of the first large ravine... she looked back, and I think she picked it up a bit after that. I kept seeing her as we ran up and down the little ravines, and I think I made small inroads on the downhills. Finally got behind her, just before we turned down towards the road. Passed to the side of her in the rocky chute right before the short set of stairs to the road. Hit the road, and did not look back. As I ran in I distinctly remember my dad jumping up and down near the path moving his arms frantically. The finish chute photos are not pretty... got her by 5 seconds.
Thanks to all who came out and volunteered and/or cheered and/or took pics and/or just generally enjoyed being outside on a nice sunny day!