After 3 years of mountain ultra trail running it’s all
starting to come together. Put another
way, I’ve made all the mistakes, learned the hard way and am pleased with the outcome. I finished
the Vancouver 100 with 5,841 meters of vertical ascent in 23 hour and 22 minutes. This was my fourth trail race of 100k or
longer and despite being an unsupported Fat Ass event I feel it went as
well as possible.
This time I trained properly including weekly strength and
speed workouts, built the endurance base, added the abusive climbing and
descent and obsessed over the Baden Powell trail. I can visualize every section of this
mountain trail, every turn and every boulder.
At 3am with a dying headlamp I ran the final stretch with my mind and
not my legs and eyes.
Deep Cove to Cleveland Dam (1/4)
The first 25k was near-perfect. I paced and fueled well while having fun with
a great collection of crazy runners. The
5am start ensured we maximized daylight running and the cool dry weather
provided no excuses. My poles came out
at Seymour River and became crutches for most of the day. By Fromme I dropped back from a group of 4
others to run and pace my own race. I
made it to the dam feeling good, loaded up on food and Tailwind at my car and
set off towards Hollyburn.
Cleveland Dam to Nelson Canyon (2/4)
The middle half of the Vancouver 100 would define my
run. Handling the snow, boulder fields and
two summits of Black Mountain would determine whether I made it back to Deep
Cove. I ran alone and in good spirits
this entire section. I enjoyed the snow
on Hollyburn, pushed over Black Mountain to Eagle Bluffs and felt strong on the
descent to Nelson Canyon. By not wearing
a watch I removed the stress of elapsed time.
I ran by feel and not by predetermined split times. I ran to the turnaround at Nelson Canyon in
just over 10 hours. Camille and
Christina greeted me with coffee, hugs and lots of food. After less than 10 minutes I started my return
to Deep Cove.
Nelson Canyon to Cleveland Dam (3/4)
After seeing a black bear and 2 cubs on the trail I started
the ascent back up Black Mountain. It
was hot and buggy and this 1,300 meter climb sucked the life out of me. My heart was racing, I was literally gasping
for breath and when I got to the boulder field I didn’t know how I was going to
make it to Eagle Bluffs. Relentless
forward progress and one step at a time were the only reasons I made it to the
summit of Black Mountain. I ran down
Black through the snow, crossed the creeks and ran down the Hollyburn ski
trails in good spirits. In the waning
daylight minutes I pushed hard to make it to Cleveland Dam and my car by dark. Despite wanting a quick exit I wisely decided
to take the extra time to dry and re-tape my battered feet. I grabbed all the sugar and caffeine from my
car and set off alone into the darkness.
Cleveland Dam to Deep Cove (4/4)
Running technical mountain trails at night after 17 hours is
really hard. I controlled the
controlables, maintained a positive mental state and kept pushing. Grouse and Fromme were as brutal as expected
but making it to Rice Lake felt like a major milestone. My left knee really hurt, likely from a
combination of the heavy pack and running downhill in the snow. The poles helped lessen the knee pain but by
this point all downhills were agonizing.
I checked the time and realized that a sub-24 hour finish
was attainable. At Hyannis I sat on the
bench to fuel up before the Seymour Grind and the final 8km. The final climb was uneventful as I continued
to push with a consistent pace. I caught
another runner and we decided to stay together for the final 6km. My headlamp was dying and it was nice to have
company. After 23 hours and 22 minutes I
made it back to Deep Cove to finish the 2018 Vancouver 100.
Reflection
This was a very good mountain ultra trail event and I’m
pleased with my performance. 23+ hours
is a long time but with over 5,800m of climbing, tons of snow and nasty
technical terrain I’m happy to have finished strong in good spirits and with
minimal injuries. This is my first 100k
or longer event that I’ve felt satisfied with the outcome and attribute this
solely to the quantity, quality and specificity of training. Strength and speed workouts kept me strong
and prevented injuries. Obsessive
climbing and descending prepared my glutes and quads for punishment. And significant “time on the feet” ensured I was ready for the long day and night.
I love mountain running. For the rest of 2018 I’ll focus on peak bagging, exploring new mountains
and trails and having fun without a training schedule. I’m already planning my next 100 miler for
2019 and am looking forward to more mountain adventures.
