Run To the Clouds 2008 Results

12 April 2008 - Starter Photo
32 Starters - 32 Finishers

Photos are posted on the CFA Flickr page. If you like to add yours please add them to your Flickr account, then to the Club Fat Ass Flickr group. Make sure you tag all photos of today with ClubFatAss, RunToTheClouds2008 and RunToTheClouds. If you are not interested in Flickr, please send your photos to Sibylle or Pete and we'll post them.

Run to the Clouds event review

WHAT A GREAT DAY. Blue sky and warm temperatures blessed us at the end of yet another week or two of rain. 31 runners showed up to tackle the tough course and pretty much every single one of them had a big smile on their face at the end too. It was hard not to enjoy a run in the woods when the day was just so great. Thanks to all the runners who came out to play in the woods yesterday. Great to see you there and frankly as an event host, seeing you all having a great time makes it all worth while. With 18 runners completing the full 25 kms and another 13 doing one of the shorter options you all deserve great pats on the back, as this course is not an easy one. Well done!

Brief history here: As I look outside my window the morning after the event and at the rain falling once again, I smile and realize someone up there seems to want me to continue to put this event on. A loooong time back I talked to the good folks at CFA and suggested it would be cool to do a run out in the Tri-Cities area around Eagle Ridge and Buntzen Lake area. Of course they instantly tossed it back in my court but helped me organize my first event. Run to the Clouds was born in 2006. They also asked me for a minimum 3 year commitment on running the event. Since that time we have had 3 course changes (I’d like to think it is getting better) and hopefully I have got a bit smarter on how to do this all… but the fun is still there. Runners are still coming out to support it and it makes my day to see both local and runners from other parts of Vancouver coming out to see and enjoy some of the beautiful trails that we have out here.

I guess we will have to see about a CFA Run to the Clouds…

2007

Photos are posted on the CFA Flickr page. If you like to add yours please add them to your Flickr account, then to the Club Fat Ass Flickr group. Make sure you tag all photos of today with ClubFatAss, RunToTheClouds2007 and RunToTheClouds. If you are not interested in Flickr, please send your photos to Sibylle or Pete and we'll post them.

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Run to the Clouds event review
Well sports-fans, the 2nd annual Run to the Clouds event is now behind us. 28 keen CFA runners started the event yesterday and 14 of them finished the full 25 km challenging course. Some even did more! Whether you did the full course or one of the shorter options, give yourself a big pat on the back, you all did awesome!!!
Sending out thanks:

I’d like to once again thank the following people that made this event possible and better:

• Carie Moran (CFA member) for giving up her run to come out and help with event sign-in and aid station #1 and #2 up at the North Beach.
• Chris Leupold and Greg Skerratt for helping with aid station #3 at the top of Eagle Ridge (Note: these guys moto’d in all the treats and liquid you enjoyed up there).
• Nick Balenzano and Johnny Saunders, our fully trained first aid team that were cruising around on event course on their mountain bikes ready to help out should the need arise.
• Angela Spooner for arranging some fantastic draw prizes including a 60 minute massage from Lea Hartley (thanks to Lee too of course!) and a 30 minute massage session at Hyde Creek Clinic (again thanks to the massage therapists who donated the sessions too). These were both given away at the after-party.
• Marlene Coleman for helping with aid station #1 and #2. and for arranging a fantastic hydrotherapy massage session draw prize (thanks also to Dr Wilbour Kelsick for this fantastic donation).
• North Shore Athletics for donating some cool shirts and waterbottle prize draws.
• Trail Runner Magazine for donating 2 subscriptions that were given out as prize draws.
• Sibylle from CFA for walking me through all the on-line headaches of posting and hosting an event.
• My wife Diane for pedaling her bike down to the after-party late that afternoon to get me and all the gear in my truck home safe…

Highlights and other fun stuff:

As you can imagine, a lot goes on during an event and there is certain things that come to mind afterwards that are always good to share with others. Here is just some of the good, the bad and the ugly:

• How about the first big highlight was that it did NOT RAIN!! Even after the weather man promised 60% chance of showers right up till that morning. Event day was perfect running temperature with high overcast and the occasional blue sky and sunny break.
• No negative points will be awarded to Don Murray and Gord Bell (competing in his first trail run) for running right past an important trail head (clearly marked in the instructions that they were both carrying in their hands at the time) and running almost all the way down to Indian Arm on the access road before figuring out they had gone wrong… Way to go guys! Way to add additional vertical elevation gain to an already hard course!
• Don’t worry Matt, no negative points will be awarded to you for crossing the finish line in a smoking fast 2:08 but then complaining that aid station #3 was not set up when he was there (it was, but he had accidentally eliminated about 3 km from the course, so didn’t complete the full 25 km). Oops… next year OK Matt
• HOWEVER, speaking of Matt, extra props has to be sent out to him for running 22 of the 25 km faster than anyone AFTER running a whopping 80 km run the day before! Yes, Matt was out for a big training run the Saturday before this event and still managed to look fresh and fast on event day! Holy smokes…
• Props goes out to Stephen Lamothe and Karine Lavoie that did a lap of the Buntzen (the short course) with their son Takoda who is not even 4 years old yet. Takoda ran quite a bit of this too! Future competitor to Matt Sessions maybe???
• Extra point awarded to Elizabeth McQuaid, Kelly Vermette, Jessica Watson and Sibylle Tinsel for helping out some poor lost soul and setting them straight again.
• Props out to Pat Matthieu for her first CFA event! Welcome to the gang Pat.
• Props out to Gord Lord who completed his first ever trail run, and did the whole thing. Actually he did more as he was one of the guys that ran right past the trail head and added on extra km’s. Don’t worry Gord, we don’t penalize folks that want to run LONGER than the set event course that day.
• This in from our First Aid team positioned at the 16 km mark on route, way up high on Eagle Ridge. Nick says "three CFA gals arrived and they had pre-planned to turn around at the spot we were at. one asked if we had a cell phone she could borrow, so I let her use mine. She was huffing and puffing, so it sounded really authentic when SHE CALLED IN SICK TO WORK FOR THAT NIGHT. I guess she had no intention of going in after that workout...she was off to the after-party instead. Can't say that I blame her.
• Also from our First Aid Team. I handed out a couple of band aids for chaffed nipples...if it was a woman, I would have been a good first aider and done a thorough inspection...but I had to let it slide since it wasn't.
• Bummer of the day goes to defending course champion Elke Bauer who was looking like she would be the fastest women there once again, till her brain went on autopilot and she turned onto Eagle Trail to run up to last year’s aid station, taking her off course by more than 1 km and allowing Amy MacArthur to slip on by and beat her to the finish line.
• Apparently Buntzen IS above 32 degrees or 0 degrees C as some keen runners didn’t have to break through ice to go for a swim after the run. Now there is a hearty bunch!!! On exiting the water Peter VG stated “it was sooo cold, his privates were “like a button on a fur coat”. Now that is cold !!
• Oh yeah, I had more than a few runners want to know what the chips were that were so tasty… They were “Kettle Brand, Krinkle cut Salt and Fresh ground pepper” chippies. Gourmet, no trans fats, no MSG, and available at Costco. They come in a brown bag.
• The after-party at the Golden Spike Pub was well attended and the Giants game was on. It seemed every time they scored there was $1 beers for us all! The beer was enjoyed (strictly for re-hydration purposes) and there was some fantastic draw prizes awarded to runners present.

 

Summary:

So, as event host, this is always fun to put on this event. It is my small way of “putting back” to the running community. I believe we will stick with the same route next year as most runners liked the route. (OK, maybe I’ll try to be a bit clearer on some of the directions). Talking to Sibylle, we may move it a little earlier or back into April again for 2008 so we don’t run into conflicts with some other runs later on like what happened this year. So, one final request… if you liked the event please tell your running friends and help me spread the word to get more runners out for 2008. If each of you brought 1 or 2 running friends it could be that much MORE fun.!! If you didn’t like something about the event or would like something changed or improved I would simply ask you to fire me back some feedback. I’ll put all your suggestions and notes into the file and will make next years event all that much better. Click here to send Pete feedback. You will also receive a post event survey and I would appreciate your time to fill this out.

Thanks again for coming out, see you all next year!!

Pete SS

Runners Name	Distance Completed	Official Finish Time	CFA Points Awarded	Additional Notes
Rob Ruff	25 km	2:48	2	First male, full course finisher in
Peter Van Gallen	25 km	3:17	2
Mark McCrae	25 km	3:17	2
Mark Yee Fung	25 km	3:17	1	Late entry
Amy MacArthur	25 km	3:18	1	First female, full course finisher in
Elke Bauer	27.5 km	3:20	2	Note: No penatly points for going too far…
Stephen Lowe	25 km	3:30	2
Kim Taylor	25km	?	2
Angela Spooner	25 km	3:35	2
Rhonda Gallant	25 km	3:35	2
Heather Summerville	25 km	3:35	2
Sonja Madsen	25 km	3:35	2
Don Murray	26.5 km	3:34	2	Note: No penatly points for going too far…
Gord Lord	26.5 km	3:34	2	Note: No penatly points for going too far…
Baldwin Lee	27 km	3:44	2
Matt Sessions	22.5 km	2:08	2	First one in, but missed a section on course
Peggy Brown	21 km	3:32	2
Sara Weinkam	21 km	3:32	2
Kandice Leaf	21 km	3:32	2
Pat Matthieu	17.5 km	2:26	2
Elizabeth McQuaid	13.6 km	2:22	3	Additional point for helping someone lost
Sibylle Tinsel	13.6 km	2:22	3	Additional point for helping someone lost
Kelly Vermette	13.6 km	2:22	3	Additional point for helping someone lost
Chris Tomkinson	12.5 km	1:11	2
Dan Doust	9.5 km	1:10	2
Stephen Lamothe	9.5 km	2:04	2	Mixed run and carry
Karine Lavoie	9.5 km	2:04	2	Mixed run and carry
Takoda (4 years old)	9.5 km	2:04	1	Mixed run and being carried
Carie Moran	n/a	n/a	1	Helped with sign-in and aid stations etc
Carolyn Goluza	n/a	n/a	-1	Registered but did not show up
Joseph Chung	n/a	n/a	-1	Registered but did not show up

2006

 

Run day dawned bright and sunny, much needed. Runners seemed to find the rec centre OK and after the usual quick chat rolled out at 10:02 am. Almost immediately a strong front group of 3 opened a gap when they made a light and the rest didn’t. Floating around on course I re-met the runners at the top of the first climb. Within 3 km they had already climbed more than 300 meters or close to a 1000’. There was a few good slam comments tossed my way

but in good CFA spirit, they all continued up the climb even higher. Their efforts were rewarded with fantastic views (as promised) along the top of Eagle Ridge and at the aid station ridge lookout.

 

The next section of trail down Eagle and Academy seemed to be the highlight for most, and offered a bit of a break from the climbing. Strong Road trail network was the hardest to navigate, but luckily there was a few runners intermixed that knew the way and the great part about this area is, if you get totally screwed up, head downhill on any of the many options and it will get you back on course pretty quick. Lori, one of our runners joked that through this section she used the “eenie meenie, I don’t know�? process to pick her route.

The final homeward stretch rhythm along the inlet was broken only by a nice aid station at the 16 km mark with lots of healthy and unhealthy (but enjoyable) treats. Thanks to Diane and Baldwin for manning this oasis.

 

The first strong runners came in together all in a smoking fast time of 2:07:26 with a short break to 3 others pretty quick behind. First female finisher rolled in with a 2:38:30 proving all the hill training and trail running she has been doing is turning her into a superwoman. Special additional mentions need to go out to Angela Spooner, Heather Summerville and Sharon Bryson who had just returned from racing the Boston Marathon just 5 short days ago. All three of these inspirational runners showed me they can mix in some CFA fun with some serious marathon racing and still enjoy both. Great job girls!

 

Shout outs also go to Lorraine Suomi who decided this new run would be “fun�? to do as her first run longer than 10 km in maybe a half a dozen years or more. She finished looking strong and still had a smile on her face so we may see her out for more runs in the future. CFA spirit thanks also goes out to Dan Daoust (local tri-cities runner) who sacrificed a much faster finish time to hang back and ensure a few out of town runners made it through the sometimes confusing trail route and didn’t get lost. And no Dan, although you thought you would be DFL, you weren’t.

 

Although we were 75 meters from the front door of a beautiful rec centre, most runners enjoyed laying out on the grass at the finish area and soaking in the sun. The only thing that dragged them away was the appealing thought of a cold fermented beverage and some food at the nearby pub. Rickers Red seemed the popular choice of runners, but I think it was consumed strictly for re-hydration purposes…

 

Because of the generous donations from North Shore Athletics, Norco Performance Bikes and Kinesis, every runner that came to the pup after party went away with some sort of draw prize. Thanks to these supporters for the icing on the cake of a fantastic day.

 

Also, in thanks mode, I have to send thanks out to the following keeners who made this run more enjoyable for all. First to Chris and Greg, the 2 volunteers who delivered the much enjoyed water, Gatorade, RedBull, fruit and treats in their backpacks on their off road motorcycles way up to a point on the run course that no regular 4 wheel vehicle could get to. Then to Ruby and Diane who helped out at the start line getting everyone checked in and accounted for. Ruby helped right through the day with logistics and Diane manned the oasis aid station on the homeward leg. After Baldwin figured out his couch wasn’t going to be delivered that morning, he was too late to run the event, but at least he came out and helped with an aid station. Way to go buddy, next time look at the date on the delivery notice... haha.

 

Special huge thanks goes out to Francisco and his crew from TrailSidePhysio who came out on their mountain bikes to support the runners in the event of injury. It was nice that we didn’t need their help, but sure good piece of mind that they were there. What goes around comes around, so if you need some runners specific physio, chiro, massage therapy or any injury relief, give these guys a call (604-432-6319).

 

And finally… from me as the event organizer… thanks to all you runners that came out to support a brand new event. Without you, the event wouldn’t have happened. I’ve been asked by CFA for a minimum 3 year commitment when putting on an event, so I’m looking forward to seeing you all next spring again for the second Run to the Clouds event. If each of you bring out a friend, we will go for 50 runners in '07 OK?? Look for some slight course changes next year that will add a bit more “singletrack trail�? up top instead of the gravel access road. I have some good ideas already... Also this may change it enough to get it up to a 25 km route… another request from many runners. Anyway THANKS for helping me make this new event fun and successful.

 

Pete SS

 

 

First Name	Last Name	City/ Town	Event	CFA Point Series	Time
Geoffrey	Palmer	Coquitlam	22km	2	2:07:26
Matt	Sessions	Port Moody	22km	1	2:07:26
Mark	Lesack	Surrey	22km	1	2:07:26
Chris	Tomkinson	Coquitlam	22km	1	2:17:56
Peter	van Gaalen	Coquitlam	22km	2	2:19:08
David	Jenkins	Port Moody	22km	1	2:20 15
Darren	Sawchuk	Maple Ridge	22km	2	2:37:00
Elke	Bauer	Coquitlam	22km	2	2:38:30
Ean	Jackson	North Vancouver	22km	1	2:47:30
Doug	MacKay	North Vancouver	22km	2	2:48:06
John	Smalley	Vancouver	22km	2	2:52:20
Rhonda	Gallant	Port Moody	22km	2	3:11
Angela	Spooner	Coquitlam	22km	2	3:11:00
Heather	Somerville	Port Coquitlam	22km	1	3:11:00
Lori	Clerkson	Port Coquitlam	22km	2	3:12:30
Lisa	Kirkland	Port Coquitlam	22km	2	3:12:30
Lorraine	Suomi	North Vancouver	22km	2	3:13:00
Karl	Jensen	North Vancouver	22km	2	3:13:01
Sombrio (4 legger)	Deller	Vancouver	22km		3:13:18
Chin Chin (4 legger)	Deller	Vancouver	22km		3:13:18
Steve	Deller	Vanouver	22km	1	3:13:20
Sharon	Bryson	Richmond	22km	2	3:14:20
Dan	Daoust	Port Coquitlam	22km	2	3:14:30
Patricia	Barry	Vancouver	22km	2	3:23:56
Cynnimon	Rain	Port Coquitlam	22km	1	3:25:20
Bill	Russell	Surrey	22km	-1	DNS
Baldwin	Lee	Burnaby	Crew	1
Ruby	Willis		Crew	1
Diane	Stace-Smith		Crew	1
Chris	Leupold		Crew	1
Greg	Skerratt		crew	1

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