To close out racing season, I had the choice of doing this 5 Peaks Race, or maybe another SwimRun at Lake Sassamat. The latter was tempting from a multisport adventure point of view, but we have a lot of loyalty and history with 5 Peaks as a family, so we opted for the former.
I found they had added a hiker’s division, which let’s people enjoy the marked, marshalled course without regard to timing or competition. So for the first time, my wife would be participating in the event, instead of just cheerleading – I desperately wanted her to be able to enjoy herself, so I went out and bought some poles from Mountain Equipment Co-op. I was also running in a brand new pair of Salomon SpeedCross that I was excited about.
The Lightning Kid would be running the 3 km timed kids run.
The race was sponsored by RunGo, a Canadian developed runners’ app. My wife and I downloaded it and used it to see each other’s progress. The race courses were also pre-loaded so that you could get turn-by-turn directions. Unfortunately, when installing I denied it the recommended permissions because I’m cautious about these kinds of things, and that ruined its ability to track my progress during the race. I’ll be doing a full post about RunGo in the near future.
My race started (even with me seeding myself in the 3rd wave) before either of them made it back, but I did see them during my first few hundred metres. It started with going up some of the ski slopes, but quickly turned into very narrow forest trails that demanded a walking pace at best. While I started at the back, during the initial climb my ‘slow but steady wins the race’ approach allowed me to pass a few people for a while.
Once I got into the middle parts of the course, I was delighted by finding little ponds and lakes – I had to stop for selfies, and I wasn’t the only one.
Not my best work. I didn’t take multiple tries.
There were times I had to slow down to yield to hikers that were there for the day; the race course was not closed to the public. The volunteers were always super friendly and cheerful, which makes for a nice day out even when you start to get tired.
Courtesy of @javelinomedia
When I got directed onto the road, I knew I was nearly done. I figured I’d just follow it into the parking lot and descend to the finish line – Nope! There was another bushwhacky climb before I was able to see the Lightning Kid who loves to accompany me across the finish line.
So my first Enduro course was a success; I noted there was a ‘Grit’ 14 km distance – maybe that’ll be my goal for next year.
Having done the Cultus Lake Triathlonfor 3 yearsin a row, I wanted to try (tri) something different this year, and I’ve never done a triathlon in salt water, so enter the Vancouver Triathlon, which took place on Labour Day. The logistics of getting to Stanley Park in Vancouver added some stress to the race experience – the drive was over 2 hours from Abbotsford, and after I had my bike dropped off and race kit picked up, we wanted to spend the late afternoon shopping and having dinner. Unfortunately, I parked in an underground lot (last year my car was broken into when parking above ground) that closed at 7PM on Sundays (stores were open till 8PM at least to say nothing of restaurants in the area). I had no way to get in and get my car and had to call Garda security, wait for 2 hours (without being provided with an ETA for the first hour) and pay $60 CASH to have a guard let me in so I could drive home. Not a great start.
We woke at 4AM to drive back to Stanley Park – the race guide said the parking lots’ access wouldn’t be available after 6:30AM. While I got there very early (my wave would be the last to start), I got one of the best parking spots which made it easy to shuttle back and forth to the car for any items I needed. I got body marked, received my timing chip, and set up my transition area well before the final athlete briefing, though I did notice that the swim course was missing some buoy markers during that period. They were late getting them set up, but the first wave didn’t start much more than 5 minutes late.
I had plenty of time to change and get my wetsuit on before my wave (the Sprint Distance Open) – nearly 2 hours- and while I was glad I had chosen to stay comfortable in street clothes during the drive and set-up, I began to get nervous feeling like the only racer who wasn’t in his wetsuit yet. I should mention it was cold enough (more on that shortly) to be a wetsuit-mandatory race, and apparently some racers didn’t have wetsuits and were forced to scramble to borrow one.
Swim
My wave was called and we headed into the water. Lots of people get in the water for some warm-up strokes prior to the race, but I’ve always figured I’d rather save all my energy for the race. If I had been part of the warm-up swim camp maybe I wouldn’t have been so shocked by the cold. I do cold plunges, so I was a little surprised to be surprised. My feet got numb, my face and hands hurt as I started to swim.
Of course I was fine once I got going. The course was a simple triangle, and the ocean water was actually fairly calm. I think the one time I swallowed some water was more from other swimmers splashing than naturally occurring waves. In spite of my lack of ocean experience, I felt like I was keeping a good pace. Having a late wave meant going out at a lower tide, and there was some walking up the beach involved to make it to the swim exit – that involved dodging some barnacles which I had been warned about, but it wasn’t a serious obstacle. I got high-fives from my sons at the swim exit – and booked my best swim time in 4 years. Swim time: 17:24.
Transition 1
Bottom line: I struggled to get my wetsuit off due to the timing chip – I couldn’t get that leg cuff over the bulge of the chip and strap. I ended up putting the suit back on halfway up my leg, taking off the chip, then stripping it off. I think we’re loath to take off the chip because if you forget it in a moment of distraction (putting on shoes or helmet) there goes your race. I’ve had occasions where this same thing has happened, and others where I was able to pull the wetsuit off easily. If I’m going to learn a lesson here, it might be to take off the timing chip and make it part of the overall transition routine to put it back on immediately. This was my slowest transition in the last 4 years. T1 time: 05:22.
Bike
We had 2 laps around Stanley Park using the entirety of the roads. This felt a little unusual – it’s nice that there were never any cars to contend with, but it meant that the riders were all over the roads. I think the etiquette of staying on the right, not drafting (staying 12m back from the leading edge of the front wheel of the next bike), and passing on the left should still be observed in this race (which was specified as a non-drafting event). For the most part, it was fine – faster riders called out ‘on your left’ plenty of times, but there were some incidents like a rider on the far left who seemed to be trying to work out a calf cramp or other discomfort by shaking out their leg, or a rider who fought off my passing attempt (not illegal, just a bit weird to do when they were up on the hoods at more of a cruising pace until I called ‘on your left’). I don’t think there were any marshalls on motorcycles or anything to monitor these kinds of issues. The roads were bad in some patches, and riding over speed bumps (they were pretty mild bumps, but still) were all extra challenges.
I had thought the bike course was going to be pretty flat, but there was one major climb that seemed to go on forever. I think I tackled the early parts of it too aggressively at first, and ran out of gas nearer to the top. The nice part about a looped course is that the second time around I was able to be a lot smarter about hills.
As I approached the exit of the course after completing my second lap, I geared down to a lighter gear, and my chain came off. I had to laugh because I was coming off a downhill with plenty of momentum and wanting to rest my legs for the run anyway. While there’s never a good time to have your chain come off, if it’s going to happen, this was the best time.
I wasn’t able to find any photos of me from the race photographer unfortunately.
Bike Time: 00:48:05 (my second best time in 4 years)
Transition 2
I hadn’t left my shoes untied in preparation. Untying then re-tying probably cost me around 30 seconds. T2 time: 03:19 (second worst in the last 4 years).
Run
I headed out of transition at a clip I was happy with, and my legs felt strong. For a little while at least – though the overcast weather kept things temperate, and the ocean scenery was beautiful, the run course felt long somehow. I began to slow my pace a little. I had noticed no kilometre markers on the bike course, but they would have been really handy here. There was no lack of aid stations, and I didn’t partake of electrolytes or water at every opportunity but suffice to say I had what I needed. I took a carb gel early on during the run. We shared the seawall path with runners heading back after the turn-around and anyone else who wanted to stroll it, but I didn’t find traffic to be a problem. The turn-around was under the bridge to Granville Island, and I saw some interesting skyscrapers as I approached. My pace began to pick up when I knew I was on my way to the finish and more than halfway done running. Unfortunately, my choice to put on my wetsuit well before the last minute meant I had to take a bladder break which cost me time. During the last couple of kilometres I chatted with another dad named Mitch, who was doing his first triathlon – he seemed to be wearing a Hawaiian shirt, but he explained to me it was actually a cycling jersey (complete with pockets) that he got as a Father’s day gift from his daughter. It was very cool. When we knew we were close to the end, we bid each other farewell, but not before I engaged in what is becoming a tradition – explaining the German concept of Endspurt. Mitch showed me better than I could have shown him by beating me handily, but I had the Lightning Kid join me in the last few metres before the finish line so I crossed it with a smile on my face.
Run Time: 35:17 Total Time: 01:49:28. Second-best personal time in BC (first being Cultus 2023).
I definitely liked the glamour of doing a Triathlon in the big city and swimming in the ocean, but the extra logistics involved might make me choose another event next year. I am hoping to grow my endurance to the point where I tackle the Standard/Olympic distance, and it ought to be theoretically possible to do this event weekend and Cultus Lake in the same year. We’ll see…
Has anyone heard of the Ski-to-Sea relay race? It’s a relay from the top of Mount Baker to Bellingham Bay, done in seven different legs: cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, running, road bike, canoe, cyclocross/gravel bike, and sea kayak. I heard about it (or at least, a now defunct Canadian version) years ago and had it on my bucket list, but I realized last year that now I live close enough to give this a try without having to spring for airfare and shipping equipment.
I’m not in shape to try it the next iteration, so I figured I’d start trying to build a team for **next** year, that is, May of 2026. A team needs to be from 3 to 8 people (less than 3 is logistically impossible anyway). The link to the event site is here: https://skitosea.com/
Each leg of the race has some details that one should be clear on – for example, the downhill ski portion has a climb so it would be best for someone with backcountry ski gear for climbing. Stand-up paddleboards are not allowed on the canoe or sea kayak portion. No aerobars are allowed on the road bike portion. I’ll examine each leg and rate how plausible it is for me to be a candidate for completing that leg as part of a team.
Leg 1: Cross-Country Skiing (Length: 6km)
Cross-country skiing is one of my favourite sports (check the receipts!). I’ve been doing it since I could walk, and the distance isn’t too onerous. The terrain will probably be tough (intermediate to advanced according to the description) and being the first leg means getting up extra early for various logistical reasons. I just got some new skis this year so I can work on my skating (which is banned during the first 100 yards of the race), so this feels like an area I can shine in.
Plausibility: High
Leg 2: Downhill Ski/Snowboard (Length: 4km)
This sounds like a no-brainer, but unfortunately, there is a portion where you must climb to the top of a hill – over 1000 feet of elevation gain! I thought this required climbing skins and back-country skis, but according to this year’s rules that kind of equipment isn’t allowed. So I guess it’s just a matter of toughing it out in heavy ski boots, and the rest is all downhill, literally.
Plausibility: Medium
Leg 3: Running (Length: 13km)
13 km is beyond my current running endurance, but it is something I could train up to. Mountainous terrain (though it is a road run course) adds extra challenge. The problem is, in a group of 3-8 people which the relay demands, running is one I imagine most people would want to have for themselves.
Plausibility: Medium
Leg 4: Road Bike (Length: 66km)
Seems simple enough for a triathlete, right? It’s even a net downhill! However! Aero-bars are only allowed in the competitive division, so I’d be riding my old road bike might be the better option. There are also no course markers, so having a good familiarity with navigating the course is important. Last year my son and I failed to complete a 50 km bike ride due to some wrong turns on a fundraiser, so that shakes my confidence a little.
Plausibility: Medium
Leg 5: Canoe (Length: 30km)
I know how to canoe, but I don’t have one in BC, and I don’t relish getting strong enough to complete this leg. It is completed in a team of 2, which further complicates training.
Plausibility: Low
Leg 6: Cyclocross (Length: 18km)
I’ve flirted with Cyclocross a little, and always wanted to get a Cross bike. Even if I didn’t, a Mountain bike can be used.
Plausibility: High
Leg 7: Sea Kayak (Length: 8km)
While I don’t have a kayak in BC, I’d be willing to consider getting one and possibly training myself up for this event. Still, getting time on larger bodies of water might be difficult.
Plausibility: Low
The Hidden Event: Logistics
The ideal team has 8 people – one for each event, except canoeing which has 2. This has the simplest implementation, since everyone on the team has one starting line they have to be at (on time), and one event to be competent enough to finish. I think it might take a little of the ‘multi-sport’ fun out of it, though. Any fewer team members (to a minimum of 3) and somebody has to shuttle between events after finishing a leg. The race demands certain road closures, and getting equipment and bodies moved around will take several vehicles (they list 3 vehicles for the 8 racer scenario).
Recruiting and managing an 8-person team has to be challenging too – ensuring everyone is trained, equipped, and informed is a serious bit of management/leadership.
If anyone reading this wants to join a team with me, drop a comment or reach out online. I might start recruiting in local Facebook groups in 2025.
I had hoped to do the Vancouver Triathlon this year, but by the time I got around to bringing up the registration page, it was sold out (I learned later, that transfers are actually allowed, which wasn’t the case when I lived in Ontario). So I signed up for my third time of the Sprint distance at the Cultus Lake Triathlon. I’m nothing if not a creature of habit.
I mentioned in last year’s report that Dynamic Events runs a really tight ship with lots of verifying that athlete’s have their I’s dotted and T’s crossed, so I wised up a little by buying my annual membership in Triathlon BC. That way, I was able to show my membership card (or at least a digital version I had saved on my phone) and get my race kit in short order on the Saturday. I also left my bike in transition on Saturday to have one less thing to manage on Sunday morning.
Swim
I got in the water a little behind the crowd, and as they wanted to keep their schedule, they started the countdown before I had gotten in up to my waist. I think I lost 30 seconds to a minute from the gun start before I crossed the finish line. There were many first-timers according to an informal ‘hands-raised’ poll before the start, and it showed in terms of the early swim melee. One guy was doing a backstroke, which I do recommend if you’re panicked or not feeling up to a faster stroke, but is terrible for navigating through a crowd.
A few times I saw an opening and tried to ‘sprint’ swim to spots where there would be less crowding, but somehow, I struggled to recover my breathing after these bursts. I felt well trained in swimming this season, as I had gotten plenty of open-water swims in, so I wonder if the wetsuit (which I didn’t train much in) somehow affects my breath control. All through the race there were collisions, it only improved marginally after the first few hundred meters. Still, I finished in good time – 19:42.
Bike
I really enjoyed the bike this year. I passed, I got passed, but overall I felt like I had a good speed for the majority of the time. The big hill climbs were tough, but for a BC bike course, I find this to be a pretty forgiving one. I did lose my chain after a turn, which wouldn’t have been a big deal if not for the fact that I have a chain catcher – not only did this not prevent the chain from falling off, it made it a lot harder to get back on. I figure I could have lost as much as 4-5 minutes due to this mechanical problem. Time: 49:34
Run
I came out of the second transition feeling pretty strong with the idea that I was moving at a good clip. That didn’t last though. The run course has the most subtle incline on the way out, but the good news is you notice the downhill once you hit the second turn around. I had the good fortune of being told when we only had 1.3km left by someone who had a tracker, and I shared that info with a woman who had caught up to me. We ran side by side for a stretch, and when we figured we had less than a kilometre to go, I explained the German concept of Endspurt to her (a burst of speed toward the end that you can magically manage because of your hope to be finished), then I demonstrated it.
Time: 35:32.
Conclusions/Lessons Learned
Total time: 1:52:50. I blew away last year’s time of 2:12:09, but 2023 me was faster still with 1:44:41. The only real improvement I made was my T2 transition, which I shaved a few seconds off. I do feel that if I hadn’t gotten a late start on the swim (because I detoured to get a good luck kiss from my wife – totally worth it!) I might have had a better swim time (19:03 vs 19:42). Bringing my bike in for a pre-race tune-up might have saved me the problem of the chain popping off, and might have resulted in a faster bike time (47:45 vs 49:34 = 1:49 difference, well below what I estimate the delay was). Where I could really use some improvement is taking my wetsuit off in T1. I thought about taking the timing chip off my ankle to make it easier, but I heard a horror story earlier in the day about someone who left theirs behind. I didn’t want that to be me. On the bike I passed a lot of people who swam without wetsuits; I’ve always sworn that the speed increase a wetsuit gives you makes up for the time lost taking it off, but maybe I need to re-visit that.
I found my older medals in my bag, and I’m really happy to have three-peated this event.
I chose to co-write this blog with my son, the Lightning Kid, whose exploits you can see on his YouTube Channel.
On Sunday, May 25th, 2025, my mother, father and I went to the Run For Water. My dad and I ran the 5km. Before the race, I pet a lot of dogs. My dad was focused on his phone. We went to the start, but we were at the back of the crowd. We started running and saw my mom on the sidewalk.
After we passed some trees, we took a break because I had a stitch. We did the rest of the 5 kilometers going slowly with walk breaks. I tried to speed walk. It wasn’t too hard and it wasn’t too easy – it was in the middle. We saw a drone in the sky a couple of times.
I sprinted so fast at the finish line that I beat my dad. We got medals at the finish line. I had my picture take with water jugs. After that we went to Table Bistro for brunch.
If you have never run a race like this, you should close your eyes and imagine you are playing soccer and running after the ball, but there is no ball.
1: Very Strict Rules – But Well Communicated Running triathlon races takes a lot of structure and rules for safety and efficiency. This is known to me, but somehow the vibe I got coming to this event after a 3-year absence from the sport (and the last race before it’s run during the pandemic with different rules for social distancing etc.) was that the rules were somewhat heavy and oppressive. Still, when those rules are well communicated by volunteers, pre-race emails and written material in the race kit, I can’t claim there was any space for misunderstanding so it was easy to follow the rules.
2: Swim Start Needs To Be Broken Up In Waves The sprint race had 2 waves to start: the first was all males as well as non-gendered athletes. The second wave was all females. I’m more used to waves being broken up by age category as well as gender to spread the masses out in the water. Open water swim collisions are already scary for the beginner triathlete, and we were having these kinds of collisions even while treading water and waiting behind the starting line. I think it made the swim leg of the race more difficult than it needed to be.
3: Best Run Course The course followed the lake shore initially and had sections through a shady forest path and along residential streets with beautiful houses and people cheering us on from their front porches. One of the nicest run courses I can imagine.
4: P.A. System I saw a race crew member trying to locate a certain athlete by yelling throughout the transition area. The pre-race briefing where course details were shared with racers were done with a megaphone at least.
5: Body Marking Rather than write bib numbers on racers’ arms and calves, the race organizers supplied temporary tattoos. They look neat and worked well (though I was stressed about applying them properly), but it seems like an overcomplicated solution to what wasn’t really a big problem. Perhaps the tattoos will wear off faster than a number written in Sharpie, which is what I’m more used to and is easily done in a matter of seconds.
6: BC Beauty The bike course was a simple out-and-back with a little climbing (and thus downhills too), but even the simplest routes in the Chilliwack area can have beautiful greens and mountains to see.
7: Friendly Neighbour The fellow racking his bike next to mine in transition was very nice and friendly and we managed to meet twice during the race – we finished our swim and bike legs at roughly the same time. I think he must have been much faster on the run because I believe his total time was 10 minutes less than mine.
8: Cycling Jealousy I can remember being passed on the bike leg very far along the total distance and seeing what kind of difference a very expensive bike can make. I’m used to that – but on that day I got passed by someone riding a simple commuter bike and I was unable to catch him again – he must have very strong legs!
9: Cool Weather The temperature was in the low 10s at the start of the race. When I first got on the bike with wet skin and no sleeves I was freezing, but luckily the early parts of the bike ride were an incline so the work of going uphill quickly warmed me. I think the cool weather meant I also felt less need to drink water, which meant better speed as I didn’t slow down to hydrate (or urinate).
10: Cool Location Cultus Lake has a water park and theme park nearby and other cafes and restaurants. We could have stood to take more advantage.
At long last a return to in-person races! And also to writing about in-person races! I couldn’t have picked a better event than a 5 Peaks Trail Run. I did my first 5 Peaks Trail Run almost exactly 10 years ago, and their family-friendly events have been a staple of this blog ever since. Of course, those were all in Ontario, so expected an even bigger challenge and more beautiful scenery in B.C.!
We arrived at the race site in Golden Ears with plenty of time to spare; there had been warnings that getting parking spots and making it to the race start could be time-consuming but we faced no such challenges. We grabbed our race kits (including socks for me) and spent some time getting to know the site, while the Lightning Kid danced with Buffy the tiger.
The kids were signed up for a timed event – 3km of running. It would be the Lightning Kid’s first time (to my recollection) running the longer kids event. I’d predicted the terrain might be more challenging than they were used to and encouraged them to run together, but Shark Boy wanted to run his fastest. My prediction about the challenge proved correct, as the course had 2 creek crossings that the organizers encouraged the kids to get good and wet while attempting, and there was a prize for the dirtiest kid – which Shark Boy ended up winning, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
I didn’t have a good feel for how long the kids’ race would take or even if I’d be able to see them come in, but I hadn’t even gotten to the front of the line for the toilet when the first kids started coming in. After a few especially fast kids came in, I spotted Shark Boy, who seems to be coming down with a case of camera shyness, but he finished strong. Waiting for the Lightning Kid became a little nerve-wracking when they started the 1k kids’ fun run, and were about to start the first wave of the Enduro course racers. Luckily a volunteer ‘rabbit’ kept him company – I didn’t get her name, but if you’re reading this, thanks again! – and he came in shortly before the Enduro course was to be started. The official race photographer got some great shots of his adventure; see below.
Images Courtesy of 5Peaks
Soon it would be my turn – the Enduro racers all took off in waves seeded by the racer’s own expectation of speed, then the Sport course racers. The Sport course was over 8.5km and the longest run I’d done over the season was probably about 6, so I knew I had to manage my expectations and I seeded myself in the last wave.
The race started, and I forgot to start tracking on Strava for the first 200-300 meters, but I was off – and happy to be running a non-virtual race…
So before the race, I got advice from Shark Boy as to how to best cross one of the creeks and once the race started, I found myself at the first Creek with a big lineup forming so I followed his advice and veered off a little to the right and used the log to cross and probably got a little bit ahead that way. I don’t really mind being slower than other people. I just can’t stand standing in line when I’m in the great outdoors and trying to avoid that kind of stuff. By the time I get to the second creek, I just said stuff it and stuck my foot right in it and got wet feet. The first part of the trail after that was in the Spirea nature trail area which I visited before with my family, and it’s very beautiful. Then there was a road crossing and it was nonstop climbing on the other side of the road just all the way up a mountain. And in spite of my best efforts, I not only had to slow to a walk but actually had to take complete stops just to catch my breath on that climb.
Somewhere between 3 and 4 kilometers, we stopped having to climb and began the descent. Even on the downhill, I found myself slowing to a walk occasionally and had to mentally kick myself to get back into race mode. I did have a little fun at yet another creek crossing – this one was pretty mild as you can see, but I think there were 5 in total.
I don’t remember where the Enduro course separated from the Sport course, but after they re-merged, I made sure to allow people to pass me safely as often as I could. The scenery continued to be enchanting of course. There was light rain to deal with sometimes, but the forest provided more than adequate shelter.
I knew from the tracked distance that I must have been getting close to the finish, but on some other level it was almost as if I could taste it. And there was Shark Boy, ready to guide me in the last 500m or so. I started my Endspurt (a German term for the burst of energy you use to finish off an effort) and started passing people. Somehow I knew the last climb before the finish line would defeat me and the last few meters were more of a crawl.
And just like the start of the race, my rustiness led to me forgetting to stop the Strava tracking, but I still like the looks of the graph showing all the climbing involved; its’a bit weird that the heart rate doesn’t seem to go up much during the climb. I can’t say as I placed well in my division or even overall, but we all had a good day, and 5 Peaks can maintain its sterling reputation.
Whenever I’m in a new place, I try to discover what kinds of recreational opportunities are around. Back in September, I was in the parking lot of Shark Boy’s gymnastics club, when I noticed terrain of a unique nature. It was a BMX park, with bumps and curved embankments forming a course that is completed in a single lap, although it twists and folds back upon itself rather than just being a circle.
My birthday happened to fall on a Sunday, so the Lightning Kid and I decided to give it a go, while Shark Boy was at his gymnastics training. For the footage, we’ll have to consult the Lightning Kid YouTube Channel:
I was on my hardtail mountain bike, which is not quite ideal for jumps and such on this track, or maybe that’s my lack of confidence talking. We did go back once, and I wore clip-in shoes rather than the trail runners you see me in during the video. We also got a chance to witness a race to end the season and see how it’s really done, with a mechanical gate to keep the starting line honest, found at a top of a ramp by the start of the course. A rep from the Abbotsford BMX club told us they would transition to indoors, and how welcoming they were to beginners.
Unfortunately, it took us a while to get back to them, and by the time we did, the Lightning Kid had lost all the confidence and ended up walking his bike around the ‘half-track’ which is the latter segment of the indoor course with smaller bumps. Shark Boy tried the whole racecourse but found his mountain bike wasn’t well suited to the racing gate, as he couldn’t sit in the seat and stay balanced while waiting for the gate to drop. He got to try a loaner BMX bike, but he hated how low the seat was – BMX riders typically stand on the pedals for the entire ride, and absorb the bumps by bending their knees and elbows. Shark Boy seemed to be doing well adapting to the bike and a new style of riding, but apparently he hated every second of it. I thought that would be the end of our foray into this sport, but apparently, the Lightning Kid was adamant about coming back.
On your first visit, you can get a 1 day BMX membership for liability reasons, but subsequent visits mean an annual membership. I have to admit I didn’t want to spring for one just to watch him walk his bike, but thanks to some great coaching by the staff at Abbotsford BMX, he got to ride the half-track the very next visit! Looks like I’ll be investing in the official protective gear (gloves, helmet with face covering, etc) for him, but I’m not sure if it’s something I will take up myself.
It’s been a long time since I ran a road race. Running this one was actually my wife’s idea – I think she’s missed training or even just running in general. We were both under-trained going into this one – our training wasn’t regular and the longest run we had done was 7 km for her and about 8 or 9 for me. Still, the run promised to be scenic and not too hilly, and for our part, we promised to take it easy and walk when necessary, so we figured we’d be fine.
My biggest problem with this race based on past experience is that the starting and finish lines are not in the same place – they use shuttle buses to get people back to the starting line. The 10k race takes place on Saturday evening (with the marathon and half-marathon on Sunday morning). The start was further from our house than the finish line, and to avoid parking and line-ups for the bus we decided to take Uber to the start. With the road closures and traffic conditions, we ended up sighting the start line with 3 minutes to spare. We ended up being the last ones through the chute, though we got passed by some faster runners who must have come several minutes late.
The course starts on Lakeshore Boulevard and goes eastward. We got spattered with rain on and off through the course, but only once did I think we might have to quit if it got any worse. Just as I began to wonder about whether the course would take us through the main strip of Port Credit, the course turned South towards the water and through the residential neighbourhoods.
Spectators were few and far between on a rainy Saturday night in a quiet suburb, but those that turned out were loud and positive enough to make up for the missing noise. We even had a volunteer refer to us as the ‘blue and red tag team”!
I think rain on the lens made many of my photos blurry/grainy. Or maybe I need a new phone…
I didn’t feel comfortable taking pictures of people’s houses, but some of the architecture was beautiful (I’m a sucker for Scandinavian architecture). Soon we linked onto a waterfront trail.
We took plenty of walk breaks, but we couldn’t help but be pleased with the perception that the kilometre markers seemed to keep accumulating. The waterfront trail gave us nice views of not only the lake itself but the downtown Toronto skyline.
A little foggy, but you should be able to make out the CN Tower.
With less than 2 km we could hear the band and PA system of the finish line area. We must have been close, but we discovered that there was still an out and back to be done.
The path out towards a point into the little peninsula was narrow, and sharing it between out and back traffic meant being careful, but it eventually split off into a little loop. The rain strengthened and our remaining endurance and pain tolerance was getting a little low. It felt like we were the last ones to finish as we saw people exiting the race site by going back along the course; we knew we weren’t last, but with the lousy weather, no-one was sticking around and the exodus was in effect.
The “blue and red tag-team” finished with a chip time of 1:29:21, and we were happy to finish in less than 90 minutes. We helped ourselves to bananas and some yummy chocolate macaroon type snack (that I now can’t track down the name of), and it’s the first time in my memory that I’ve ever taken advantage of those emergency blankets they give out at finish lines. Wrapping yourself in one of those when winds are heavy is an art unto itself! We then had to walk around 2 km back out of the park (near the Port Credit Yacht Club) to be able to call an Uber. We subjected this poor driver’s car to our damp bodies, and even made him hit a McDonald’s Drive-Thru on the way home – with the race start at 6:30, eating a meal beforehand didn’t seem prudent. We ate at home, and never did fast food feel so well deserved as we had finished a race that was out of our comfort zone from an endurance perspective, under pretty bad weather conditions.
Does completing a race under less than perfect training and environmental conditions make for a sweeter victory?
After missing the Albion Hills event in July, and no events in August, everyone was glad to see the return of 5 Peaks to the Heart Lake Conservation Area in September. And what a September! The summer heat came in late, and everyone needed to prepare.
The kids 3k timed race starts first. As a ‘Trail Crew Leader’ and slowpoke, it made sense for me to bring up the rear in case of stragglers.  I spoke with another volunteer who helped sweep and learned that not only was the race centred around a different site within the park but naturally the course had been altered from previous years. That meant my favourite hill, which I always climbed like Spider-Man wouldn’t be there. Oh well, the heat would make it plenty challenging.
Dig the hat.
Photo courtesy of Sue Sitki Photography
The Kids course was an out and back, and I encountered Shark Boy a little later than I expected. He had the company of one of our Trail Crew Leaders, and I found out later that there were tears at the finish line due to an encroaching headache. It seems his late nights in competitive gymnastics catch up with him. A little more water and he was good to help his brother in the 1k fun run.
The Lightning Kid has been getting faster and faster on his feet but he also likes to use those feet to dance with Buffy.
As I had mentioned, Shark Boy got his second wind and wanted to keep his brother company. The Lightning Kid didn’t mind a big brother chaperone but dismissed his mother from the job. Apparently, he took a little spill but the community spirit at 5 Peaks is always huge, and he ended up picking up an adult guardian anyway.
For my part, the new Sport Course provided lots of shade, so I didn’t feel the heat too badly, and there were some nice views of Heart Lake along the way. I’m pretty proud of the cruising pace I maintained, though I forgot to stop my Endomondo app for tracking. My paces varied between 6:20/km to 7:16/km.
Courtesy of Sue Sitki Photography
The final race of the season is at the Kortright Conservation Area on October 28th. If you live in the area, consider signing yourself, your friends and your little ones up! Use the code ‘IRONROGUE’ when registering.
