16 hour day + 100 km + 37/40 runners + 7 volunteers + at least 12 inches of rain = Haney to Harrison 2009
Interesting race fact: The Ultra Marathon was designated a 2009 ACU 100k National Championship and a total of 29 participants completed the Ultra Marathon this year. Darin Bentley of Surrey, BC came in first in the men’s division with a time of 7:49:37 and Denise McHale of Whitehorse, YK came in first in the women’s division with a time of 8:15:56.
This is only my 3rd H2H - and I can unequivocally state that it was the worst weather. I’ve heard from our veterans that it may not be the worst ever but it ranks in the top 5. It’s all part of the day.
So here is how our teams fared:
PRR CU L8ters 8:10:34
PRRedators 8:20:50
PRRfect Legs 8:27:23
PRRactically There 8:34:27
PRRaying for Sunshine 8:57:07
Every team had at least one member willing to run 2 legs - and 3 of the teams needed it. Bill had to drop out due to knee problems so Grant ran legs 2 & 3 for his team - just a regular weekend run for Grant.
Ed - who was the person willing to run the extra leg on his team - had to drop at the last minute with a cold. Stephen found out that morning that he was running 3 & 4. Yikes. Hey instead of running 15 - why don’t you run 29km? Won’t that be fun? What a good sport you are Stephen. Dave - who was running leg 2 in the second last step of his backwards progression (in his 6 previous H2Hes he has run in order 8,7,6,5,4,and 3) offered to run some of leg 3 but was secretly thrilled when Stephen said he’d do it all - because we all know how leg 3 starts. YUCK.
And then Ainslie was back east for a family emergency so her team substituted John on Leg 8. Hmmm 40 minute 10 km-er for a 60 minute 10 km-er. Gee why did that team win???
If you got cold running - imagine how our 7 volunteers felt. They were out in that weather for hours! Thank you to: Barb, Paul P, Judi, Bettie, Sally, Roger, Matthew and Dierdre for making it possible for our teams to compete. Thank you also to the runner-volunteers who helped out before or after their legs.
A good time was had by all - despite the bad weather. (Seriously - why isn’t this race in September?) And wasn’t it delightful that the sun came out just in time to blind us on our drive back to the Mission Leisure Centre.
Thanks to Jess for her splendid job organizing the after party. As a reward for her hard work - her table’s order was lost by the kitchen. When we were all ready to leave the restaurant they were still waiting for their food. Grrrrr.
Despite the weather, despite the long day, despite the logisitical issues (or maybe partly because of them) - this event is a highlight of our year. If you haven’t tried it - put it in your calendar for next year. And invest in warm waterproof clothing.