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Re: Ontario Ultra/Trail/50K Series standings after Limberlost 56K/28

Ontario Ultra Series - 14 July, 2013 - 17:52
My gps measured 56.68 Km which is pretty much spot on to 56.8 which would include the extra 200 meters per loop that Neil emailed us about a couple of days

Re: Ontario Ultra/Trail/50K Series standings after Limberlost 56K/28

Ontario Ultra Series - 14 July, 2013 - 14:56
Hi Patrick, As you can appreciate, the points guy can't change the official race distances unless the race director tells him to do so. If you want, you can

Re: Ontario Ultra/Trail/50K Series standings after Limberlost 56K/28

Ontario Ultra Series - 14 July, 2013 - 13:23
Hi Jim, some of us were hoping the actual distance would be used, especially since some GPS units recorded over 60km. Sent from my BlackBerry device on the

Re: Ontario Ultra/Trail/50K Series standings after Limberlost 56K/28

Ontario Ultra Series - 14 July, 2013 - 10:06
Hi Patrick, I used 56K and 28K, the distances stated on the Limberlost website. Jim ... [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: Ontario Ultra/Trail/50K Series standings after Limberlost 56K/28

Ontario Ultra Series - 14 July, 2013 - 09:57
Hi Jim, Thanks for such a quick response on Results. Question though, were these numbers done with 56k or 57.8km? Patrick P.S. Some peoples GPS measured more,

Ontario Ultra/Trail/50K Series standings after Limberlost 56K/28K

Ontario Ultra Series - 14 July, 2013 - 08:43
Ontario Ultra Series Standings after Limberlost 56K: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6uQG9eGZbhpQW1XYTBDc2NHXzQ/edit?usp=sharing Ontario Trail Series

Re: Creemore Pictures!

Ontario Ultra Series - 11 July, 2013 - 17:30
Thanks Pierre! Cheers! Jeff (H) 416-488-7666 (C) 416-460-3197 Website: 2Run Forever Facebook: 2Run Forever LinkedIn: 2Run Forever  New ... check it out!

Creemore Pictures!

Ontario Ultra Series - 11 July, 2013 - 14:19
Good luck to Iris, Jeff et all at Badwater! Michael Beauchamp tooks some pictures at Madwater: http://www.runnningchallenged.blogspot.ca/

Re: Badwater Ultramarathon

Ontario Ultra Series - 11 July, 2013 - 07:41
Yikes! That's so soon! She'll be awesome, despite the lack of acclimatization opportunities up in Toronto this summer. Way to go guys! Jack and I will be

Badwater Ultramarathon

Ontario Ultra Series - 11 July, 2013 - 05:38
To Our Family,  Friends and Fellow Runners,  Badwater Ultramarathon starts Monday July 15th.The SWISS MISS will be rocking starting Monday at 10:00 (WST)

Ontario Ultra/Trail/50K Series standings after Creemore 25K/50K

Ontario Ultra Series - 9 July, 2013 - 18:30
Ontario Ultra Series Standings after Creemore 50K: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6uQG9eGZbhpRVExd0stOGFnUnM/edit?usp=sharing Ontario Trail Series Standings

Re: Creemore results

Ontario Ultra Series - 9 July, 2013 - 16:49
Hello Bill, Wanda and all those who braved the heat and hills last Saturday. The best part for most was the finish! Wanda wa 7th W0-39 in a time of 6:46:38.

Creemore results

Ontario Ultra Series - 9 July, 2013 - 11:07
Took a painful look at the results for cvc, yes painful indeed, but.. congrats everyone and as always Pierre and your fantastic team well done and thank you! I

Running TLC

Ontario Ultra Series - 9 July, 2013 - 05:14
Dear runners, My name is Galliano and I ran the CVC last Saturday. As it was my first 50K race, I didn't know how my recovery will go so I didn't register for

Re: Charlotte's results?

Ontario Ultra Series - 9 July, 2013 - 03:29
  Here's the link to the final results:

Re: Creemore Vertical Challenge

Ontario Ultra Series - 8 July, 2013 - 18:51
Thanks Pierre I had a great time. It's always nice to finish. The roads and trails were good, not great. But the beer, creek and hospitality were above and

About Hanes Valley - Safe Backcountry Run Travel

Gary Robbins - Endurance Athlete - 5 July, 2013 - 08:31

I had the good fortune of completing one of my favorite local routes yesterday, the Hanes Valley traverse. This typically makes for a great trail running adventure around mid summer. You can create a full loop via either Grouse Mountain or Lynn Valley. My preferred direction of attack is Lynn Valley as you get to start out with the relatively flat warm up out towards Norvan Falls first. Once you crest the backside of the mountain and come through Grouse Resort you are then left with a plethora of options to return back to your can in Lynn Headwaters with the easiest and most direct being a jaunt down Mountain Highway.


I have always loved the wild feel of this route yet always desired to link it into a bigger outing. Yesterday I did just that by adding in an additional mini-climb to the Top of Grouse after contouring Dam Mountain, then a descent of BCMC (17m30s) followed by a return to the Top of Grouse via Jetboy/The Cut. I then proceeded down Mountain Highway to intersect with a climb to the top of Fromme, followed by a descent down Peer Gynt to Mountain Highway, to Lynn Headwaters, and then a climb up to the first lookout point on Lynn Peak to hit my goal for the day which was to acquire over 10,000ft / 3,000m of climbing and descent. It was my best training day in many years and happy making all around. I've since posted the pictures to my FB athlete page (where I host all my running content and photos now) and am getting numerous inquires about the route, and rightfully so of course.


Here's what you need to know before attempting the Hanes Valley circuit though:

This is not a beginners route. There is some rock travel and a minimal amount of navigation involved. The route looks to have been freshly flagged last year but there are still mini gaps in the flagging which could send you off route if you're not familiar with proper route finding.

There is still a sign up once you cross the suspension bridge at Norvan Falls saying this area is closed. It's there for a reason even though many experienced runners/hikers have started making their way through there already.

There is a heli-pad in the valley. It's there for a reason.

There is a permanent North Shore Search and Rescue cache in the valley. It's there for a reason.

This was probably my sixth time doing Hanes Valley and the first time I've done it completely solo (without at least Roxy as a companion). You will feel how isolated you are on this route because you really are in the backcountry. There are consequences if something goes wrong while in the backcountry and if you're not prepared for this possibility than you shouldn't be back there to begin with. Hanes feels safer than it really is because it's flanked by two of the more heavily trafficked areas of our local trail system, those being Lynn Headwaters and Grouse Mountain. Once you cross that suspension bridge at Norvan and until you find your way back down to Grouse Mountain Resort on the far side however, you are on your own. If something goes wrong out there it's going to be a lengthy and challenging extraction that will likely involve a helicopter ride. From experience, though it looks like and is certainly fun for the limited time you are in the air, waiting for the helicopter to arrive and dealing with the aftermath of a serious injury will be low lights of your year. I can guarantee you of that.

Snake bite kit not needed in these parts thankfullyHanes Valley should be enjoyed by every experienced trail runner and I'd highly recommend the route, with a few caveats. If you've never been through there before, don't attempt it until all the snow has melted out. There is still a decent amount of snow on the high point around Crown and Goat mountains. If you lose your footing on this stuff you're sliding all the way to the bottom. You're not going to die but the propensity to injure an ankle or foot in this circumstance is high. The lingering snow also blurs out the route and can make navigating the area difficult for those who have never been through before. The safest time of year to enjoy Hanes Valley is still a good 2-3 weeks away. It'll usually a mid to late July opening.

Trip Plan: Even though you're only 'off the grid' for an hour or two while back there you are completely off the grid as there's little to no cell phone reception. I left a full trip plan in place with Linda which included exactly who to call and when should I not check in with her by our specified time. I would never go back here without leaving a trip plan because if something does happen to go wrong you can rest assured that people know where you are and are coming to help you within a few hours. You could sit tight and confidently wait for help to arrive vs the highly stressful task of attempting to get out a call for help and hope that someone finds you before nightfall.

Safety Gear: I brought a lightweight jacket, a space blanket, sunblock, a knife, a whistle (you will never be able to yell as loud or create as shrill a sound as a whistle will. If you fall off trail or down a slope a whistle can literally save your life), a fire starting kit, and a spare battery for my phone (in case I did get signal I would prefer to have access to two full phone charges vs just one). If it were later in the season or I had left it later in the day I also would have packed along a lightweight headlamp. Everything all in weighed next to nothing and packed into a side pockets on my Salomon Advanced Skin S-Lab 5L.

There is simply NO REASON to ever venture back into areas like Hanes Valley and Coliseum Mountain without these bare essentials. On longer routes like the Howe Sound Crest Trail I pack additional supplies such as an emergency bivy sack. I pack my phone on every single run that I do, whether I expect cell service or not, after watching the unfortunate passing of a trail runner on a group run a few years back after taking a wrong turn. In that circumstance a phone would have been his greatest survival tool.

Enjoy these summer routes as they are truly spectacular, and another reason why North Vancouver really is one of the best trail destinations in North America.

Think before you head out there though, as you'll never regret the extra few ounces of gear should something actually go wrong, and in the end, on bigger routes, it might just save your life. Know the Ten Essentials, own them pack them down into a small carry sack and have them ready to go at a moments notice. I have effectively crammed all of my emergency supplies into the stuff sack that comes with the emergency bivy, including of course still having the bivy in there. *If you've ever had to spend a night under a space blanket you've been left longing for an emergency bivy instead*

Stay safe, play safe, and get out there and explore your backyard this summer. It's truly one of the best playgrounds in the world!

What say you? Any other suggestions? Any piece of kit you won't venture into the backcountry without?


Run link on Movescount
GR

For Shits and Giggles - WS Podium Predictions

Gary Robbins - Endurance Athlete - 28 June, 2013 - 16:13

Looks like it's going to be a barn burner down at Western this year, both literally and figuratively as the mercury is set to climb over 100 for the first time in numerous years. "The Real Course" as many would call it, is about to be run.

Many have asked me if I'd return to WS after my 6th place finish in 2010 and the answer is a resounding YES, but not for at least a few more years as I'm really looking to focus my energy and finances towards big mountainous races in the next few years. I'll be putting in for the Hardrock lottery this year and we'll take it from there.

SO, given that the heat will play a MAJOR factor in tomorrow's run. Here are my picks for top three men and women.

MEN

1) Mike Morton - living in Florida, knocking out sub 13h30m 100's like it's nobodies business, smashing the US men's 24 hour record, and having won the race once before in a staggering sub 16hr run before most of us knew what ultra running was. The story lines are too intriguing to not be pulling for him. I think he takes it and it becomes one of the stories of the year in the ultra scene.

2) Timmy Olson - hard to slot Timmy into second, especially after a great year to date in which he also showed he could handle the heat with a stout 4th place finish at Transvulcania last month. The course record holder will have his hands full with Mike and in the end I think Mike's living in the heat full time will be the deciding factor.

3) Hal Koerner - everyone overlooks Hal even though he's won it twice and both during hot years. Like Hardrock last year he's managing to fly just under the radar this year. I think the heat works to Hal's favor and we end up with the first ever podium full of previous champions, a story in and of itself.

Guy hardest not to pick for top three: Rob Krar

WOMEN

1) Cassie Scallon - Cassie was injured for almost all of 2012, but right before she went down with a stress fracture she was crushing records in 50 mile or under distances. Cassie runs FAST and she's in top form this year as evidenced by her annihilation of the CR at the recent Ice Age 50. She bettered a 15 year old women's record by 18 minutes and in the process bettered 2nd place, previous winner and competitive runner Denis Bourassa by over an hour!

2) Rory Bosio - Very, VERY difficult not to pick Rory for the win after all she's done on the WS course in the last few years. Rory is also a very smart runner so expect to see her make a late push while others are fading in the heat.

3) Emily Harrison - Speed is what wins WS and Emily displayed this in spades while pushing Ellie Greenwood to a new CR at the JFK 50 late last year. Emily was testing the waters then with it being her first 50 miler as she will be now with this being her first 100, but as she's coached by the legendary Ian Torrence, I'm fairly certain she'll have a proper race day strategy in place and she'll be hard to beat if she runs a smart race and handles the heat alright.

Woman hardest not to pick for top three: Amy Sproston

What say you? Who are you picking for the podium tomorrow?

Best wishes to everyone for a safe and successful race!
GR

Re: Ontario Ultra/Trail/50K Series standings after Sulphur Springs

Ontario Ultra Series - 30 May, 2013 - 02:07
Thanks Jim. Don't know how you get these out so fast! I'd still be tabulating next month... Speaking of Sulphur Springs... Race report:

Ontario Ultra/Trail/50K Series standings after Sulphur Springs

Ontario Ultra Series - 29 May, 2013 - 12:13
Ontario Ultra/Trail/50K Series standings after Sulphur Springs are available at the Series website: http://www.ouser.org [Non-text portions of this message
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