The 5 Peaks Trail Running Series put on a triple header on the
weekend with races in Buntzen Lake in British Columbia, Devon in
Northern Alberta and ARK in Quebec.
In the Buntzen Lake half marathon it was Jonathan Heinz, Carl
Reilly and Ryan Bremner in that order for the men. For the
women it was Darbykai Standrick, Kester Tomkies and Yuen Chow.
Stephanie Hamilton, first in the enduro category at Buntzen Lake
was relatively confident that she could achieve a top three finish
in her category. "...but I never take the competition for granted.
I don't like to look behind me while I race, which I find keeps me
focused and motivated to push hard the entire way... I had my
sights on one of the male competitors who was ahead of me during
the race, and challenged myself by trying to gain some ground on
him with each hill. The uphills are definitely my strong
point."
The course at Buntzen Lake is known for its climb up the Diez
Vistas trail, however this year there were a few changes. "The
route was adjusted shortly before race day as a result of high
water levels at Buntzen Lake. Rather than the long, gruelling climb
up the Diez Vistas trail that was planned in the original course,
the re-routed course took us along a fast, undulating route,"
explained Hamilton. "The new route still had its fair share of ups
and downs, but I was able to use the downhills to carry me up some
of the uphills, which I really enjoyed."
"Speaking of uphills, the next race that lies ahead for me is
the Grouse Grind Challenge this coming Satruday in North Vancouver.
I'm looking forward to a painful but fun climb!"
In the half marathon category for Devon it was Gary Poliquin,
Jason Proche and Cody Garner for the men and Megan Hodges, Brenda
Reid and Lindsay Adam for the women, in that order.
"The encouragement and support you get at 5 Peaks races is
always amazing, and the Devon race was no exception," says Hodges.
"The 'three lap set up' made this course very 'spectator friendly'
and I felt like I was being cheered for throughout the entire race
whether it was by other runners, volunteers, family, friends or
spectators from the community."
"I go into each race with two goals: 1) to have fun 2) to keep a
fast and steady pace throughout the entire race so I can earn a new
personal best time," explained Hodges. "For the rest of this year I
will just keep training, and hopefully do the Alberta College
Athletics Conference (ACAC) races in Edmonton and Camrose. Next
year I will definitely do the 5 peaks series again! I
also plan to increase my training volume and start running
marathons!"
Over in the east, at Ark, it was Gareth Davies, Charles Carter
and Nathan Underwood for the men and Sophia Tsouros, Louise
Boudreault and Kailey McLachlan for the women, in that order.
"I thought this was a beautiful course - nice rugged, hilly
single-track with lots of twists and turns and ups and downs, all
in a beautiful wilderness setting - what more could you ask for?"
stated Davies in a post race communication.
Davies ran the Haliburton Forest 50k two weeks prior to ARK. "I
wouldn't say I was confident in a top three finish, as you never
know what can happen during a race, but I did feel fairly confident
that I would at least be a contender for one of the top spots."
Up next for Davies is the Asics X-Trail at Mont Orford (21k) in
the Eastern townships of Quebec. "After that I am looking for
new and exciting challenges! There are so many intriguing
places to run and races to choose from that it's hard to decide
what to aim for next. I suppose my travel budget will be the
limiting factor in that department! I am definitely planning
on trying some more longer-distance trail races (in the 50k to 50
mile range). I might also try my hand at some snowshoeing this
winter as I hear that's lots of fun!"
written by Breathe Magazine; Tuesday Sept 27 2011
