An early morning mist hovered, anticipating the day's events. As
the sun ascended, the mist dissipated and the 5 Peaks community
descended on Parkland County's stunning Chickakoo Lake Recreation
Area.
The trails around Chickakoo Lake are well travelled by hikers
and equestrians, all of whom appreciate the rolling hills and wide
trails. 5 Peakers enjoy these trails for a slight reprieve from the
ankle-testing, quadriceps-pounding technical nature of other
courses. Thanks to the equine traffic however, runners still need
to be aware of where their feet fall.
The well-packed and dry course proved to be fast for all
competitors, including the youngest. The Scotiabank Childrens'
Challenge started off with an invigorating warm up led by Coral
Wiebe and Trevor Nickel. It must have been effective. About 50
challengers cantered through the dust and completed the 500M or 1
KM loop in no time at all.
Once the kids had saluted the field with the national anthem, the
2-lap, 14.3KM-running Enduros assembled in the chute. Released in
waves, the 161-person field galloped through the course. Robert
Renman won the day in 58:29, beating Yves Gagnon and David Corbett
by just one second. Megan Hodges continued her series dominance of
the women's side, winning in a time of 1:06:05.
Not long after the Enduros began, 238 Sport runners were ready
to sprint. Completing 7.3KM in a blazing 30:53, Brendan Quigley
squeezed past Kyle Nozack (30:54) for the win. Coral Wiebe (clearly
pumped after the kids' warm up), was the fastest woman, finishing
in 33:32. All runners were cheered heartily when they came in.
After Chickakoo, many first-timers became hooked on the sport
and the spirit of 5 Peaks. When the community gathers for the last
race of the season in Devon, the leaves will be yellow, the air
will be cool, but the competition will be hot. Who will top the
podium? Perhaps only the morning mist knows.
