It was hard to figure out what to wear for snowshoeing. We didn’t know what to expect so we wore our winter gear and snow pants. If you’ve never been before, it’s literally hiking but with big paddles on your feet so you can traverse over snow more easily. When we went out, there hadn’t been much snow so the path at Myra Bellevue was well worn, so the snow was actually pretty well packed down in most places that you could have just walked with your shoes. We really didn’t need snow pants, but it kept us comfortable.

The trail takes you through tunnels and over trestle bridges. It’s part of the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) and runs along a canyon. This trail was all originally built by hand. And the trail is the longest rail-trail network in BC, as it’s 650 km of connected pathways from Hope to Castlegar.

Snowshoeing is really fun if you’ve never done it before. We also got a pretty decent sweat on once we really got going. It didn’t take long to get comfortable walking around in the snowshoes. I didn’t have a great pair of winter shoes or boots to wear, so by the end of the snowshoe, my shoes were a bit wet from the snow. Depending on the weather, it makes sense to dress in layers so you can add and remove as needed. We really didn’t need poles because it’s pretty easy to find your balance, but it does make the whole experience more steady.

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Package Pickup

Package pickup is really straight forward, as it is just at MEC. It’s a pretty minimal race package, as all you are doing is picking up your race bib. And you get the chance to explore the store for things that you might not need, but want.

Race Day

The best thing about this series is the races start pretty “late”. The 10k started at 9am, and there was a 5k distance that started at 9:15am. It felt like the setup of tents was much smaller at Myra Bellevue. We knew parking was going to be limited that morning, so we decided to leave early and it was a good thing we did. When we rolled up, we snagged one of the last couple of spots in the lot. It wasn’t bad if you missed out, but you had to park further down the road and it was a little bit of a trek because there was construction and it ate up a lot of the prime parking on what would’ve been the shoulder of the road.

I’m still struggling with digestion issues. Not as bad a a few months ago, but it’s not great. We had breakfast smoothies on the road, and then I decided to eat a chocolate chip granola bar. I don’t think granola or oats really agree with me, and oatmeal really threw a wicked wrench into my whole day in Whistler for my Ironman Canada 70.3 race in 2017. I should know better by now. I felt like it took me a really long time to warm up, and my stomach just felt bloated for a good chunk of the race which is tragic considering this was only 10k. I think I need to start doing 1-2 mile warmups before any race now.

The course was beautiful. We had no idea what to expect, other than we knew it was going to be a little less elevation than Big White. Justin was feeling strong so he ran ahead of me for a good chunk of it. I decided that I would try and hang onto anyone in front of me and try not to lose them. I power walked a lot of the hills, and tried to run all of the descents.

I was really impressed at my fellow racers. A lot of the racers around me would also power hike the climbs, and then they would fly down the descents and I wouldn’t see them again.

Overall, Myra Bellevue is gorgeous and we cannot wait to go back. I realized I need much stiffer trail shoes for a course like that. Myra Bellevue is pretty rocky with a lot of roots, and I could feel every step with the shoes I currently run in. There were a couple mountain bikers out, and the areas we ran in looked like pretty easy trails to navigate. Like I said before, I can’t wait to go back and bring our mountain bikes. There are stunning views of the lake and mountains to take in on foot or on two wheels.

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