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.

The post MEC Kelowna Okanagan Trail Race TWO – Myra Bellevue August 2019 Race Recap appeared first on The Lifestyle Of Us.

Race Morning

We were participating in the 12km race, and it didn’t start until 10am. There were other distances, like the 50km that started at 7am. I don’t think we’ve ever started a race that late in the day before, other than Rock N Roll Vegas, but it’s a night run and they shut down the Strip for that! It was nice to have our normal breakfast routine at home, before getting in the car and driving out to Big White.

There were MEC flags that marked the parking at the Happy Valley Parking Lot, and when we rolled up we saw plenty of other cars as well as a portion of the race course with some 50k runners making their way through. I wanted to race in shorts and a t-shirt, but the weather was chillier than I expected. And since we’re in the mountains, I didn’t want to take any chances even though we were “only” covering 12km with 2 aid stations, so I changed into my crops and long sleeve that I had packed with plans to wear afterwards.

The starting area was pretty low key. We waited inside the building nearby where a lot of other racers were hanging out, used the bathrooms, did our stretches, and then it was time to start.

Race

For some reason, I thought we were running the course counterclockwise, so I felt so disoriented for the first little bit, thinking that we were headed toward Rhonda Lake. It took me a long time to realize we were going the other way, which is funny because I had looked at the map and saved it to my phone.

The race started with a bunch of uphill, and I was expecting to be dropped immediately by everyone to take off right away, just like what happened at Nimble Bear. But I caught up to a huge group that didn’t seem to be moving, and it was because everyone was taking their time hopping on the pallet that was positioned across a stream that was overflowing from snowmelt. Once I got across, the group started to thin out again, and it stayed pretty thin for the rest of the course.

Justin was trucking along pretty well but I felt like death by the time we got to the first aid station. I was so out of breath and my legs felt like lead. I was still pretty full from breakfast, so I didn’t have anything, other than some water. Then there was more climbing as we headed toward the top of the Exhibition chairlift.

After we got to the top of the Exhibition chairlift area, it flattened out a bit and there was some up and down as we headed towards the second aid station. Now, I wasn’t expecting much at the aid station since this was a pretty small race, and I thought I saw somewhere that said there wouldn’t be much either. But when we rolled up to the table, there was a bunch of different GU gels, ruffle chips, pretzels, and some other treats. That was nice surprise. I forgot to take a picture because I wanted to be done already.

Even though there was a nice spread, I didn’t eat anything and took a gel “just in case”. After we started on the descent towards Rhonda Lake, I immediately regretted not taking some Ruffle chips. Not because I was particularly hungry, but because I love Ruffle chips. A 50k runner came through while we were there and complained about how much hiking he was doing, instead of running. It made me laugh because that’s all I could manage out there, and we were only on the 12km route!

It was smooth sailing after we left the second aid station. There was a quick descent, and we headed towards the finish. The course started to get crazy muddy. I had spent so much time trying to avoid all the mud and muck, but eventually, it was taking too much effort and I started splashing straight through. You have to be careful if you never run in these conditions because your feet can sink pretty deep and take off your shoe.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, this race was super fun. The course was challenging but the views were gorgeous and made it all worthwhile. The weather was agreeable and made it for comfortable racing conditions. The course was well marked with a bunch of little neon MEC signs. You get a 10% discount in-store when you pick up your race bib. There are no race medals for distances other than the 50km distance — and we’re totally OK with that. There was an announcement that we had access to the gondola for the day, which is a nice perk. And we could have hung around the village, but we didn’t feel like it so we just headed out and got lunch downtown. We’re looking forward to the next race of the series at Myra Bellevue!

The post MEC Kelowna Okanagan Trail Race ONE – Big White Resort July 2019 Race Recap appeared first on The Lifestyle Of Us.

Would we do this race again?! Read on and see! This race is part of the Pace Trail Series, put on by Race Director Rene Unser. In my opinion it’s the Kelowna equivalent to Vancouver and area Coast Mountain Trail Series put on by Race Director Gary Robbins. With the Nimble Bear race, medals are home made, and top finishers win home baked apple pies! You had a chance to win a pie through your package pickup, but sadly neither of us “won” any pies.

Race Prep

Nimble Bear 25km was the same weekend as Justin’s birthday. So our family had come in for the weekend to celebrate as well as spectate. You can bet we did the usual wining and dining. We tried to make sure we were eating a lot of carb-rich foods, and stuffing our faces with Haribo gummy candies. They are honestly some of the best food for carbo-loading because they pack so many grams of carbs in such a tiny size!

Race Morning

Since there was a 50km, the 25km runners didn’t have to start the day until 9:30am! This is probably one of the latest morning starts we’ve ever had. We got to wake up at a normal hour, and proceed with our standard morning routine. We decided to have eggs on english muffins, with a slice of back bacon. It was so delicious, and kept me full all morning and about 3/4 of the race! We had coffee, and then walked over to the race start for the race briefing.

Race Start

This part makes me the most crazy. The announcer was warming up the crowds and talking about how this was the first race of the season for many, and asking how many people were prepared. Everyone was laughing about how underprepared and undertrained they were. Well guess what, when the gun went off and we finally cleared the congestion from a bunch of runners trying to squeeze through a tiny gap in the fence separating Rose Valley Park from the elementary school, I was left in the dust!! And left in the dust for most of the day, I was! I would be muttering about that a lot when I was alone on the course.

Race Course

The race course in Rose Valley for Nimble Bear is absolutely stunning. Rose Valley Park is a great place to hike or mountain bike, as well as trail run. It’s a lot of single track, and there are tons of great trails and views. The course start was congested at the beginning because the starting area is adjacent to an elementary school, and then you go through a formal opening in the fence to head into the park. It created quite a bottle neck because people with broad shoulders had to turn sideways and shuffle through.

For the entirety of the race, there would be plenty of 50km runners zip past us since it was a 2-loop course for them. It was incredible to see how fast they ran! I never passed a 50km runner once.

There was a lot of up at the beginning of the race, and we got to run towards this gnarly tree on the top of this hill that always catches my eye. It was a little steep there and I personally felt myself scrambling a bit at times. Weirdly enough, there was a family of 3-4 coming towards us from that area, and I wondered how they had got there as one of them was wearing flip flops!

The course eventually flattened, and then there was a there-and-back/lollipop towards the first aid station. The best thing about trail races are the real food at the aid stations! We’re talking slices of watermelon, candy, chips, pretzels, muffins, ugh the best!!

I recall The City of the the Edge of Forever was the most insane climb ever. This was one point on the race where we were “running” up double black mountain bike trails! Like how insane are trail runners?! While I was struggling to just keep my feet moving up and onward on the million switchbacks, I could hear the sound of clicking approaching behind me. The sound got closer and closer, until I could see it was a 50km trail runner with poles who was RUNNING this ascent. I need to train harder, because I could barely made this hike up, let alone run it! It was amazing to see the sheer strength of trail runners.

Justin waited for me at the second aid station, and we finished the rest of the race together. It was a suffer fest at this point, and we were both getting tired. But it was really enjoyable to run together as we we kept each other entertained, and I managed not to full out cry even though I was on the verge of tears at one point from fatigue and frustration. Eventually we recognized some of the trails we’ve hiked together before, so that was a glimmer of hope that the race would soon be coming to an end.

There was a band playing at the finish line, and the noise was the sweetest sound after 25km of trampling through the woods. We ran the descent and headed towards the flags and Solomon finisher arch. We got hugs from the Race Director, Rene, and chatted with her for a couple minutes before we hobbled away.

Overall Thoughts

We definitely need to put in serious training to give this another go. Way. More. Training. For many years our first race of the year was in May, and Nimble Bear was an entire month earlier. I refused to run outside all winter and since our move, we ran all winter indoors on a treadmill. Kelowna has real winters with snow that sticks around, unlike Vancouver with the rain. I am just not interested in running in snow or icy conditions.

I would like redemption at this race, so we definitely will need to have a structured training plan for when we tackle this race next time. Nimble Bear 25km was hard as hell, but super rewarding because of the effort required as the views that were earned. The snacks/aid stations are also infinitely better than road races which is another great motivator. I’m a little annoyed that the shirts we got with registration run super small, so I’m not sure how much we’ll wear them. But overall, it was a great race. Grass roots, local, well-organized, with a challenging route and awesome views.

The post Nimble Bear 25km 2019 Race Recap – West Kelowna appeared first on The Lifestyle Of Us.