Race Report by Sharon Zelinski
‘The trail was very long.’ Maybe we had had too much fresh air, maybe we
were giddy from spending yet another long day on the trails, maybe we had spent
too much time recently on the trails.
Wait, that last one doesn’t make sense, it’s
too beautiful in the forest for that to happen.
Helen, Gary, Caroline and I were sitting around the fire in the
Helen changed the course in the first 25k for this year to increase the length of trail and reduce the amount of gravel/hard pack road sections. While this made for more scenic running it also added to the challenge. The Haliburton Highlands certainly lived up to its name with terrain that varied from roots, rocks and dirt/muck and rollers that never seemed to end. No worries about one’s legs going dead from long flat sections!
Mile for mile I believe that the 50k was the most difficult run with the steep trail and what seemed like never ending rocks in the new sections of trail. However, we did get to see some of Snow White’s dwarves enjoying themselves on the side of the river on The Pass.
I was fortunate to meet up with Lynda at about 1 kilometer and Stephanie not long after. Lynda and Stephanie were attempting their first 100 but with their extensive multi-day adventure racing backgrounds I felt like I was the weak link. We had a great girls’ night out and did all the things that all girls should do together: eat, drink, tape our feet, huddle behind trucks at aid stations to re-bag balm, consume more than the recommended daily dosage of Tums and of course pee together. I couldn’t have picked better people to run with and am thankful to have had company to get me through the bad patches. We met with a wonderful reception at the finish line and were piped across the line.
Monica was on a tear this year. Every time she passed us she looked incredibly strong and of course with the ever present smile, positive attitude and words of encouragement. She posted an incredible time to finish first overall. This year the race also had two other first time 100 mile finishers in Jeff and Robert.
Once again, the weather was spectacular. Warm enough in the sunshine to keep the volunteers comfortable but still cool enough in the trails for good running. As an added bonus the weather at night was unseasonably warm allowing you not to have to add any layers as long as you kept moving. The best part is that all of the deerflies are gone for the season and I don’t recall seeing any mosquitoes.
I don’t think I can say enough about the
volunteers. The vast majority of them
drive anywhere from three to six hours to get to the race and stay for the
whole weekend. With no electricity or
running water beyond the start/finish this is definitely above and beyond the
call. We passed by aid station #2 a
total of eight times and each time the Price’s and crew seemed happier to see
us. I recall seeing wine and cheese
along with DVD movies at aid station #3.
Dan Boon decorated each side of the trail with plastic pinwheel flowers
to let us know we were almost at #4. Stories of volunteers doing exotic dancing at #5, the 50k
turnaround. Who can resist the
lure of
A big help for the race once again was from
the crew of
Of course, the race could not take place
without the support from all the sponsors and from The Haliburton
Forest and Wildlife Preserve. Even
though I said never again on the finish line I have gotten over that brief
moment of delirium so if you are looking for a challenging race on beautiful
terrain with the best volunteers in the business look no farther – hope to see
you next year on