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2006 Results - Vancouver World Run

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Event Report

Thank you to everyone that participated in the Vancouver World Run on Sunday March 26. And also thanks very much to everyone that was able to come out to the lecture with Jesper Olsen on Friday March 24, 2006. These are events without equal as we were fortunate to have Jesper's World Run Project recounted personally and for the first time in English. I know that we have some amazing runners in Club Fat Ass and Vancouver but arguably none have accomplished anything close to what Jesper did over 662 days, 22 months, almost 2 years and 26,232 km.

The most amazing story I heard of Jesper's entire World Run was his 6 day race at Colac, Australia. After running more than 14,000 km, the very next day he competed in an event with world-class runners. This race challenges participants to run around a 400m track for 6 days. The one that goes the farthest wins a large money prize and incredible admiration. Jesper had the energy and strength to strategize a cunning victory by completing 756.2 km in 6 days, 50km longer than the second place person. This allowed him to fund the balance of his trip across Australia and take a flight to North America. Of course, the day after the race, Jesper continued on his epic adventure and completed a pleasant 31 km run on his way to running across the Great Victoria Desert on his way to Perth. He wrote at the time in his diary, “As much as I appreciated the friendships and intense duels on the track - just as much I began to long for the open roads ahead of me.

Vancouver World Run - View from the back of the pack

The day dawned blustery and grey and I knew it would be my turn to run. My other half just does not like to be out in the rain.

Being my meticulous Germanic self, I showed up at the deserted Centennial Theatre parking lot about 30min before the official start. A small group of enthusiastic runners slowly assembled and huddled around Craig's car. Where was the guest of honour, Jesper, and his host Karl? Luckily Jesper had mentioned Friday night at the presentation that he was not a morning person. A quick phone call threw him out of bed. He looked slightly hung over when he finally hopped out of the car. Where did you take him, Karl?

After a few starter photos we set off and the group spread out very quickly. The eager ultras taking the lead, the steady 25km runners coming next and the cautious 10km runners , consisting of newbies and injured folks forming the back of the pack. I had planned to do approximately five kilometers, by running to the bottom of Mosquito Creek at 16th and Fell and then saying bye to the group and heading home along Mosquito Creek. Maybe it was because the first 3km were downhill, maybe I just had given that Achilles injury enough time to heal, or maybe I just didn't want to leave the Seattle folks to get lost, but I felt good and decided to keep going to the 10km turn around at the end of Bowser. Heidi, from Seattle, and I had never met, and our chat made the km just fly by.

I eventually send Heidi back up that nasty hill along Larson and turned north up the trail system back to my house. As I huffed up along the creek, I felt very happy that the weather was cooperating and my Achilles tendon wasn't giving me any grief. The way things were looking I am seriously contemplating the Burnaby Mountain Run next Saturday. See you on the trails!

World Run Report

"Vancouver saw a truly unique & world class ultrarunner show up for a slide show & a little running this week.

Jesper Olsen, the Dane who (last October) became the first (& so far, only) person to ever run around the world, payed us a visit & presented his amazing tale at the Centennial Theater on Friday night. To say it was amazing & inspirational is an understatement.

Our club sort of adopted him as he ran through Vancouver last year on the cross Canada/US leg of his world run. At that time, it was a simple pot-luck with about 20 people. If you want to read more about him, here's his website. http://www.worldrun.org/index.shtml

Since he was here for a few days, our local Club Fat Ass put on an event that would allow Jesper to see our city & meet a few runners in our ultra community. The idea was to run 50 km...since that was Jesper's average daily run for almost 2 years. Club FA also included a 10km & 25km event so that those that were not yet ready for a pavement pounding ultra could still get a chance to run & hang with Jesper.

It was cooler than expected (by Vancouver standards) at 46 degrees, but it wasn't raining so we were pretty pleased with that. After the group photo in front of the theater (the site of Friday's presentation), about 20 people headed down the road & towards Lions Gate Bridge. The course included some scenic (but flat) trails through North Vancouver, & Stanley Park (relatively flat by Vancouver standards, but apparently not so flat by Danish standards), as well as some gorgeous oceanfront pathways (the seawall), bridges, & even a little bit of beach running (ugh!).

By the time we got over Lions Gate Bridge & through the park, several people had turned around (10km & 25km) & we discovered that there were just 5 of us doing the full 50km. It was a great opportunity to talk with Jesper about his trip, his return home, his life outside of running, etc...I think we asked him a bazzillion questions. Jesper was extremely accomodating & answered everything with enthusiasm & great detail. He was very humble about his achievement, & had some very honest answers about why he had done it & what he had gained from it...as well as his troubles & concerns.
It was either the inspiration or the distraction of great conversation, but Tim, Jesper, & I overshot the turnaround point by about 500 meters...still, our watches showed 1:55:30. I was shocked at the pace. Tim & Jesper seemed to be less shocked (Tim is training for Boston, & Jesper...well, you know). I ran a 45km race last week, so I wasn't sure if I'd feel decent for this one, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity & I was glad to feel in good shape.
Anyway, we turned around at Locarno Beach & retraced our route. As we ran back along the Seawall, we caught up to Karl & Ludo. They had turned around at the appropriate spot & assumed we were ahead (somehow evading them through the bathroom hallways at the sailing club). We told them that, in fact we'd been ahead but distracted.

The group of us stuck together through Stanley Park & back over Lions Gate. Karl & I hung back from the other three (it's a shared sidewalk with cyclists & every marathon clinic on the coast!) & they pulled ahead about 50 meters by the bottom.

For some reason, they took a right turn at the end of the bridge....Karl & I kept straight. Both Ludo & Jesper are unfamiliar with the area, but Karl & I assumed that Tim was still with them & showing them a more scenic way back to the theater (the beauty of Fat A$$ events, is that you can "customize" the course to a certain degree).

Karl & I got back to the finish in 4:01:02...not a negative split, but pretty good considering the last 3km was a steady climb.

What surprised us was that Tim was already at the finish. Not so much that he was ahead of us, as the fact that he was alone. Where was Jesper & Ludo!? Just as we were deciding to send out a search car, we could see their distinctive colored jackets in the distance (one red, one yellow)...They made it back...what happened? Tim had gotten slightly ahead of them on the bridge, & decided to fire his turbo...you know..to see how his Boston legs were holding up (apparently "quite fine, thank you very much"). Ludo & Jesper assumed he had zigged when he had zagged. Luckily, Jesper was pretty used to getting lost during his World Run & figured it out all too easily.

It was a great run with some great folks. If Jesper comes to your city to do his presentation, I would highly encourage you to go see him. He was very entertaining, & his anecdotes & statistics will make your jaw drop (like an active heart rate that went from 130 at the beginning of his world run, down to 65!!!!!! within 4 months). Impressive...& a really nice guy to boot.

Thanks Jesper."

Thanks Craig & Club Fat Ass for a very memorable weekend.

Thanks - Vancouver World Run

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My hope was to make this event totally self-supporting. In other words, do all of the organization myself and also participate. Wishful thinking! It's all about teamwork. Preparation for this loosely-organized event is ongoing throughout the year and a lot of people chip in to make it successful. Please join me in recognizing the following people and businesses:

North Shore Athletics: Thanks for the drawprizes. NSA is also offering you 10% off any regularly priced inventory when you mention in the store that you are a Club Fat Ass member.
TrailRunner: Thank you for the 2 gift subscriptions to your popular magazine as draw prize. Also for offering members of Club Fat Ass a special discounted subscription price
KINeSYS: Thanks for the assortment of body and sun care products to keep all participants protected from the elements.

Agenda - Vancouver World Run

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Best you print this and the course description off if you don't want to get lost! Go to the very bottom of this page and click on "printer-friendly version" for best results

Despite the detailed description and warnings (e.g. If in doubt, read the directions!!), people get lost on the course. Consider it a rite of passage.

This is an informal, environmentally-friendly event. Be sure to print this agenda and the course description and bring them with you as there are no flags, marshalls or other directions. (I recommend you put them in a plastic baggie, as they will otherwise surely turn to mush.) Better yet, train on the course and bring the directions.

Getting to the Start

The start and finish is at the Centennial Theatre at 2300 Lonsdale Ave. in North Vancouver (map). Take the Lonsdale Exit off Highway # 1 and head south (downhill) on Lonsdale. Turn left onto 23rd Street. Turn immediately left again into the parking lot of the Centennial Theatre.

What to Bring?

• own race number (for example, your favorite or most exotic race)
• bring your own aid (if you don't know what that is, better wait another year)
• bring your own official timing system (a watch will do, even if the second hand doesn't work)
• bring a change of clothes and shower stuff for afterward.
• There are showers at the Harry Jerome Rec Centre just across the street from the finish line. Bring some change for the shower drop in fee or your Rec membership card.
• there's no cost to enter if you're a member of Club Fat Ass, but bring a few bucks to buy yourself some junk food along the way and for the finisher party

Post-Run Brunch

• For those left standing, friends and family a post event celebration will be held at the Mosquito Creek Grill at 3:00pm. The Mosquito Creek is about 5 min by car in the Westview Plaza at Westview and Highway #1 . From the finish drive north on Lonsdale Ave. Get on Highway #1 west bound. Take the next exit (Westview) and head north for about 50m. Turn left into Westview Mall. Their telephone number is 604-983-3083. Please note that new license at the Mosquito Creek Grill requires that finisher party attendees be 19+ years old.

Notes

• it's not a race, but we do keep track of your times so you have something to compare to next year
• we hope everyone will run the same course, but won't disqualify folks for getting lost and running extra distance
• this event is not sponsored, sanctioned, permitted or anything else that would qualify it as an official event
• results will be submitted to the the media for the sake of posterity. We often get coverage on the television news. It seems a lot of people think we are nutbars because we do this
• expect rain, some trails, some pavement, some old friends and maybe some new

Background - Vancouver World Run

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Man runs around the world, lives to tell the tale in Vancouver; first-person account set to raise funds for BC Lung Association

Local runners and outdoors enthusiasts of all types are looking forward to meeting the first person to complete a fully documented run around the Earth.  Jesper Olsen, 32 at the time, from Denmark, started running on January 1, 2004, and ran nearly every day until he finished his 26,000 km trek around the world on October 23, 2005.  Vancouverites will have their chance to meet Jesper and hear his story at a presentation on March 24, 2006, at the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver -see www.worldrun.ca.  They'll also have a chance to do the Club Fat Ass run on Sunday March 26 at 9:00 am.

Olsen began his adventure in Greenwich, England, accompanied by Alexander Karatkov from Russia. The two experienced ultra runners took great care to plan the first leg of their trip across Europe and Russia together. An ultra run is any run longer than the standard marathon of 42.2 km.  Olsen’s goal was to run about 46 km per day. The Russian dropped out due injury after their first leg to the eastern end of Russia.

Olsen faced many natural and man-made challenges along the way, including a close call with a Siberian bear and getting caught in a typhoon and earthquake in Japan.  Not to mention long lonely and difficult stretches at times without support.  Fortunately, there were many groups around the world following his progress through his website, www.worldrun.org. Olsen was generously supported by some of them as he went on through Australia, United States, Canada, and Ireland.

On his run through Vancouver, Canada, Olsen was met with a very warm and much anticipated greeting.  His first major stopover was in North Vancouver and included an evening spent with a local group of ultra runners from Club Fat Ass www.clubfatass.com.  According to Olsen, “It turned out to be a very cosy event where I got a lot of stories from their background and the Canadian ultra and adventure community in general.

Course - Vancouver World Run

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FAQ - Vancouver World Run

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Q:	What is the Vancouver World Run?
A:	It's a way to show Jesper Olsen our appreciation for his incredible accomplishment and also show him our beautiful city by taking him on a scenic foot tour.
Q:	Will there be any support on this run?
A:	As usual, you are expected to be self-supporting on CFA runs.  However, if enough people sign up for the 50km then the event host will provide an aid station at the mid point turn around in the vicinity of Jericho Beach.
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Contact - Vancouver World Run

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