This is not your average Club Fat Ass event. In fact, it's not an event at all!
The four runners who attempted to run the Sunshine Coast Trail in 2003 and 2004 were Club Fat Ass members. They they wanted to share their experience with others who might want to run the trail in the future. As well, they wanted to leave a legacy that those close to the trail might adopt as a fundraiser or medium for generating awareness of the trail at some point in the future. So, the Sunshine Coast Trail 180 is an event only if you choose to make it one.
If you decide you want to adopt the "event" or run the trail, please refer to the contact page. We'd love to help you!
Also worth noting: Several local trail gurus are making themselves available to help runners and hikers and they will also donate part of the proceeds to trail maintenance....
Powell River Adventures
Your chances of running the Sunshine Coast Trail will improve dramatically if you have local guides and logistical support. The Manager of Powell
River Adventures is Eagle Walz, author of the only book on the Sunshine Coast Trail and someone who has been intimately involved with every known attempt to run the trail. For $5500, Eagle offers up to 3 full days of support from himself and up to 2 assistants and pledges $1000 of this fee to trail maintenance.
You can reach Eagle at walz@shaw.ca
This is the agenda the city boys used in 2004. Use it as a guideline to develop your own:
Friday 2 July 2004 |
|
| 06:00 | Check the weather. Pack the cars. Hit the road from North Vancouver. |
| 07:20 | Ferry to Langdale (arrive 8:00) |
| 10:30 | Ferry to Saltery Bay (arrive 11:20) |
| 12:30 | Arrive Powell River. Final grocery shop and sightseeing |
| 14:00 | Crew meeting. Meet local crew. Confirm objectives. Lund Pub. |
| 16:00 | Get to Sarah Point. Set up tent. |
| 18:00 | Hit the hay |
|
|
|
| 01:30 | Get up |
| 02:00 | Hit the trail |
| 06:10 | Arrive Reference Point (RP) 1 - Malaspina Road (4 hours run time) |
| 07:45 | Arrive RP2 - Homestead |
| 10:55 | Arrive RP3 - Wildwood |
| 12:55 | Arrive RP6 - Haywire Bay |
| 14:30 | Arrive RP7 - Anthony Island |
| 18:10 | Arrive RP6 - Fiddlehead |
| 21:35 | Arrive RP7 - Spring Lake |
|
|
|
| 0:20 | Arrive RP8 - Granite Lake |
| 04:40 | Arrive RP9 - Goat Lake Main |
| 07:30 | Arrive RP10 - Lois Main |
| 13:30 | Arrive RP11 - Saltery Bay Main |
| 22:00 | Arrive RP12 - Finish |
| 23:30 |
Hit
the hay. All of the pubs in Powell River were closed! |
|
|
|
| 06:30 | Sleep in. Pack. Say goodbyes. |
| 07:30 | Ferry to Earl's Cove (arrive 8:20) |
| 10:40 | Ferry to Horseshoe Bay (arrive 11:00) |
| 11:30 | Arrive North Vancouver |
| 20:00 | Hit the hay. |
We opted to run the Sunshine Coast Trail from North to South. General details about the trail can be found on the Sunshine Coast Trail website. Specific details can be found in the book "Sunshine Coast Trail" by Eagle Walz.
It would have been impossible to meet the challenge of running the Sunshine Coast Trail non-stop without aid and crew support.
In competitive trail races, runners receive food, water and medical assistance approximately every 10 kilometers. The team prepared to carry sufficient food and water to run without outside assistance for up to (6) six hours. Aid stations were set up at intervals of 10-30 kilometers wherever road access permitted. Link to a detailed route and crew access table.
The Sunshine Coast Trail 100 was attempted from north to south. General details about the trail can be found on the official trail website. Specific details can be found in the book Sunshine Coast Trail by Eagle Walz.
It would be very difficult to run this trail without an experienced crew. The attached table (scroll all the way down) lists potential access points, distances and other critical information for the run. Locations where outside aid is anticipated are indicated in red.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Sunshine Coast Trail - 04.xls | 26 KB |
The team of Dave Cressman, Ean Jackson, Dom and Wade Repta ran into Saltery Bay together 43h and 50 min after they started. The only runner to run the full lenght of the trail non-stop was Ean Jackson.
Photo Gallery will be added soon.
The trail won!
The Sunshine Coast Trail is a 180 kilometer (118 mile) hiking trail. Located approximately 100 kilometers up the coast from Vancouver near Powell River, British Columbia, Canada, the Sunshine Coast Trail offers some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet. Runners can expect to enjoy rocky coastline, flat and fast trails through old growth forests of Douglas fir and red cedar, nasty, rooty climbs up steep mountains and equally challenging descents. The trail passes through several communities including Powell River. Total vertical gain and loss over the course of the trail is approximately 8,300 meters. In perspective, that is like climbing to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and back twice from sea level.
No one has ever run the entire length of the Sunshine Coast Trail in one go. The objective of the Sunshine Coast Trail 180 is to complete the entire length of the trail from Sarah Point in the north to Saltery Bay in the south within 48 hours. As an additional element of challenge, the aim will be to complete as a team.
Given the extreme nature of the challenge and the number of unknown risks associated with running the trail, it was decided that the event would be attempted as a team. The team was comprised of four of Canada's top ultramarathon runners, triathletes and adventure racers.
Cressman has been running for most of his
life. Although he is drawn to many
sports, running is the one he returns to
time and time again. An elite level
ultrarunner, cyclist, inline skater and
snowshoer, he has competed in the
Marathon des Sables, the
World Duathlon Championships,
North American Snowshoe Championships and several other major events all in a
quest for adventure.
His racing history includes 2 victories at
the
Vancouver Fat Ass 50k, top Canadian at
Marathon des Sables in Morocco, numerous
snowshoe wins, top Canadian at
World Duathlon Championships, OCAA Cross
Country Championship, and many others.
Married with one child and living in Vancouver, BC, Cressman is a Sales Representative in the sporting goods industry. He first thought of running the Sunshine Coast Trail in 1998 and only needed to find the right mix of athletes to pull it off.
"Action" Jackson
(also called "Rain, No Train" Jackson and
other names) is an entrepreneur in the high
technology field, a university professor,
father of 2 and a self-proclaimed endurance
sport junkie. A fat kid, he got into
running in university on a beer bet.
The only team
member who has not competed in the
Marathon des Sables, Jackson has
completed 82 ultramarathon runs, 3 ultra
distance triathlons, 27 marathons and 6
Ironman triathlons. He has been on
Canadian national Duathlon and 100K run
teams, has participated in 2
Ironman Hawaii world triathlon championships and
was a top finisher at the
Western
States 100-mile endurance Run in
California.
Jackson, who lives in North Vancouver, worked with Pacifica Papers in
Powell River as BC Territory Manager for Oracle, a big software
company. He has been vacationing with his family on the Sunshine Coast
for almost 10 years and has dreamt of running the Sunshine Coast Trail
since learning of it's existence.
A recent graduate of the Masters in Environmental Studies at York University, Dom works for Friends of Clayoquot Sound as an Aquaculture Campaigner. His claim to fame is that he is Wade's brother. He says he is ridiculously good looking, but the consensus of the team is that this observation is in the eyes of the beholder. He is a vegan, which means that he is a pain to cook for.
Dom completed the Marathon des Sables in the spring of 2003, a 7-day run across the Sahara desert that is billed as the "hardest footrace on earth." His other accomplishments include top finishes at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, the Mohican 100 Miler, the Haliburton 50 Miler and Ironman Florida.
Having grown up in Ontario, he didn't know where the Sunshine Coast was until moving to British Columbia in 2002.
Wade is a sandbagger. In technical
terms, this means he's a bit less
outwardly confident about his running
ability. He is looking forward to "the
chance to be lost and malnourished on the
Sunshine Coast Trail for a second year in a
row" and is not quite sure what
to do with his puppy, Kaioma, while he's
on the trail.
An ultramarathon runner since 1999, he has
sought out some of the toughest athletic
challenges in the world to test himself.
Athletic highlights include a top 20 finish
in his first 50 mile race, the
Bull Run
Run. He has since earned four top
10 finishes at the 50 km run distance and
has completed two
Ironman triathlons (Canada in 2001 and
Utah 2002.) To date, his greatest
athletic accomplishment has been to complete
the
Marathon Des Sables in Morocco.
Professionally, Wade is a Rehabilitation Consultant and Occupational Therapist, single, who lives in Vancouver. Like Dom, he grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, is a vegan and couldn't find Powell River on a map until learning about the Sunshine Coast Trail.
It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to attempt this challenge without help. Support crew tasks include everything from help with maps and logistics to providing food and water during the run to shuttling people and supplies around the back roads that intersect the Sunshine Coast Trail.
| Crew Captain | Cheryl Picot |
| Powell River Crew | Eagle Walz, Len & Gail Swanson |
| Imported Crew | Paul & Lora Repta (Burlington, ON, Steve & Jany Mitges (Burlington, ON), Jesse Richardson (Vancouver, BC), Mark Fearman & Gary Robbins (Whistler, BC), Tom Mills (Richmond, BC) |
| Film Crew | Angus McLellan, Shay Wilson, Paul Kennedy |
Please refer to the Thanks! page for more information about our crew in 2003 and 2004.
Media Coverage
Trailer from the film "Running Wild" www.highroadfilms.com/films.html
Powell River Peak - 7 July 04
Vancouver Province - 1 July 04
Powell River Peak - 19 August 03
Ultramarathon World - 31 August 03
(Website at
www.ultramarathonworld.com currently down)
Payback Time
The team of four runners who first "bagged" the trail by running it non-stop in 43:50 all strongly believe that they owe a debt of gratitude to the Sunshine Coast Trail and the people of Powell River, BC who maintain it.
To that end, we committed to raising $5000 to help maintain the Sunshine Coast Trail. We have also committed to help raise the profile of the trail. There are 2 reasons why we feel this is important:
In the fall of 2004, we hosted a series of fundraising slide shows on the trail and their adventures. Proceeds from a June 2005 article in "Trail Runner" magazine were also donated to the trail.
Happy trails!
We attempted to run the trail in 2003 and 2004. We would not have stood a chance were it not been for the help we received. Never have so many thoughtful people, done so much in such a short period of time.
This organization is responsible for
creating and maintaining the Sunshine Coast
Trail.
Several of the individuals listed below are PRPAWS members. Wade and Dom Repta, Dave Cressman and Ean Jackson became honorary members in 2004.
Resident in Powell River, Eagle is one of the key people to thank for creating and maintaining the Sunshine Coast Trail. He adopted the crazy city boys and provided them with a wealth of information about every aspect of planning and logistics, helped rally the crew in Powell River and didn't sleep much while the boys were in town both years. More than anyone else, his helping hand has made this accomplishment possible.
Cheryl, our crew Captain, helped keep it all together. She got to hear tall tales of huge running exploits on the drive up and whining and complaining about hurting body parts on the drive home. She cooked, met the team at each aid station, set up aid stations and put band aids where it hurt. She managed the chaos so it appeared to us as if there was none.
Tom was a consistent source of information and encouragement during the planning stage and dedicated his whole weekend to the run and the runners both years. In addition to helping with crew tasks, Tom managed the Fiddlehead aid station. Did you have fun, Tom? "If only every day of my life could be as much fun as it was with your group, well then life would be perfect. I had an absolute blast and memories to last."
Kevin is the only person to run, self-supported, across Canada. In the fall of 2002, he spent a lot of time and energy mapping the Sunshine Coast Trail as a potential venue for a relay race. While limited access along the trail made it tough for a relay, Kevin passed along his information and contacts and provided inspiration for the first run attempt.
The Whistler Boys risked life, limb and their jobs to help flag the trail and pace Jackson through the difficult night section. Always smiling, always positive. Ask Mark how the bugs and the cold were the night he waited 6 hours in the boonies for the runners!
Paul took something like 1200 photographs
over the course of the weekend, so he's to
thank for the visual archives. It
almost didn't happen, though, as Jackson
almost chucked his knapsack with $10K worth
of camera gear into the briny deep at Sarah
Point.
The Film Crew
Angus McLellan, Shay Wilson, Jeff Hagerman and Daniel Hogg slept less than the runners did. They were everywhere, all of the time, filming the comings and goings of the runners. They plan to make a documentary film of the adventure.
Total strangers to us before 9:00 pm on Saturday evening in 2003, we dropped in on Mary and Tom rather than run another 6 hours or more to our tents. They kept us warm, fed us and kept us company in their wonderful floating cabin until we all dozed off from fatigue.
Many thanks to: Gail and Len Swanson, Leonnard, Pat De Leenheer, Donna Kaye Hobbs, Syd Riley, Olga Menzies, Mia Jongkind, John Cogswell, Darlene, Laura Walz, Lynn Jacob for your baking, your help at aid stations, staying up all night to take care of us, driving us around and your generous hospitality
Thanks to Paul & Lora Repta (Burlington, ON), Steve & Jany Mitges (Burlington, ON), Jesse Richardson (Vancouver, BC)
Many thanks to Eileen Grieve and Jeff Kletter of KINeSYS for the prize packs and for making sure everyone was safe from the sun
Brent's Water Taxi
Brent's the man. He got us to the start both years. www.savaryonline.com/Services/SImages/CWT/
Club Fat Ass helped with web hosting and how to organize a safe, fun, environmentally-friendly event.
| Q: | Is this an official event? |
| A: | No... it's a standing challenge. Our team of experienced ultramarathon runners attempted to be the first to run the Sunshine Coast Trail nonstop in 2003 and 2004. The record currently stands at 43 hours and 50 minutes. |
| Q: | Why would you want to run the trail non-stop from start to finish? |
| A: | Because nobody else has. Because in 2003, we challenged the trail and the trail won. Because we're buddies and we enjoy hanging out together. Because we can! |
| Q: | Has anyone else ever tried to run the Sunshine Coast Trail non-stop? |
| A: | No. Our team tried to run it in 2 days in 2003 and failed. Some friends of ours (Sally Marcellus and Rob Lang) successfully ran the trail in sections over 4 days in the spring of 2004. Prior to that, a group of hikers completed it over 7 days (Scott Glaspey, Eagle Walz, Don Krompocker, Bonnie & Johnnie Mercer, Andy Davis) |
| Q: | The trail includes 4750 meters of elevation gain and 3470 meters of elevation loss (8,220 meters of change.) That's like climbing Mount Everest (8848 meters) from sea level. Would you do it again? |
| A: | Probably not the whole thing, but definately sections. |
| Q: | What did you eat? |
| A: | Each team member carried enough food and water to be self-sufficient for at least 6 hours. This food consisted primarily of electrolyte drink, high carbohydrate/glucose gels and sports bars. We meet our crew at various points along the trail. They provided us with 'real' food such as sandwiches, potato chips, cola, beer and whatever else made each individual runner go. For an interesting read, check out our food checklist |
| Q: | What did you wear? |
| A: | We carried the minimum amount of gear possible given the weather. Basic clothing consisted of short sleeve technical shirt, shorts, sox, trail running shoes and a backpack. Each runner carried their own water in either handheld water bottles or in their backpacks. Check out our gear checklist |
| Q: | Do you have any sponsors or financial support? |
| A: | Please see our thanks page |
| Q: | Did anyone help you during the run? |
| A: | Yes. We were blessed with awesome support from the Powell River community, family and friends. It would be tough to think of doing something like this without them. Check out our crew tasks and our thanks page |
| Q: | Sarah Point Marine Park, the start, is not accessible by road. How did you get to the start and what time will you leave? |
| A: | In 2003, we took a water taxi from Lund to Sarah Point at 5:00 am. In 2004, we took the same water taxi to Sarah Point in the afternoon and opted for an alpine start (leaving at 2:00 am) to maximize daylight. |
| Q: | Did you get lost along the trail? |
| A: | Yes, we got lost from time to time. In 2003, we got lost a lot. In 2004, Jackson climbed one mountain he shouldn't have, but managed to find his way back to the trail before Search and Rescue was called in. |
| Q: | Did anyone take photos? |
| A: | Yes. Paul Kennedy, an experienced adventure photographer, accompanied us. We also were accompanied by a team of film makers who plan to make a documentary of this adventure one day. Please see our Results page. |
| Q: | Are there many people out there like you? I mean, 180-kilometers is a long way to drive! |
| A: | Believe it or not, trail running and ultradistance running is becoming increasingly popular. There are approximately 30 running races of 100-mile distance in the United States. Some attract as many as 500 participants. Elsewhere in the world, the 100 kilometer distance is the standard ultradistance run. The 87k Comrades ultramarathon in South Africa attracts almost 20,000 participants. |
The following is a checklist of the equipment and food used by the team during the 2004 run. It is interesting to note that, while all 4 athletes are similarly accomplished, they are fueled by a wide range of foods. Also important to note that Wade and Dom Repta are are vegan, and as such, are restricted to eating foods that do not include animal products. Dave Cressman is vegetarian, so he doesn't eat meat. Jackson likes beer and burgers while he runs.
| emergency sleeping bags (2) - Dave | emergency sleeping mats (2) - Dom |
| bivy sack? | emergency stove, fuel, eating utensils - Dave |
| big camp knife | 4/5 person tent - Jackson |
| FRS radios (2) - Jackson | cell phones (3) - Dave, Cheryl, Wade |
| digital camera - Cheryl | meds kit (see below) |
| water filter (Jackson - Katadyn ceramic) | lighters (2) |
| flares (2) | spray mace for bears (Jackson) |
| iodine/bleach for treating stream water | map kits (2) in plastic bags |
| toilet paper | small emergency flashers (4) Dave |
| whistle (2) | notepad and pen |
| compass | topographic map |
| waterproof map case | space blankets (2) |
| spaghetti | spaghetti sauce |
| beer | salted potato chips |
| boiled potatoes | sea salt |
| pretzels | eLoad (electrolyte powder) |
| freeze dried trail meals | Red Bull (12) |
| hot soup | salt tablets |
| chocolate bars | peanut butter and jam sandwiches |
| syringe | second skin |
| moleskin | ibuprofen / advil (lots!) |
| wet wipes |
|
| sleeping bag | sleeping mat |
| trail shoes (2) | sox (5) |
| shorts (2) | tights (1) |
| short sleeve t-shirts (3) | long sleeve t-shirt (2) |
| nylon wind/rain vest | space blanket |
| ball hat / bandanna / shades | suntan and bug stuff |
| gloves | headlamp / backup maglite / backup batteries |
| light backpack or bottle carrier | sandals |
| energy bars / gels | personal meds |
| wallet | cell phone |
| gym bag / knapsack | pre-post-run gear |
| plate, bowl, cutlery | cardboard box for crew vehicle |
| Vaseline in tube | fleece jacket |
| arm warmers | water bottles + handheld carriers (3) |
| bathing suit / towel | coffee thermos |
| toiletry bag | dirty clothes bag |
(note: Wade
consumed far more food than he usually
would)
| Cliff bars (4) | Cliff shots (12) |
| banana bread | watermelon |
| eLoad | pasta |
| peanut butter sandwich | potatoes (8) |
| gummy bears | salted potato chips |
| red bull (1) | ibuprofen (4) |
| salt tablets (3) |
|
| Cliff bars (1) | Cliff shots (2) |
| banana bread | watermelon |
| eLoad | pasta |
| peanut butter sandwich | potatoes (2) |
| gummy bears | salted potato chips |
| red bull (1) | ibuprofen (4) |
| salt tablet (1) | banana |
| almonds | blackberries |
| jelly beans | lemonaid (1) |
| ice tea (2) | pancakes (3) |
| ginger muffins (1) | latte |
| Cliff bars (1) | Cliff shots (10) |
| eLoad | pasta |
| peanut butter sandwich (4) | potatoes (4) |
| lemonade (2) | salted potato chips |
| red bull (2) | ibuprofen (2) |
| ginger muffins (2) | peanut butter cookies (3) |
| salt tablets (2) | tomato/avocado sandwich (1) |
| tapioca pudding (3) | beef jerky (2 bags) |
| burritos (1) | chewing gum (1 package) |
| donuts (1) | beer, hamburger and French fries |
| peanut butter cookies (8) | salt licorice (3) |
| chocolate bars (OHenry, Mars, Snickers) | power gel (1) |
| eLoad | pasta |
| coffee | potatoes (8) |
| gummy bears | salted potato chips |
| red bull (1) | ibuprofen (3) |
| blueberry muffin | 2 bagels |
| cantaloupe | rice crispy squares (5) |
| almonds | blackberries |
| cinnamon buns (3) | lemonade (5) |
| ice tea (2) | cheese |
| salami | power bars (2) |
| granola bars (4) | landjaeger sausage |
| sesame snaps (6) | dried apricots |
I hope this website does a good job of outlining how we (Dom and Wade Repta, Dave Cressman and Ean Jackson) approached running the Sunshine Coast Trail.
If, after having read the material on the
website, you still feel you want to run all or part of the trail and could use a
few pointers, then by all means complete the form below for a prompt reply.