My First Full Marathon Shuffle

The Marathon Shuffle on the Sunshine Coast Trail has a long history in our house.  ActionJackson is intimately familiar with it, having attempted to run the trail in its entire length - 180km - in 2003 and again in 2004.  This story has been featured in Shay Wilson and Angus McLellan's documentary, XS-NRG and if you can make the next screening, I can highly recommend it.

Mercifully, the Marathon Shuffle only covers 29km of the Sunshine Coast Trail from Malaspina Road just south of Lund to the Shingle Mill Pub in Powell River.  Since Ean's attempt on the full 180km we have made the trip to the Shuffle a few times, but having kids in tow who were able to hike the 12km Half Shuffle, but not quite yet the full enchilada, I was never able to participate in the long course.   This year, the run attracted a few out-of towners, among them said film makers, Shay and Angus, who were in town for the world premier of their documentary.  They also signed up for the Half Shuffle and offered to drag my kids along...I was free to run the Full Shuffle...but was I ready?

As the hail and cold rain pounded down on Saturday, I questioned my sanity.  I hadn't run more than 2 hours in one stretch for a while and my training was rather sporadic...more centered around "I should let that Achilles tendon heal and not run, but ok, I'll join you for 3 hours...".  We stayed with North Shore Rescue's Alan McMordie, who has a cabin on Okeoverarm just down from the start of the Shuffle.  I was happy to watch the weather from the warm living room, but Alan dragged Ean, Erik and me out on a little walk around the peninsula before we headed to the Patricia Theater to take in the movie (more about that in another post).  Seeing the trail in the documentary, got me psyched...still the rains were coming down and not very encouraging.  

The morning dawned with yet more rain.  I got Ean and the kids off in time to meet Shay and Angus to carpool to the respective starts (the Half Shuffle starts at roughly km 17 of the Full Shuffle).  Lots of logistics, but it all worked out.  Because Alan and I were so close to the start, we ended up almost missing it - unexpectedly, Eagle had all the car poolers lined up in time for the 9:00am start.  It was still drizzling when we set out on the single track trail, but the temperature was considerably warmer than the day before.  

I fell in with a group of women, who were about my speed and pushed eagerly up the mossy trail.  Should I hang on or should I fall back to adjust my pace to my lack of training... I decided the latter and soon found myself alone.  The trail was perfectly marked with permanent trail markers (orange metal diamonds on trees) and beautiful wooden trail signs - a good thing since my course description was sitting forgotten in the car.  After the first long uphill the trail followed a wider, muddy track down toward a lake.  I heard voices in the distance, but didn't see anybody until reaching the first aidstation.  It was great to see Tom Mills there, who covered multiple  aidstations, took photos and somehow kept me up to date on the where abouts of Ean, who was also running the long course, and my kids

The rains had stopped and the forest started to steam.  I was definitely overdressed in long tights and the yellow CFA shirt.  Water droplets were glistening in the sunlight as I made my way past giant cedars and ancient Douglas firs.  Some of the biggest trees even had names, carved on wooden signs.  I never forget the frog concert when I approached Big Sliammon Lake. 

Somewhere along the route Debbie Tait, who lived in Powell River all her life, but had never run the trail, caught up to me.  She started running fairly recently, and inspired by Eagle and her dad, finally committed to explore the local trails and complete the Marathon Shuffle.  Her company and our chit chat was certainly appreciated by me.  We both didn't quite know how far away the "Half Point" aka 17km mark was as the route turned and twisted high above Appleton Canyon.  How the trailbuilders had managed to rig up the beautiful bridges over the countless creeks is beyond me.  Some of the spans could easily be considered art work.  At a particular mystical spot along Appleton Creek a perfectly carved bench invited us to rest, but we pressed on... I had a ferry to catch.  Weaving away from the canyon, we finally reached the 17km mark and another aidstation.  A welcome sight, and those oranges were delicious. 

The second half of the route was familiar to me.  And oh, how I suddenly remembered how much more technical the path to the finish was from now on.  The trail was still well defined and marked, yet more rooty, rocky and muddy.  I also have the suspicion that there were more ups and downs.  Time wise, I took about the same time for the first 17km than for the last 12km...of course, I hadn't trained the distance and started to feel a bit tight in my hips.  It was also a bad day for my asthma...and I forgot or lost the inhaler.

There were lots of ups and downs along Little Sliammon Lake before finally reaching the new shelter and another aidstation.  The cheerful guys there had built a fire and looked ready to settle down.  After a brief discussion around finding the correct trail - the old trail that I remembered was gone and in that direction loomed a huge, sad clearcut - we settled on the new trail parallel to the scar in the forest.  This used to be my favorite grove on the Half Shuffle.  I remembered hiking it with my kids the first year we had come up.  Eagle had told us that the ribbons around the trees meant they were marked for logging.  I was very happy, when the trees were still there the following year...unfortunately they are gone now.  Teasingly, the logging company had left a handful of giants behind. Vulnerably reminder, looking forlorn and surely going to be victims of the next wind storm.  This is the reason, Eagle and the BOMB Squad guys are building and maintaining the Sunshine Coast Trail.  Connecting the last groves of old growth stands, they hope the trail will bring the slaughter to the attention of more people...and once the trail is on the tourist map and known beyond Powell River it will be harder to just come in and tear the forest to pieces.  For now, our little group, Gail and another guy had caught up to us, is shocked and unusually quiet.

Just before the last aid station Debbie started to charge ahead.  I knew a big hill - Scout Mountain - was waiting to be climbed before the final descent to the Shingle Mill and I let her go.  One step in front of each other, about ten false peaks before we finally reached the top and cherished the magnificent views across Powell Lake, the ocean and endless green hills.  Hummingbirds buzzed my yellow shirt as I gingerly climbed over slippery, mossy rocks closer to the finish line.  The sun was blazing down on Arbutus trees lining the bluffs.  One last short hill on a gravel road through a former clear cut.  When I had been here for the first time, only little shrubs covered the scar in the landscape, now the trees were several meters high.  

One last turn on a single track zig zag downhill.  My watch told me that I had 5 min to finish in under 6 hours.  My legs told me to walk... I passed a pair of Half Shuffle hikers and their tiredness gave me the last push of energy.  I reached the finish, Eagle's table with trophies in the Shingle Mill parking lot, with 3 minutes to spare.  Both my kids and Action Jackson were happily greeting me.  Yeah!  We all made it and will sure be back next year.