2011 - Year 9 - Capilano Canyon Mardigras Night Run

19 February  2011 - Starter Photo
  26 Starters - 26 Finishers

 

A clear, crisp evening greeted night runners as they assembled behind Griffin gym in North Vancouver for the 9th annual version of this winter classic run. Given the low-key nature of this event, participants often take a low key approach to preparing for it.   As co-host of this event, I have observed over the years that my guests frequently overlook minor details. Things like start time, start location and the fact that a headlamp and running shoes are good things to bring along.   

 

While nobody won the Mike Parks "Oh, I forgot it was a night run" Award for neglecting to bring something along to light-up the dark trails, Baldwin deserves an honorable mention for forgetting to check his headlamp batteries before arriving at the start this year.  Maureen and Christine arrived plenty early, but were surprised to find no runners milling around the Cleveland Dam parking lot, while Wendy and at least one other person showed up at the start of the summer night run course. 

 

In spite of the minor start line dramas and talk of various species of cougar being spotted in the neighborhood, most of us did manage to set off promptly at 6:30 pm. The pace of both short course and long course groups was initially brisk, especially for those who opted to wear shorts. Given they had run anywhere up to 3.5 hours already today, Kristin, Wendy and Ryne and I agreed to keep our pace on the long course to something that would get us back to the finish in around 1:45 hours.  It didn't take us long to get warmed up as we made our way through the secret trails of the North Vancouver urban jungle. It was interesting to see the headlamps of runners on the short course lighting the forest as we dropped down onto an obscure section of single track along the wall of Capilano Canyon.  Also of note was the metallic, almost melodic sound of the spillway on Cleveland Dam being opened as we ran in the neighborhood of Grandpa Capilano. Kristen described the sound as being almost like that of whales conversing. 

 

Our group arrived at the finish seconds behind the last finishers of the short course and it was all high-5s.  As we headed to the cars, we spotted a coyote heading back down the trail.

 

The tradition of the MardiGras version of the Capilano Canyon Night Run sees us head over to the local rec center where we warm up in the hot tub and sauna and frolic in the pool until we are thrown out. The rec center was closed for maintenance this year, so the potluck party started early. A blazing fireplace and the scent of great food welcomed us for the final leg of the event. Kelly and Ran were first to claim a seat in front of the fire. They were thawed-out and roasted to perfection within a half-hour.  

 

Several new Club members and night runners were acknowledged and welcomed. Thanks to Kintec and TrailRunner Magazine, many night runners came away with hardware, but I had to dig deep for award categories as nobody apart from Conroy got lost (he always gets lost, so is DQ'd from winning) or injured.  Navid and Kristie got a well-deserved round of applause for setting up a great aid station and Ron Adams, who offered his back yard, was also recognized. Carlos the Jackal, who ran from Victoria, traveled the farthest to get to the start line. He challenged us lower-mainlanders to come over to the Island and join him at either the Elk Beaver Ultras, the Full Monty, or both. Other members shared details about the runs they were hosting over the next few weeks. It impressed me how the Club has grown over the past few years and how so many members are sharing their love of running and their favorite routes with others.

 

A big, fat "Thank you!" to everyone who contributed to the potluck buffet and congratulations to everyone who joined us.  'Hope to see you back in August for the Midsummer Night Dream edition of this night run.

 
Your Event Co-Hosts
Sibylle and Jackson

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