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Dear Friends and Members of Club Fat Ass,
You might have noticed the doors of our "online clubhouse" were closed for a while this month. It wasn't spring cleaning, but rather a nasty computer virus that took the website down. Thanks to Dale Marthaller's persistence and expertise and a lot of behind the scenes efforts of your Steering Committee, everything about the website is back to where it should be. Thank you for your thoughts, suggestions and patience during the downtime.
Technical hiccups aside, your Steering Committee has been busy planning an adventure-packed agenda of spring and summer events for you. Check-out the impressive calendar of trail events this month. For something a bit different, consider an evening of outdoor culture and check out the upcoming Dream of Giants book launch about the Sunshine Coast Trail... then pack your bags for the Marathon Shuffle a 32K run on the Sunshine Coast Trail near Powell River, BC.
Factoid: Hundreds of people from around the world subscribe to this newsletter, but many have never participated in a Club event!
We've heard mere mortals tremble at the thought of running with the Fat Asses. While it's true that some Fat Asses are a little out there on the overachiever scale, most are just like you. If you've been watching from the sidelines, waiting for the chance to run with the big dogs without having to keep up with them, be sure to mark the North Shore Enduro in your running calendar for early May.
At only 7.6 kilometers to the lap over a nice variety of trails, this event is perfect for the beginning trail runner. It's also a great way to expose your kids to the sport without killing them. "I prefer something longer," you say? Divide and conquer by making it a team effort... or keep running for up to 6 hours and try to beat the current solo record of 9 laps!
This will be a special 10th anniversary of the North Shore Enduro. The Enduro is one of the Club's 2 annual open house runs, so first time participants are entitled to a free trial membership. Take the plunge and tell a friend. You can do it!
Happy Trails,
Sibylle Tinsel
Chief Executive Fat Ass
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UPCOMING EVENTS
 Flash - Seymour Sunday. Only two more - North Vancouver, BC, Canada. Join Marc on 90min training runs on the trails around Seymour Mountain. All abilities. Please check the event calendar for upcoming Seymour Sundays or click here. If your friends are not members, this is a great, free way to get introduced to the Club.
Photo left: Marc and Ean during a recent Seymour Sunday at Mystery Falls
 Flash - Quicksilver Spring Run Off. 17 March - Cochrane, AB, Canada. Join Margaret in the Big Hill Springs Provincial Park on a 5km out and back course. Go for as long as you want up to 6hrs. Open to non-members. More details here.
Photo right: Birch Forest in Big Hill Springs Provincial Park. Photo by buzz.bishop on Flickr
Photo left: Snowy trails and blue skies during a past Mountain Highway Madness run.
 Mountain Highway Madness - Spring edition. 18 March - North Vancouver, BC, Canada. This mind-numbing interval session is officially held twice a year. Runners complete one or more 15 km laps (with approximately 1 km or 3,300' of elevation change per lap) on a wide dirt and gravel access road (no traffic). We'll have a couple of runners from Fort St. John join us, so come on out to show them a good time. Details.
 Spaghetti Trees. 31 March - Victoria, BC, Canada. Carlos has kindly agreed to take over hosting duties for this years run and will be showing off the best our west coast has to offer. Find the elusive Spaghetti Trees on the 12km or 16km trail loop run in East Sooke Regional Park. Skip past ancient copper mines and gorgeous west coast vistas. Finish the day with a pint of local micro brew in a 116-year-old pub. Why is it called Spaghetti Trees? We'd love to hear your guesses :). Find out more here.
 Photo right: Refuelling on the trails of the Spaghetti Tree run
Photo left: Magical trails and riggedy bridges on the Sunshine in Springtime course
Flash - Sunshine in Springtime. 7 April - Langdale, BC, Canada. Join Jackie on beautiful Sunshine Coast trails in preparation for the overconsumption that will accompany Easter Sunday to preburn those calories. Logistics are easy with walk on ferry access and an out and back course for any distance up to 24km. Details here.
Photo right: Views from the trails of the Burnaby Mountain course
 Burnaby Mountain Run. 14 April - Burnaby, BC, Canada. Check out the trails around the Simon Fraser University. Great views - weather permitting - and a killer hill! Details here.
A Dream Of Giants - Book Launch Extravaganza. 18 April. Vancouver, BC Canada. Join us for the Vancouver launch of "Dream of Giants", a book about the Sunshine Coast Trail, by Emma Larocque. Eagle Walz, father of the Sunshine Coast Trail and author of "The Sunshine Coast Trail", will cover highlights of the trail and first hand information about the trail and the upper Sunshine Coast area for hikers, runners, canoeists, kayakers, environmentalists and others who might be interested in taking an adventure holiday close to the lower mainland. The event is free for members and non-members alike. More info here.
 Flash - Marathon Shuffle. 29 April - Powell River, BC Canada. A fun, low key shuffle (hike or run) on a 29 km section of the Sunshine Coast Trail. Half Shuffle (12km) option. Hosted by the PRPAWS (Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society), the Powell River Hikers and the BOMB (Bloody Old Men's Brigade) Squad to promote the beauty of the Sunshine Coast Trail. Great trails through old growth, temperate rain forests, along creeks and lakeshore. Magnificent vistas of the Sunshine Coast, adjacent islands, nearby lakes and the city. Free for members and non-members, a donation to PRAWS is suggested. Details here.
Photo left: A group of hikers enjoying the old growth forest on the Sunshine Coast Trail during the Marathon Shuffle
NEWS
Steering Committee. We need your help, ideas and feedback. Now is the time to get off your rear end and start thinking about joining the Club Fat Ass Steering Committee. Please contact Sibylle if you can contribute a little bit of love and enthusiasm to helping manage the club. Our next Steering Committee Meeting will be announced in the Upcoming Events section.
Website Hints and Tips. There are several ways to stay in touch with what is happening at Club Fat Ass. The newsletter is sent out monthly to subscribers and you can subscribe or unsubscribe from your "My Newsletter" setting on you web account. You may also subscribe to new content on the Club Fat Ass website directly, either via the links at the bottom of blog posts or event pages, or via your "Supscriptions" settings on your web account. Our Facebook page and Twitter feed are also great tools to find out about upcoming events and to spread the word.
Contest. We are looking for a new, spiffy background for our Twitter and Youtube accounts. Do you have the creative ideas and skills needed? Winning design wins bragging rights and a Club Fat Ass shirt. Contact Sibylle if you'd like to submit a design.
CFA ON THE WEB
    
PAST EVENT RESULTS AND REPORTS
 For the latest reports and results, please click here.
2012 Travelling Colours Contest. Same contest, same rules, new year. Pictures of your 2012 adventures wearing your Club t-shirt (any colour) can be posted to Flickr following the instructions here.
Photo: Why did this member and his 2012 collectors shirt end up in a snow cave?
2012 Point Series. Up-to-date standings are
here. New member Marc is giving Action Jackson a run for his money by hosting weekly training runs and racking up the points. Learn how to collect points here, or try to pry some secrets from Des the next time you see him at an event!
CAUSES YOUR CLUB SUPPORTS
Club Fat Ass and our members support a variety of charities, causes and events. Please check them out here.
If you have any causes close to your heart and want to raise awareness and/or funds let us know. A number of CFA Event Hosts use their events as fund raisers. Be sure to consider the special section on the Club website that offers ideas on how to raise money for your favorite cause while hosting a free CFA event.
BUSINESS MEMBERS
   
CFA does not sell or otherwise distribute our member list.
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