Mutha's Nature Trail Run - 2012

7 October 2012 - 5 Starters

Report:  This run has always been blessed with great weather nearly every year, and this year was certainly no exception.

While many others were no doubt away at the Victoria Marathon, a small but hardy group of Fat Asses met under the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge in Vancouver for Mutha's Nature Trail run.

On this beautiful sunny morning we set off just after 9:00 AM. Sibylle was running the 10 km and with two final projects due for school the next day and two final exams coming up the weekend after and work every day in between I had the same intention.

After snapping some starter pictures we started our loop through the park and out onto the Trans-Canada Trail. Sibylle peeled off at the first sign of a washroom, and the four of us continued on. Realising I was the only one who knew the course, and blessed with such beautfiful weather I couldn't help but switch back to the 25 km.

The run was relatively uneventful until we came out to Hastings street where the police has conveniently blocked off all the intersecting side roads along our course! What treatment for such a humble little run. When we arrived at Kask Brothers on the Barnet Highway the real reason for this treatment appeared; a neverending stream of motorcycles participating in the Toy Run from Coquitlam to Downtown Vancouver.

Robert and I managed to dash across in a gap through the motorcycles while Andy and Jeff held back briefly, then there wasn't another gap for some time so we waited while they considered how big of a gap they had to wait for before they went dashing through the chain of motornikes.

Eventually they made it across and we continued on to the Velodrome Trail which has been restored and is now completely clear in comparison to the early days of this run when it was quite grown in and the slopes which have now had staircases installed have degraded.

After a grunt up Burnaby Mountain we were treated to some beautiful views of the city of Vancouver and the North Shore Mountains before heading down to the Trans-Canada Trail again and back to the start. Andy departed us on the way back to pick his kid up from a pool, while the rest continued back to the parking at the start.

This was the last run on this course, it used to be a favourite training run when I lived in East Vancouver. When I started it I had envisioned a much different run over to the North Shore and then up to Elsay Lake via a little known route although the course would have been quite long. Now I live right where I intended to go go up to Mount Seymour and know of a secret parking lot and know the route a lot better. It will be around the same time of year, although I will probably put on a weekend other than Victoria Marathon Weekend.

Other impressions:
The good:  

 

• sparkling sunshine and bright autumn foliage,
• runable trails and splendid views of the north shore moutains and Burrard Inlet
• intense smell of ripe plums on part of the trails, no plum tree in sight

The bad:

• Haven't seen that much dog poop on the trails in a long time...
• lots of "pod babies" plugged in, but tuned out, stomping past without a reciprocal "good morning"
• refinery stink wafting through the first part of the trail

Photos: If you have photos of the day, upload them to the Flickr CFA group, tag them with MuthasNatureTrailRun2012 MuthasNatureTrailRun ClubFatAssEvents  ClubFatAssEvents2012.  All photos will automatically appear in a slideshow posted here after the event:

Please also take a moment and give us your feedback here.

Results:

First Name	Last Name	Event	Points	Time
Robert	Westendorp	25km	1
Jeff	Narver	25km	1
Ryan	Conroy	25km	1+2**
Andy	Healy	custom - 20km	2	2:35
Sibylle	Tinsel	10km	1+1*	1:26

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Event Home | Registration | Backgrounder | Agenda
Course | Thanks! | Results | Contact | FAQ