Mountain Highway Madness - Fall

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When and Where?

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Event Registration - Mountain Highway Madness


Thank you for registering online and in advance.

This is a Club Fat Ass (CFA) event, so we adhere to CFA event management guidelines and privacy policy. Please complete the whole form. Your personal information is needed to make sure I spell your name right in the results and so I can contact you... or your next of kin! The other information helps me to plan any aid or post-event activities. Please help me to host a safer, better event by registering early and by notifying me if you can't make it. I'm constantly looking for ways to improve, so please share your thoughts or questions with me in the Suggestion Box below. After you click on "submit" below, your registration details will be confirmed.

Ean Jackson - Your Club Fat Ass Event Host

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Agenda

Mountain Highway Madness - Sunday 8 September 2013

06:00? Get up. Check the weather. Print off this agenda so you can be sure to find the start.
07:00 Arrive at the end of Mountain Highway, North Vancouver. Find a parking spot. Allow 15 minutes to get to start. Check-in.
07:20 Welcome and final briefing
07:25 Photo?
07:30 Start
08:30 First lap finisher
09:30 Second lap finisher? (and so on...)
12:00 Lunch at the Mosquito Creek Grill for all who are interested and not still running


How to get to the start?

From Highway #1 in North Vancouver, take the Lynn Valley Road exit heading north toward the mountains. At the lights just past the big mall, turn left onto Mountain Highway. Follow it to where it ends.

Note: This is a residential area that is heavily used by weekend warriors. Permits are required on the streets close to the start and many others nearby have 2-hour parking restrictions, so expect to walk a few blocks to the run start. Plan to get there at least 15 minutes early so you make the official start. Don't park in a permit area unless you really want a ticket as the parking folks are aggressive.

Javascript is required to view this map.

What to Bring?

Bring your own food. There is a water tap at the start, but be prepared in case it is out of service.

Bring your own official timing system (a watch will do, even if the second hand doesn't work.) There will be a pen and paper to record your split times.

Bring a change of clothes for afterward.

Post-Event

For those left standing, a post event celebration will be held at the Mosquito Creek Grill starting around noon. The Mosquito Creek is about 10 minutes in the Westview Plaza at Westview and Highway #1. Their telephone number is 604-983-3083. Please note that the license at the Mosquito Creek Grill requires that finisher party attendees be 19+ years old.

Other Notes

A lap is 15 kilometers return (approximately 7.5 km up and the same down unless you inexplicably get lost).

If you want to go down in the records, please record your split times (time to top, time back to start) on the sheet provided at the lunch rocks.

This event is not sponsored, sanctioned, permitted or anything else that would qualify it as an official event.

Mountain weather can be unpredictable. Please plan for rain and cool even if it's looking clear when you get up.

Course

Here's a trail run you really have to try hard to get lost on!

Old Mountain Highway is wide. The surface is a bit rocky, but not in the least technical. There's a constant grade, but the entire course is runable for most runners in decent shape. There's very rarely any vehicular traffic and the mountain bikers are friendly if you don't taunt them as you run by. The air is fresh and and there are lots of grouse (thump! thump! thump!) and woodpeckers (tap! tap! tap!) to keep you company. If you see a bear or coyote, clap your hands. They will either run back into the woods or eat you.

Start at the concrete water tap next to the waterfall, just past where the pavement of Mountain Highway ends and the dirt of Old Mountain Highway begins. You are timing yourself, so be sure to start your watch.

Run up the dirt road until it starts to flatten out and the forest canopy opens up. You will reach a stone quarry on your right. The official 1/2 way point for timing purposes is the big boulder that is partially buried in the dirt opposite the entrance to the quarry. If you don't care about the seconds, take your split time at the entrance to the quarry. Be sure to note your split time somewhere if you want to go down in history.

Turn around and run back to the fountain. Take your time when you touch the fountain and be sure to write it down on the timing sheet. Repeat until you can't anymore.

 

Results

Trail runners, especially ultrarunners, have long recognized Old Mountain Highway in North Vancouver, British Columbia, as a great place to train.

The inaugural Mountain Highway Madness was hosted on 7 April 2001 by Ean Jackson as a training exercise for the Diez Vista 50k trail run. There were 6 starters, and 7 finishers. Given almost all of Old Mountain Highway was covered in snow in April 2002, the event was cancelled. On Easter Sunday (20 April) and again on 18 May 2003 records fell in almost every category. A little more structure was subsequently added to the event in the form of this website and more formal record keeping.

Mountain Highway Madness is now held twice a year. The dates were chosen to make this even a great last training run for those participating in the Diez Vista and Silvertip 50 kilometer trail races.

The Glory

There's no trophy, t-shirt, ball cap or shiny car for the fastest or the last one left standing. Bragging rights are, however, available to those who are prepared to earn them:

Bragging Right

Accomplishment

Platinum 4 or more round trips
Gold 3 or more round trips
Silver 2 or more round trips
Bronze 1 round trip
Raspberry an incomplete lap

2013 - Year 10 - Fall Mountain Highway Madness

8 September 2013 - 11 Starters

 

The odometer rolled-over on Mountain Highway Madness this year.  I thought I’d propose something a bit different for the 10th anniversary.  Why don't we make it a group run and bag a peak while we're at it?

Eric was all for it.  Unfortunately for him, he showed-up a day early.  (Ha, ha.  Gotta read the agenda, Eric.  Did you earn trash points?  =;-)

Swad had to be different.  He signed-up to do laps.  "How many laps you going for, Swad?", I asked.  "Oh, I don't know", he answered.   He didn't appear to have any food and he was going solo.  I figured him for 2.

It was nice to see the familiar faces and great to see several new fat-asses.  Cressman and his gang came from East Van.  Frank came all of the way from South Africa! 

We started promptly at 7:30.  The fast folks took off as a group, but no worries... I was the only one who knew how to find the trail to the peak of Fromme, so they had to wait.  Swad had a big smile on his face and looked fresh as he made his way downhill.  A large group waited at the turnaround... an abandoned stone quarry.   I offered bonus points to whoever grabbed a rock for my rock wall project, but got no takers.

Bill's Trail is a lesser known, runnable gem that leads to the summit from the quarry.  We had barely changed gears from gravel road to single track when I let out a holler, "Purple Corts!"  Rick, Cressman and some of my other frequent trail companions shook their heads, but I believe most of the others were startled when I abruptly stopped to photograph several large, velvety purple mushrooms just off the trail.  Yes, after a summer of dry heat, the recent monsoons and warm, humid weather were perfect for mushrooms... and there were gobs of good ones (3 types of yummy boletes!) at higher altitudes.

It was a mob scene at the summit of Mount Fromme.  By my reconning, a Bagger Challenge world record for the most people to simultaneously bag a peak!  Given the fog, there was not much of a view, but we did find an ammo box full of cool stuff (geo-cache).  Only 2 people had signed the log since Bill's Great Peak Ascent last year.  I noted the occasion, but had nothing special to trade.

Rather than take the same trail back, we opted to take a longer route back to Mountain Highway via a secret lake.  Rick calls it Leech Lake.  There were no takers for a skinny dip.

The descent was steep and super-slippery.  It’s a miracle nobody broke an ankle.  I shared the story about the time Bill and I got off the trail and spent several hours whacking through devils club somewhere to the east of this trail, but being concentrated on their foot placement, I don’t think anyone heard it.

Back on the dirt road, the fast boys cranked it up and took off.  There were lots of mountain bikers heading up as the rest of us headed-down.  There was some discussion about dropping in at the Van Tan Club as we neared the bottom of the hill, but concensus was that we were overdressed in our running shorts and tech t-shirts.   Near the bottom, the group I was with added another special bonus to the run and took a new mountain bike trail in for the last 500m.  Apparently, we missed seeing Swad head up for lap 3.

All-in-all, a fine day to be on the trails.  Congrats to all who did a lap and bagged a peak on the 10th anniversary run... and a respectful tip-of-the-hat to Jim Swadling, who joined the elite few to have gone platinum (4 laps... 60K) on water and cold pizza!!!

Ean Jackson
Host of the Fall Mountain Highway Madness

PS  Congrats to Frank for winning a purple heart for twisting his ankle and for travelling the farthest.  You get a subscription to Trail Runner Magazine!

PS  Please post your comments, impressions, corrections to the results and feedback via the comment link below.


Photos can be added to the CFA Flickr group, tagged with  FallMountainHighwayMadness2013 FallMountainHighway ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvents2013


 

Post Event Survey:  Please take a moment to give us your feedback with this Post Event Survey.
 

Results:

First Name Last Name City Age Event Points Total Time Lap 1 Lap 2 Lap 3 Lap 4
Jim Swadling North Vancouver 60-69 45km - 4 loops 2         5:39   46:54 - 35:23 - 1:22:17 44:07 - 34:30 - 1:18:37 46:03 - 36:19 - 1:22:22 59:19 - 36:24 - 1:35:43
Dave Cressman Vancouver 40-49 custom 2 2:42        
Rick Arikado Vancouver 50-59 custom 2 2:48        
Ean Jackson   50-59 custom 1+2 ** 2:48        
Paul Kennedy Vancouver 40-49 custom 1 2:50        
Frank BulkMan Wimberley North Vancouver 40-49 custom   2:53        
Marc Schmitz North Vancouver 30-39 custom 2 2:53        
Karen Shaw Vancouver 30-39 custom 2 2:53        
David Weightman Vancouver 40-49 custom   2:53        
Craig Fava North Vancouver 40-49 custom 2           2:48        
Eric Rannaud Burnaby 30-39 custom 2 mistakenly ran yesterday        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

















 

 

* Bonus point for garbage collection

** Event Host points
 

 

 

 

 

All Time Record Book

This is a record of top finishes at Mountain Highway Madness listed by medal category and time. Thinking about doing MHM and wondering how you might rank? Done MHM in the past and wonder how your time stacks up against others who came before you? Interested in knowing if you're getting older or getting better? Check out the stats!

Platinum - 4 or more Laps

Lap 1 Lap 2 Lap 3 Lap 4 Time Name Date

52 / 38
1:30

54 / 38
1:32
55 / 40
1:35
65 / 45
1:50
6:27

Geoff Palmer

11 Sep 04

           Berglind Hafsteindottir 10 Sep 06

Gold - 3 Laps

Lap 1
(up/down/total)
Lap 2
(up/down/total)
Lap 3
(up/down/total)
Time Name Date
42:00 / 31:56
1:13:56
43:48 / 30:59
1:14:47
44:13 / 30:24
1:14:37
3:43:23 Wendy Montgomery 18 May 03
           

Silver - 2 Laps

Lap 1
(up/down/total)
Lap 2
(up/down/total)
Time Name Date
45:00 / 43:00
1:08:00
23:00 / 26:00
1:09:00
2:17:00 Brian Bjornson 20 April 03
 0:43/0:25/1:08  0:48/0:33  2:29  Ellie Greenwood  13 Sept 09

Bronze - 1 Lap

Up Down Time Name Date
34:46 22:07 0:56:53 Ryne Melcher 13 Sept 09
 :43  :25  1:08  Ellie Greenwood  13 Sept
09

 

 

 

2012 - Year 9 - Fall Mountain Highway Madness


9 September 2012
16
Starters (photo sans Rachel, Killaine and Craig)


Perfect fall running weather greeted those who trudged-up the paved Mountain Highway just before 7:30.

As we milled about the start line waiting for stragglers, several starters claimed Club points for collecting trash.  This made me wonder... if all trash collected by CFA members at CFA events was placed end-to-end, how long would the row of trash be?
 
This was probably the last CFA run longstanding Club member and host of the North Shore Enduro, Andy Nicol, would participate in for a while.  We joked about how small the hills were in Florida.  Andy countered that St. Augustine gets a lot of sunshine, so at least for those who don't like running in the rain, there's a lot more running to be done.  I dedicated today's run to Andy.
 
Runners quickly broke into 3 groups:  the fast boys from over town, those out for a good workout, and those who wished they were still in bed.  After participating in the GranFondo Whistler the day before and helping some nutty friends with an aid station around midnight, I definitely felt I could have slept in.  However, I was reminded of the "no whining rule" so I dug deep and tried to keep up with Jeff, a newbie out for a first run on Mountain Highway.
 
Time passed quickly as Jeff and Robert debated what was the best marathon for getting a Boston qualifying time.  Was it the new and improved Vancouver International Marathon? Victoria?  Kelowna?  Maybe Portland?  Maybe it wasn't the profile of the marathon that had to change for a faster time, maybe it was the training that went in beforehand?  This lead us to an analysis of training on the roads vs. trails and why the particular route that we were running on this morning was one of the best training venues in the lower mainland for long distance runners.  Here's what we came up with: wide dirt and gravel road, consistent grade that is not too steep, clean air, safe, can't get lost, peaceful, works the VO2 max on the uphill, tenderizes the quads on the downhill.  Also, it's nice to see faster and slower runners in the same event.
 
I noticed a beautiful, new concrete picnic table about 1/2 way to the turnaround under a sign "For Ladies Only".  Which ladies would hike up here for a picnic?  (Yes, I know FLO is a black diamond mountain bike trail, but had to wonder if this was a cooincidence.)
 
Dave Cressman was on fire when he passed us going downhill.  What's he on? For a tired old guy, Andy Nicol looked great only a few paces behind Dave, and Paps and Barry were within striking distance of Andy.  Would a new world record for the fastest lap at Mountain Highway Madness be set today?
 
We didn't see Marc at the turnaround.  He decided to continue running uphill to the top of Fromme Mountain.
 
"This is a lot easier going down", noted Jeff the newbie, after we touched the "turnaround rock" and headed back to the start.
 
Too bad Karl or John didn't catch us going down.  It turns out Jeff is a beer connoisseur.  They would have enjoyed the discussion about barley wine, IPAs and stouts that pair best with cheesecake.  Apart from exchanging high-5s with John, Paul and Rochelle along the way, our little pace group was barely conscious of the downhill leg.  Funny how time flies when one finds a topic that everyone in the group is passionate about!
 
Given none of the runners out today was interested in doing more than 2 laps, we moved the finisher get-together forward over an hour and, instead of a beer and a burger, had a coffee and cinnamon roll.  Thanks to Trailrunner Magazine, we awarded a subscription to the popular running magazine to newbie Jeff before wrapping up our little get-to-gether.
 
No new speed records were set this morning.  Congrats on bagging another peak, Marc.  Thanks for the push, Robert and Jeff.  Bon voyage, Andy... 'hope to run with you in Florida one day soon.  Congrats on getting out of bed to all who participated in the run this morning... I hope you had a great time in the north shore woods!

 

Ean Jackson
Host of Mountain Highway Madness

PS  Please post your comments, impressions, corrections to the results and feedback via the comment link below.

Photos can be added to the CFA Flickr group, tagged with  FallMountainHighwayMadness2012 FallMountainHighway ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvents2012
 

Post Event Survey:  Please take a moment to give us your feedback with this Post Event Survey.
 

Results: 

First Name Last Name Event Points Lap #1 Up/Down/Total Lap #2 Up/Down/Total Total Comments
Dave Cressman 30km - 2 loops 2 41/30/1:11 41/28/1:09 02:20  
David Papineau 30km - 2 loops 2+1* 43/32/1:15 41/29/1:10 02:25  
Barry Berg 30km - 2 loops 2 43/33/1:16 46/36/1:22 02:38  
Karl Jensen 30km - 2 loops 1 //1:37 //2:06 03:43  
John Machray 30km - 2 loops 1 //1:45 //1:58 03:43  
               
Andy Nicol 15km - 1 loop 2 41/30/1:11   01:11  
Andy Healey 15km - 1 loop 2+1* 49/37/1:26   01:26  
Jeff Narver 15km - 1 loop 1+1* //1:31   01:31  
Ean Jackson 15km - 1 loop 2+2**+1* //1:33   01:33  
Robert  Westendorp 15km - 1 loop 1 //1:33   01:33  
Craig Moore 15km - 1 loop 2+1* 57/ 39 /1:36    01:36 late start
Paul Burns 15km - 1 loop 1 / /1:44   01:44  
Rachel Fouladi 15km - 1 loop 2 1:28/47/2:15   02:15 late start
               
Marc Schmitz custom - Mt. Fromme 2     02:30  
Sibylle Tinsel custom - 11km 2+1*     01:31  
Killaine Sharman custom -start 1     00:15  
               
Louise Pedersen DNS -1        
Tanis Speers DNS -1        

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Bonus point for garbage collection

** Event Host points
 

 

 

 

 

2011 - Year 8 - Fall Mountain Highway Madness


11 September 2011 - 10 Starters (photo sans Rachel and Sibylle)


Report: coming soon.


Ean Jackson
Host of Mountain Highway Madness

PS  Please post your comments, impressions, corrections to the results and feedback via the comment link below.

Photos can be added to the CFA Flickr group, tagged with  FallMountainHighwayMadness2011 FallMountainHighway ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvents2011

Here is a slideshow of photos posted so far:

Post Event Survey:  Please take a moment to give us your feedback with this Post Event Survey.
 

Results: starter list posted below. Results will be posted as runners finish.  Please let us know your times, # of laps and if you collected garbage points.
 

 

First Name Last Name Event Points Time 
Adrian Powell 30km - 2 loops 2 1:50
         
Ean Jackson 15km - 1 loop 2+2**+1* 1:32
glenn pace 15km - 1 loop 1+1* 1:32
Des Mott 15km - 1 loop 2+1* 1:35
John Machray 15km - 1 loop 1 1:50
Liza Flemming 15km - 1 loop 1+1*  1:07 up/0:48 down
Craig Moore 15km - 1 loop 1+1*  1:07 up/0:48 down
Rachel Fouladi 15km - 1 loop 2  
Rick Arikado custom walk 7km 1 52min up/ 43 min down plus a 1hr36min detour up&dn Fromme from the quarry.
Sibylle Tinsel Custom walk 7km 2+1* 1:10
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
* Bonus point for garbage collection
** Event Host points
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2010 - Year 7 - Fall Mountain Highway Madness


12 September 2010 - 7 Human Starters + 1 Hound


By definition, anyone who participates in Mountain Highway Madness is mad. Not mad at the world... I mean nuts mad: Crazy, bonkers, out of their gourd mad. What same person would want to run up a big mountain, turn around and run back down, then repeat until they are too exhausted to even drool? 

For the past seven years, however, crazy folks have shown up at the start line all smiles and full of piss-and-vinegar to take on the challenge, both in the spring and in the fall.
 
This year, there was much madness and a touch of sanity. 
 
Some background: The boys from Kintec (Graham and Ryne) were trash talking themselves blue in the face about who would win their best 2/3 grudge match in the runner vs. biker category. Alex would come out for his first club run and Rick was down for 3 laps.  Jason Eads from St. Louis flew in with the intention of setting a new world record of five (5) laps. Laurie Alexander of Vernon promised to try and beat Jason to the record if only I would provide her with a good red wine at the aid station. Why not? Red wine for Laurie and cheeseburgers with no condiments for Jason it was. 
 
The excitement in the air was almost palpable leading up to the start of the Fall Mountain Highway Madness. When I got up just after 6:00 am, the precipitation was definitely palpable... in fact, when I looked out from my bedroom window, it was as if I was peering out from behind a waterfall.
 
It is a well-known fact that I am not a big fan of running in the rain. If I were not hosting this Vancouver running classic... and if I didn't care about kicking ass in the Club Fat Ass Club points series, I would have done the sane thing and gone right back to bed. But I was and I did, so I sucked it up and put on two club t-shirts in the hope of getting some protection from the rain and the cold.
 
It is also a well-known fact that I have been found guilty of embellishing the facts from time to time, especially as it concerns my understanding of a given trail route or the size of the bear I had to wrestle in order to get at the best blueberries... but I do not exaggerate when I say it was ugly at the start of the run this morning. It was dark. It was cold.  It was pissing with rain. My knee hurt and my guts were grumbling after having eaten too many hot chilies the night before.  With 5 minutes to go before the start, I was alone in the woods, soaked to the skin and I should have dressed warmer, even though I was wearing 2 long-sleeve shirts, a nylon vest, a hat and wool gloves!
 
At exactly 7:30, a ragtag group of true nutters toed the invisible start line at the water fountain. I mumbled "good luck" to all and officially started the run. 
 
Sibylle and I made it about 250m before calling it a "custom" effort and heading back to the car. Jason, who is used to the heat of Missouri, figured it could have started to snow at any minute at the turnaround, so kept running down, past the start to his car and the first available coffee shop.  Reagan was with him to the finish and John, for his warmup to the Pine to Palm 100-miler, called it at one.  Rick, a glutton for punishment, went for 2 and Alex, in his first Club event, did a double with a bit extra.
 
My sincerest congrats to all who started. You are certifiable!  To those who didn't show up, I hope you thought good thoughts of us wackos from the comfort of your nice, warm bed!

Many thanks to Kintec, the Mosquito Creek and Trail Runner magazine for the support. 


Ean Jackson
Host of Mountain Highway Madness

PS  Please post your comments, impressions, corrections to the results and feedback via the comment link below.

Photos can be added to the CFA Flickr group, tagged with  FallMountainHighwayMadness2010 FallMountainHighway ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvents2010

Here is a slideshow of photos posted so far:

 

Post Event Survey:  Please take a moment to give us your feedback with this Post Event Survey.

Results: starter list posted below. Results will be posted as runners finish.  Please let us know your times, # of laps and if you collected garbage points.
 

First Name Last Name City Event Points Lap1 Lap 2
Rick Arikado Vancouver 30km 1   1:32:39  3:07:26
Alex Gibbs Vancouver 30Km+ 2    3:30
Jason Eads Kirkwood 15km 2+1  1:32:39  
Reagan White Vancouver 15km 2+1  1:32:39  
John Machray North Vancouver 15km - 1 loop 1  1:50  
Ean Jackson North Vancouver custom 2+2+1 15min  
Sibylle Tinsel North Vancouver custom 2+1 15min  
             
Graham Archer Coquitlam 15km - 1 loop 0    
Ryne Melcher North Vancouver 15km - 1 loop 0    

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2009 - Year 6 - Fall Mountain Highway Madness


Starter Photo: 13 September 2009 - 17 Starters

Outstanding group of runners and friends.  Decent course.  Perfect weather.  No bo-bos.  Nobody lost or eaten by marauding bears.  Whatd'ya got?

Writers block!

Seriously now, as a Club Fat Ass Event Host, the 6th annual Mountain Highway Madness could not have been easier or better.  The field of 17 was a perfect mix of Club regulars, returning MIAs and newbies to Mountain Highway Madness.  

Baldwin was looking fresh after having run 6 hours the day before.  Killanie was back running after a long injury. Craig was bright eyed and bushy-tailed despite having spent the past 2 days in a row bagging peaks. Ryne was in perfect trash-talking form, that is, until his nemesis arrived looking fresh and confident on a shiny, and very light mountain bike!

Word on the street was that several of today's starters had PBs in mind as they set off.  There was also the sub-plot of the Melcher/Archer grudge match:  runner against bike for what was it, a 4-pak of Guinness?

Melcher bolted from the start as if Olympic gold was at stake with Archer not far behind.  I was out for a leisurely jog, but soon found even the slowest runner was fast today.

Normally, there are no vehicles on old Mountain Highway.  Today, however, the silence of the forest below Mount Fromme was broken by the occasional passing camper and the heavy breathing of those reaching for their personal bests.

In the bike vs. man contest, the bike won.  Congrats to Graham for beating his opponent by almost 2 minutes... and to Ryne for setting a new course record for a single loop in just under 57 minutes.

Not far back, Ellie finished her first loop in 1:08, setting a new woman's course record, as well, before turning around and doing it again.  (Later, I would learn that Ellie wanted to go for a 3rd loop, but couldn't find anyone to join her!)

Most of the participants reconvened on the sunny patio of the Mosquito Creek Grill where Kirsten, our hostess with the mostest, served up cool, free beers and... to the amazement of all, remembered several of our names from the last Club event.  (Must have been some good tippers at that one!)

Many thanks to Kintec, the Mosquito Creek and Trail Runner magazine for the support! 


Ean Jackson
Host of Mountain Highway Madness

PS  Ray, I owe you one.  This was in fact the sixth, not the seventh running of the fall MHM.

PS  Please post your comments, impressions, corrections to the results and feedback via the comment link below.

Photos can be added to the CFA Flickr group, tagged with  FallMountainHighwayMadness2009 FallMountainHighway ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvents2009

Here is a slideshow of photos posted so far:  http://www.flickr.com/search/groups/show/?q=fallmountainhighwaymadness2009&m=pool&w=91654961%40N00

Post Event Survey:  Please take a moment to give us your feedback with this Post Event Survey.

 

 



Results:

First Name Last Name Event Points Lap 1: up/down/total Lap 2: up/down/total Total
Mike Palichuk 30km - 2 loops 2 0:41/0:26/1:07 0:47 2:29
Ellie Greenwood 30km - 2 loops 2+1* 0:43/0:25/1:08 0:48/0:33 2:29
Ran Katzman 30km - 2 loops 2 0:43/0:27/1:10 ?/?/1:22 2:32
Phil Waters 30km - 2 loops 1 0:54/0:38/1:32 1:00/046/ 3:18
Ray Levasseur 30km - 2 loops 2 0:51/0:32/1:23 1:00/0:42/1:42  3:05
Baldwin Lee 30km - 2 loops 2+1* 1:02/0:31/1:33 1:20/0:35 3:28
             
Graham Archer 15km - 1 loop 2 0:34:11/0:20:17/0:54:28    
Ryne Melcher 15km - 1 loop 2 0:34:46/22:07/0:56:53    
Jackie Muir 15km  1 0:47/28 /1:15    
Kristin Ohm-Pedersen 15km 1 0:57/0:27/1:27    
Craig Moore 15km - 1 loop 2+1* 0:54/0:3 /1:27    
Killaine Sharman 15km - 1 Loop 1+1* 0:53/0:49/1:42    
Sibylle Tinsel 15km - 1 loop 2+1* 1:12/0:43/1:57    
Jon Shepherd 15km 1 ?    
Jessica Glowacki 25km - 1.66 loops 2 0:48/0:39/1:27 0:33/0:24/0:57 2:24
Helen Tilley 25km - 1.66 loops 2 0:48/0:39/1:27 0:33/0:24/0:57 2:24
Ean Jackson custom 2+2**+1* 25min    
             
laddie hannam DNS -1      

 

  

 

2008 - Year 5 - Fall Mountain Highway Madness

14 September 2008 - 17 starters

 

"Hey, where was everybody?", Rob Ruff, start line of the Mountain Highway Madness, Saturday 13 September 08 @ 7:30am. 

"Hey, where was everybody?", Baldwin Lee, Mosquito Creek Pub, Sunday 14 September 08 @ noon.

Well, Rob, the run has always been on Sunday.  If in doubt, best to check the website!  And Baldwin, the official start is at 7:30.  If you choose to get hammered the night before, sleep in and miss the start, best to check with the Event Host to see if there were any changes made to the agenda.  Tongue out

For those who made it to the "official" start, this years' fall running of the Mountain Highway Madness was about as flawless as a trail run could be.  Ryne and Danielle had set up the Kintec tent at the start complete with munchies and timekeeping.  Skies were cloudless, temperatures at the start were in the 'teens.  The day was so perfect, in fact, all of the runners decided to opt out of the free beer offered by the nice folks at the Mosquito Creek Grill so they could do other things out doors after the run.

Graham, on his mountain bike accompanied by his dog Jasper, was going head-to-head against Ryne who, in his runners, was out to set a new record for the fastest single lap.  Jonathan, on the other hand, was putting it all on the line to go for 2 laps.

I'd been fighting an injury all season so wasn't expecting to complete even one lap.  Rick Arikado, who won his age group at the Walk in the Park a week ago (and the BC Ultra Series!) was tired, so I managed to hang with him.  Thanks for the push, Rick!

The thing I love about out-and-back courses is that you get to see everyone.  As he passed us going back down after the turnaround, Ryne was on fire.  (Who would have guessed he puked twice on the way up!)  Glenn, Penny, Jonathan and DarbyKai looked like they'd barely broken a sweat as they passed us.  Everyone, no matter where they were, looked as though they were having a great time.

In the end, Ryan outran Graham on the bike by a couple of minutes.  Jonathan, in his first MHM, got silver.  Ginger became the second canine finisher of the MHM. 

Congrats to everyone who came out and a special thanks to the folks from Kintec, TrailRunner Mag and the Mosquito Creek for the support.

Ean Jackson
Host, Mountain Highway Madness

PS  Please post your comments, impressions, corrections to the results and feedback via the comment link below.

Photos can be added to the CFA Flickr group, tagged with  FallMountainHighwayMadness2008 FallMountainHighway ClubFatAssEvents
Here is a slideshow of photos posted so far:  Fall Mountain Highway Madness Photos

Post Event Survey:  Please take a moment to give us your feedback with this Post Event Survey.

Preliminary Results:

 

Points First Name Last Name Age Event 1 Loop: up/down/total 2 Loop: up/down/total 3 Loop: up/down/total Total
2 Lorie Alexander 40-49 45km - 3 loops 1:00/0:44:00/1:44 1:08/0:44/1:52 1:07 0:42/1:49 05:25:00
2 Barry Hopkins 50-59 45km - 3 loops 1:00/0:44:00/1:44 1:08/0:44/1:52 1:07 0:42/1:49 05:25:00
                 
2 Greg  Barreca     0:43min/0:32/1:15 0:49/0:35/1:24 02:39:00
1 Rick Arikado 50-59 30km - 2 loops ?/?/1:26:30 ?/?/1:24:4 02:51:18
2 Rob Ruff 40-49 30km - 2 loops 48:21 / 35:13 /  1:22:34 56:00 / 39:05 / 1:35:05 02:58:00
2 Jonathan Weresch 30-39 30km - 2 loops 55:20/44:33/1:39:53 1:02:03/41:59/1:43:02 03:23:56
2 Betty Tod 50-59 30km - 2 loops ?/?/?     ?
2 Hilary Ewart 40-49 30km - 2 loops ? /? / 1:47 ?   ?
                 
1 Ryne Melcher     35:42/23:30./0:59:12     00:59:12
1 Graham Archer 30-39 15km - 1 loop ? /? / 1:00:13     Bike - 1:00:13
2 DarbyKai Standrick 20-29 15km - 1 loop ?/?/01:09:12     01:09:12
1 Glenn Pace 40-49 15km - 1 loop 43:22 / 27:01/  1:10:23      01:10:23
2 Penny Jakobsen 40-49 15km - 1 loop ?/?/01:24:21     01:24:21
3 Ean Jackson 50-59 15km - 1 loop ?/?/1:26:30     01:26:30
1 Baldwin Lee   30km - 2 loops 57:45/34:18/1:32:03     01:32:03
1 Craig Moore 40-49 15km - 1 loop 1:16/0:42/ 1:58     01:58:00
 2  Sibylle Tinsel 40-49 15km - 1 loop 1:16/0:43 / 1:59     1:59:00
                 
1 Danielle MacLeod   crew       N/A
                 
-1 Dom Repta 30-39 45km - 3 loops       DNS

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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2007 - Year 4 - Fall Mountain Highway Madness

9 September 2007 - 17 starters

I confess, after attending a neighbor's annual "End of Summer" garden party until the wee hours leading up to the run, I felt ripped off by the less-than-ideal weather and the fact that summer had been declared over. As I drove to the start of the 4th annual Mountain Highway Madness, I was greeted with a spectacular view of Mt. Baker on a backdrop of sunny, cloudless skies. Maybe summer was a bit late this year? What a great day to be outdoors!

Those who have participated in Mountain Highway Madness know that the long hike up Mountain Highway from the legal street parking is an enduring characteristic of the event. Call it a built-in warm-up. As if on cue, the start line conversation started with a group gripe about the imposed warm-up. Desmond Mott's arrival stole our attention, however. Des, who had taken the last hour to warm up with a little run on the Baden Powell Trail, experienced the face plant that all trail runners know will likely happen to them, but hate to think about. It was a bad one, and Des was noticeably shaken up. Thank goodness he was only spitting out blood and not teeth!

New Club Fat Ass members Jackie Muir and Arthur Gee were welcomed by all. Arthur, a 5-hour marathoner, had chosen Mountain Highway Madness as his first trail run. Rick Arikado put me on notice that he came to the start equipped with his ultra-accurate Garmin 60CSX GPS, so the question of how far it actually was from the water fountain to the rock at the entrance to the quarry would be established categorically and beyond scrutiny for all time, to a distance of 5 meters or less. (If you believe the user manual.) Michael Wardas and his dog ** showed up just in time for the starter photo. John McRae announced that fellow Fat Ass Gilles Barbeau had just passed the 75-mile mark in the Wasach Trail 100-mile run... his fourth 100-miler in so many weekends. Gilles, you inspire us all... but goodness, buddy, take next weekend off!

It was great to chat with Laddie, Michael and Neil about their summer adventures as we ran up the mountain. "Rocket" Ryan Conroy was the first person to head back down hill. Ryan had let it be known that he'd been doing track workouts twice a week of late and it showed. Newly minted 100-mile veterans Bill Dagg and Wade Repta were next, with newly-minted Club Fat Ass member Jackie keeping pace with Bill.

Given that Rick said he'd turn around at the 7.5K distance on his GPS, Neil and I kept on running beyond the official turnaround point. After about 5 minutes, we figured Rick was playing a prank on us. Surely, he'd have passed us by now if he was going to 7.5K... Hell, I measured the distance twice: once on my bike and once with a Nike Triax pedometer. No way I'm off by more than a few hundred meters. Silly bugger Rick. He probably was hiding in the bushes somewhere and expected we'd keep running all the way up to the top of Grouse! Nice try, bro. Neil and I called his bluff and returned downhill.

It was great to see so many smiling faces coming up the road as we ran down. Laddie, Neil and I traded high-5's with those we passed by. It was good to see Arthur and John Machray together. John has such a wealth of trail running experience and is such a great story-teller. (Run with him sometimes, if you can keep up with him, and you'll see what I mean!) I felt confident knowing that Arthur's life would change after this run and he'd come over to the "dark side" of trail running for good. It was also great to see that John, who is considerably faster than Arthur, was making the time to make Arthur feel welcome in this new and strange environment of trail running. Kudos to you, Machray, for demonstrating the true spirit of Club Fat Ass.

Unfortunately, time would only allow me one lap today. As I sat in the sun at the finish writing down lap times and chatting, Rick Arikado completed his first lap. How could that be? Rick, it seems, ran 7.5K according to 5 or 6 satellites on his GPS. The traditional turnaround point, what I'd been calling 7.5K, was actually more like 7K, and the total distance closer to 14K than 15K. However, until proven absolutely, I'll maintain that the distance is 7.2K each way, or 14.4K return, which still makes it an "ultra" for those who run 3 laps.

The sun was blazing hot on the terrace of the Mosquito Creek Grill, site of our post-run brunch. Thanks to Kelly and Lucy for the free pint, Trail Runner Magazine and KineSys for the draw prizes. See you in the spring!

Ean Jackson
Host of Mountain Highway Madness


Please post your comments, impressions, corrections to the results and feedback via the comment link below.


Preliminary Results:

First Name Last Name Distance P. Loop #1
Loop #2
Loop #3
Total
Bill Dagg 45km 2

0:46/0:31
1:17

0:49/0:30 1:19 0:51/0:33 1:24 4:00
Wade Repta 45km 1 1:19 1:22 1:48 4:29
Jackie Muir 45km 1 1:17 1:19 1:53 4:29
Neil Ambrose 30km 2 1:32 1:37   3:09
Rick Arikado 30km 1 1:43 1:33   3:16
Cheryl Johnson 30km 2 1:49 2:10   3:59
Carolyn King 30km 2 1:49 2:10   3:59
Rob Ruff 30km 2 50/36
1:26
1:31   2:57
Neil Ambrose 30km 2 1:32 1:37   3:09
Cynnimon Rain 30km 2 1:38 1:47   3:27
Ryan Conroy 15km 2 45:05/29:13
1:14:18
    1:14:18
Ean Jackson 15km 4* ** 1:32     1:32
Laddie Hannam 15km 2* 1:33     1:33
Rhonda Schuler 15km 3* 1:41     1:41
John Machray 15km 1 1:16/2:00
3:16
    3:16
Arthur Gee 15km 1 1:16/2:00
3:16
    3:16
Michael Wardas custom 1 1:23     2:43
Desmond Mott custom 2 3:00      

2006 - Year 3 - Fall Mountain Highway Madness

Fall Mountain Highway Madness - 2006 Starter Photo
10 September 2006 - 30 Starters (two legged) 2 starters (four legged)


The record books were rewritten at this years Fall Mountain Highway Madness.  We have a new Platinum finisher and her name is Berglind Hafdteinsdottir!  Scarcely a week after becoming the first woman to run the Juan de Fuca trail in under 10 hours, Berg opened a can of whoop-ass and became the first woman to ever earn platinum status (four loops of the 15K course.)  Wow!

Berglind's words to me in a voice mail went something like, "...Now I don't have to do Mountain Highway Madness anymore."  Too bad, we'll miss you.  Why not go for the second level of Platinum and be the first person to ever do 5 laps this coming spring, Berg?

Apart from Berglind's madness, Cynnimon Rain went for the gold and also managed to get to the Mosquito Creek pub in time for a free cool one on the sunny patio.  Deller's dogs ChinChin and Sombrio completed their first Mountain Highway Madness and racked up another point each, putting them ahead of many humans in Club participation points.  (Hey you hounds, we have to get a photo of you both in your Club colors!)

As the faster Bronze finishers waited at the bottom of the trail, there was a mad dash for trash pickup points.  The trail and surrounding woods were scoured for bottle caps, gel wrappers and anything else that could count toward bonus points.  Speaking of bonus points, I hereby bequeath my hosting point to Sibylle, who did almost all of the organizing for this event.  Thanks, Sibylle!  (No, you can't have my participation and trash pickup points, though =;-)

A couple of new Club members, Charlene and Lora-Lynn did the unthinkable and got slightly lost after they overshot the turnaround.  Apparently the spray painted "7" on the rock at the turnaround had been erased.  Mea culpa.  According to Club Fat Ass law, if the host provides incorrect directions, (s)he owes the inconvenienced party a beer at the finisher party.  'Missed you at the pub, girls....I corrected the course description, however.

I'd also like to thank Ron Adams for measuring the course with his Nike pedometer.  He measured a couple meters less than 7K to the quarry and several hundred meters more than 7K coming down for a 14.2K round trip.  Given that the up and down is in fact the same distance, I'm good for still calling it a 15K distance.

Thank you for coming out on this fantastic fall day and I look forward to seeing you out at the spring version of the MHM in March!


Ean Jackson
Host of the Mountain Highway Madness

Please add your comments about this run by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on "add new comment".  More photos are posted here.

First NameLast
Name
EventPLap 1      up/down/
total
Lap 2      up/down/
total
Lap 3 up/down/
total
Lap 4
up/down/

 total
BerglindHafsteins
dottir
60km2?/?/
1:41
?/?/1:44?/?/1:50?/?/2:03 7:18
         
First Name Last
Name
Event P Lap 1      up/down/
total
Lap 2      up/down/
total
Lap 3 up/down/
total
total  
Cynnimon Rain 45km 2 ?/?/1:30 ?/?/? ?/?/? 5:13  
 
First Name Last Name Event P Lap 1      up/down/
total
Lap 2      up/down/
total
total    
Bill Dagg 30km 2 0:44/0:30/
1:14
0:48/0:31/
1:19
2:33    
Laddie Hannam 30km 2 ?/?/1:39 1:11/0:50/
2:01
3:30    
 
First Name Last Name Event P Lap 1      up/down total      
Killaine Sharman 15km 1 0:47:30/
0:30:30
1:18      
Mark Grist 15km 1 0:44/0:36 1:20      
Ron Adams 15km 1 0:52:45/
0:31:01
1:23:46      
Angus Mclellan 15km 2* 0:49:30/
0:35:30
1:25      
Ean Jackson 15km 3** 0:49:30/
0:35:30
1:25      
Doug MacKay 15km 3* 0:52:20/
0:32:40
1:25      
Amy Mac
Arthur
15km 2 0:53/0:35 1:28      
Baldwin Lee 15km 3* 0:53:41/
0:34:33
1:28:14      
Gilles Barbeau 15km 2 1:00/0:45 1:45      
Cheryl Johnson 15km 2 1:00/0:45 1:45      
John Machray 15km 1 1:00/0:45 1:45      
Craig Moore 15km 2 1:01/0:43 1:45      
 Elke
 Bauer15km 10:59/0:471:46   
 Doug
 Keir15km
 10:59/0:471:46   
 Steve  Deller15km 10:59/0:471:46   
Chin Chin and Sombrio  Deller15km 10:59/0:471:46   
SharonBryson15km10:59/0:491:48   
Rhonda Schuller 15km 3* 1:13/0:45 1:58      
Sibylle Tinsel 15km 3* 1:13/0:45 1:58      
John Mcgrath 15km 2 ?/? 2:00      
Vanessa Fors 15km 1 ?/? 2:00      
Charlene Lalonde 15km 1 ?/? 2:03 custom      
Lora-Lynn Oxen
bury
15km 2 ?/? 2:03 custom      
Colin Free
land
? 1 ? ?      
Patricia Jensen ? 1 ? ?      
Scott  Ridell ? 1 ? ?      


Bonus Point for Garbage Pick-Up
** Bonus Point for Event Host

2005 - Year 2 - Fall Mountain Highway Madness


2005 Fall Mountain Highway Madness - 15 starters - 15 finishers

As they quaffed a cool, celebratory lager at the Mosquito Creek Grill, finishers nodded in agreement. “Perfect.” “A 10 out of 10.” “’Couldn’t have been finer.” After running 15, 30 or 45 kilometers earlier in the morning, the main topic of conversation with these veterans was the weather!

Fifteen Club Fat Ass members toed the line this morning for the 3rd annual fall running of Mountain Highway Madness. Included were a wide range of runners from the trail virgin to the elite veteran.

Take Geoff Palmer, for instance. Geoff is the only person to have earned “Platinum” bragging rights for having run the 15K out-and-back course 4 consecutive times. He looked strong and focused as runners loosened up at the start. Geoff’s goal for the day? Teach his parents what it’s like to run a “real” mountain.

Always soft spoken and a true master of the art of sandbagging, Matt Sessions was out for his first MHM. “Going for 5 laps, Matt? I asked after watching him lug 2 midsized gym bags of food, fluids and other gear to the start area. He answered with a knowing smile.

Then there was Dom Repta. A multiple “Gold” finisher (3 loops of 15K), Dom was looking like he’d been out on a bender the evening before. While he was spotted at the Mosquito Creek eating a veggie pizza with a beer in his hand 8 short hours earlier, it was only after he run the 45K Forbidden Forest Run. There would be no personal bests for Dom on the course today, but he was about to join Geoff Palmer and Doug Bodnar as the only people to have completed 2 Club Fat Ass events in one day. Jackson, got an extra sock?” Dom asked as we gathered for the group photo. “No, but you can have one of these,” and I handed him a sweaty old wool work sock from one of my feet. (God knows what he wanted with it? I confess I was a bit worried about Dom!)

After a long absence from running, Ken MacLeod chose Mountain Highway Madness as a place to stage his comeback. Ken and I used to run intervals on the MHM route when we were training for the Western States and Angeles Crest 100 mile runs over a decade ago. It was Ken who inspired me to host the event… so thank him if you’re one of the many to have tenderized your quads on the course.

“Ready, set, go!” The field was gone as MacLeod arrived at the start line. The trail knows no favorites.

It truly was a fabulous day to be in the mountains in beautiful BC and those who have run MHM several times in the past agreed that we were enjoying the best weather in the history of the event. Hikers, dog walkers and lots of mountain bikers were also out enjoying the trail, so there was plenty of encouragement.

Today was destined to be Session's day: Matt was on fire. By the 7.5K turnaround he was so far ahead he was out of earshot of the second-fastest runner. Oblivious to the shouts of his mates, Matt kept running hard. Past the turnaround at the old quarry. Past Mosquito Creek. Past the Inferno chairlift and right to the top of Grouse Mountain setting two new records: First ever to get lost and longest lap.

Don and Regina Palmer traveled the furthest to the event. They live in Winnipeg, where the biggest hills are old garbage dumps. Their record-holding son Geoff treated them to a lap during their visit to Vancouver. I’m not sure if they went for pancakes or an IV drip afterwards, as they did not show up for the awards. Geoff set another course record: First person to run Mountain Highway Madness with both parents.

As the runners completed multiple laps, the mantra of the armor-plated mountain bikers was, “Holy smokes, how many times are you running this?” Glen Pace was the only one to answer, “Three” this year. He didn’t break a sweat, so mark your calendars for 19 March next year and give him some competition!

Thanks to Trail Runner Magazine for the draw prizes and the Mosquito Creek Grill for the pints. Dommer, where’s my sock?

Ean Jackson
Host of Mountain Highway Madness

3 Laps

Name City Lap 1
up/down/total
Lap 2 up/down/total Lap 3 up/down/total Time Points
Glen Pace North Van. 49:27/
31:03/
1:20
50:49/
33:52/
1:24
54:19/
35:19/
1:31
4:14:52 1

2 Laps

Name City/TownLap 1
up/down/total
Lap 2
up/down/total
TimePoints
Wade Repta Vancouver 45/32/1:17 ?/?/1:22 2:39 2
Doug MacKay North
Vancouver
50:55/33:52/
1:24:47
56:26/40:26/
1:36:52
3:01:39 2
Robert Westendorp Vancouver 48/35/1:23 1:03/52/1:55 3:18 2*
Cheryl Johnson Pitt
Meadows
1:10/53/2:03 1:23/51/2:14 4:15 2


1 Lap 

Name City/Town up/down Total Time Points
Dom Repta Vancouver 48/30 1:18 1
Geoffrey Palmer Coquitlam 52:24/34:27 1:26:51

2

Donald Palmer Winnipeg 52:24/34:27 1:28:51 2
Regina Palmer Winnipeg 52:24/34:27 1:28:51 2
Gilles Barbeau Vancouver 52/40:23/ 1:32 1
Ken MacLeod West Vancouver 1:02/41:04 1:43:04 1
Caroline Lepard North Vancouver 54:48:50:34 1:45:22 2
Ryan Reilly North Vancouver 58:48/46:34 1:45:22 2
Matt Sessions Port Moody 1:11/59 2:10 2
Craig Moore North Vancouver 1:01/:48: 1:49 3*

* extra point earned for collecting garbage en route

Robert Westendorp and Craig Moore earned extra series points today for picking up trash during the run. Below is a picture of Craig's loot. Whatever you do, don't ask him for a drink from *this* waterbottle the next time you see him on the trail!

2004 - Year 1 - Fall Mountain Highway Madness

2004 Fall Mountain Highway Madness

11 September 04

They said it would never be done. Geoff Palmer, a recent immigrant from the flatlands of Winterpeg, however, done done it! On Saturday 11 September 04, he became the first person to ever go platinum in the Mountain Highway Madness!

A veteran of the Rocky Raccoon 100-miler, Blackfoot Ultra and the Great Canadian Death Race, it was Palmer's first time at Mountain Highway Madness. "Allison (Knowles) and I had a lot of fun on the first 3 laps. The pizza bread and Eatmore bars kept me fueled for the fourth lap and the mountain bikers who kept asking, "HOW many laps are you doing?" kept me motivated. If I'd had some competition, I might have done five laps."

After the monsoons of Friday evening, it was a wonder anyone got out of bed for the run early Saturday morning. As it turned out, the rain held off at the start and as Laddie Hannan put it, "we ran between droplets" on the return leg of the first lap. The general consensus was that the cool, moist weather was ideal for good times in this, the fifth running of the event.

The only downer of the day was that Colin Freeland's blue, Capilano Eagles vest and Doug MacKay's green windbreaker went AWOL from their resting place near the water fountain. If a good Samaritan picked them up, there's a cool beer as reward. Speaking of cool beers, all participants who attended the post run brunch were treated to a free cool one by the good folks at the Mosquito Creek Bar and Grill. All runners received some hammer gels and Laddie Hannan came away from this free run with a free ($45) entry to the Grouse Grind run for her efforts.

Mark your calendars for the next Mountain Highway Madness on Sunday 20 March!

Ean Jackson
Host of the Mountain Highway Madness

Results

Up

Down

Time

Name

53 32 1:25 Jessica Anderson
53 33 1:26 Berglind Hafsteinsdottir
53 33 1:26 Laddie Hannan
53 35 1:28 Maria Zerjav
53 36 1:29 Melissa Pacé
78 47 2:05 Pat Barry
78 47 2:05 Sibylle Tinsel


Lap 1
(up/down/total)
Lap 2
(up/down/total)
Time Name
46/27/1:13 47/29/1:16 2:29 Colin Freeland
48:41/31:41/1:19:22 50:36/36:45/1:27:21 2:47 Rob Ruff
53/37/1:30 60/45/1:45 3:15 Ken Hardinge-Rooney
52:30/35:10/1:27:40 64/53:16/1:57:16 3:24:56 Doug MacKay

 

Lap 1
(up/down/total)
Lap 2
(up/down/total)
Lap 3
(up/down/total)
Time Name
52/38/1:30 54/38/1:32 55/40/1:35 4:37

Allison Knowles

 

Lap 1
(up/down/total)
Lap 2
(up/down/total)
Lap 3
(up/down/total)
Lap 4
(up/down/total)
Time Name
52/38/1:30 54/38/1:32 55/40/1:35 65/45/1:50 6:27!

Geoff Palmer

Total starters: 13
Total finishers: 13

Background

Trail runners, especially ultrarunners, have long recognized Old Mountain Highway in North Vancouver, British Columbia, as a great place to train.

The inaugural Mountain Highway Madness was hosted on 7 April 2001 by Ean Jackson as a training exercise for the Diez Vista 50k trail run. There were 6 starters, and 7 finishers. Given almost all of Old Mountain Highway was covered in snow in April 2002, the event was cancelled. On Easter Sunday (20 April) and again on 18 May 2003 records fell in almost every category. A little more structure was subsequently added to the event in the form of this website and more formal record keeping.

Mountain Highway Madness is now held twice a year. The dates were chosen to make this even a great last training run for those participating in the Diez Vista and Frosty Mountain 50 kilometer trail races.

The Glory

There's no trophy, t-shirt, ball cap or shiny car for the fastest or the last one left standing. Bragging rights are, however, available to those who are prepared to earn them:

Bragging Right

Accomplishment

Platinum 4 or more round trips
Gold 3 round trips
Silver 2 round trips
Bronze 1 round trip
Raspberry an incomplete lap

Thanks!

My hope was to make this event totally self-supporting. In other words, do all of the organization myself and also participate. Wishful thinking! It's all about teamwork. Preparation for this loosely-organized event is ongoing throughout the year and a lot of people chip in to make it successful.

If you'd like to support Mountain Highway Madness in some way, I'd love to have you onboard. At the very least, I can promise you a place on this Thank You page!

Please contact me with your thoughts on how you'd like to participate. Please join me in recognizing the following people and businesses:

Kintec Footlabs
Thank you for the awesome recognition prizes.  

TrailRunner: Thank you for the 2 gift subscriptions to your popular magazine as draw prize. Also for offering members of Club Fat Ass a special discounted subscription price

KINeSYS: Thanks for the assortment of body and sun care products to keep all participants protected from the elements.

Mosquito Creek Grill - www.mosquitocreek.com
Thank managers Kelly and Lucy Nielson for the free beer you get at the finisher party.

Ean Jackson
Host of Mountain Highway Madness

 

 

FAQ

Q: I've never done a trail run before. Is this a good place to start?
A: It's a toughie, but if you can run a 1/2 marathon on the road and are comfortable carrying your own food and water, you should be good for at least a bronze. (Each lap is about 15 kilometers.)
Q: Do I need to print off course instructions and bring them with me?
A: You should know how to get to the start, but once on Old Mountain Highway, it is hard to get lost.
Q: What if I get lost?
A: You shouldn't get lost! Stay on the road. If you do feel you are lost, ask a mountain biker or just turn around and follow the same road you came up on back down to the gate.
Q: What if I have to heed the call of nature.
A: There is an outhouse at the bike drop-off loop near the start. If you have to go near the top of the mountain, be discreet, do your business at least 10 meters from the trail and bury anything solid at least 10 cm deep. Whatever you do, don't pee in someone's front yard! (It happens. And the locals are not happy. That's why there are now parking restrictions.)
Q: What should I bring on race day?
A: Please check the agenda for thoughts
Q: I am supposed to be self-sufficient because there is no aid provided. Can I get a friend to come out and give me food and drink along the route?
A: Absolutely! In fact, it would be nice if your friend were to help everyone. See aid stations and crew for some thoughts on what they might be able to do to help.
Q: Where can I park? Where can I change?
A: Parking is an issue. A lot of mountain bikers and many runners park here at all hours and tick off the homeowners. This has prompted parking restrictions, so if you don't want a ticket, plan to park a few blocks from the start and heed the signs. Anticipate walking 15 minutes or jogging 10 minutes from where you park to the start. Whatever you do, please don't strip down to the buff or heed the call of nature in front of someone's home. It is considered bad form and the primary reason why parking is an issue.

Confirmation - Fall Mountain Highway Madness

The following people are registered for this event:

1) Frank BulkMan Wimberley (1)
2) Craig Fava (0)
3) Sibylle Tinsel (1)
4) Marc Schmitz (0)
5) Rick Arikado (0)
6) Jim Swadling (2)
7) Dave Cressman (0)
8) Karen Shaw (0)
9) Eric Rannaud (2)
10) David Weightman (0)
11) Paul Kennedy (0)

Contact - Fall Mountain Highway Madness

I welcome your comments, criticisms, feedback and questions.

Please be sure to read the the Agenda and FAQ section of this website first, as this is where I've tried to answer the most frequently asked questions.

Ean Jackson - Your CFA Event Host
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Post Event Survey - Fall Mountain Highway Madness

Please take a moment to share your thoughts about the Club Fat Ass event you recently participated in. Your feedback will help your Event Host to refine their event next year.

This is an anonymous, confidential survey (as long as you are not logged in to the website) so please feel free to offer constructive criticism about any aspect of the event in the comment box.

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