Submitted by mudrunner on 31 December, 2010 - 21:24.
....my return ride from the turn-around may not make it tomorrow (today?). If anyone has crew with a spare car seat for a lone runner to get back to Brockton Oval, I'd be most appreciative.
Submitted by Ean Jackson on 27 December, 2010 - 17:33.
I woke up this morning. I looked outside. It was gray. It was rainy. The wind blew a plastic bag down the street. Ewwww. I went back to bed.
It will be worse on New Years day. It will be dark. It will be cold. It will probably rain and be windy. I will be even more fat and out of shape. I will be tired. I will probably be hung over. But I will drag my miserable excuse for a body to the start line and I will take whatever Mother Nature chooses to deal us on the day... and I will not whine. Because New Years day is when I will make the effort to kick off the new year with a positive frame of mind in the company of like-minded friends, no matter how much I would rather remain in bed.
87 of the 100 starting slots for the 18th annual Vancouver New Years Day Fat Ass 50K run and Freeze Your Fat Ass Swim have been claimed. The good news is that there are still 13 places free. More good news: some of the 87 will be too messed up to show up, so I'm going to oversubscribe the run just a bit. Even more good news: Just because there is a 50K distance doesn't mean you have to run 50K. Run whatever distance you like. But do come out for a run, because misery loves company and it's not all that bad once you get going!
Bad news is, I won't be taking registrations at the start and you only have 4 more days to make up your mind. Just do it.
Submitted by Ean Jackson on 20 December, 2010 - 14:02.
As an Event Host for a CFA event, and as much as I might let on to the contrary, I really don't want to see you get lost.
Thanks to RunRick, Tim and other kind folks, the Vancouver New Years Day Fat Ass 50 and Freeze Your Fat Ass Swim has benefited from some good GPS maps. These maps are excellent for getting an overall feel for where the run goes. They're not enough for you to find your way on some of the trails in Stanley Park and Pacific Spirit Park, however.
The detailed turn-by-turn instructions are in the route descriptions. I can say with certainty that the written instructions are accurate because I wrote them and have tested them over many years. I am so confident they are accurate, I will buy a beer for anyone who points out a factual error in the route description! They are so detailed, however, some runners get confused or frustrated when they have to stop at every trail intersection. It's also tough for those of us who are "sight challenged" to read the small print.
So for the past several years, I have been looking for a way to provide detailed maps that complement the route descriptions for this and other CFA events. Maps that are clear, as detailed as I want, and good enough to use in place of the written descriptions much of the time.
I think I've found the answer in MapSherpa!
The MapSherpa folks make it possible for me, your Event Host, to download GPS coordinates to maps, and then tweak the routes to remove any GPS errors. I can note landmarks such as aid stations and restrooms on the maps in a way that I think is better than GoogleMaps. The really cool thing is that you, the guest at my run, can print off maps to whatever level of detail you want. You can then buy the map in exactly the format you want for a small fee.
As a way to test whether this works for the Club and as a Christmas present for all participants in the New Years Day FA50, the nice folks at MapSherpa have given me five (5) maps to share. You can get the maps on the and download these maps on the Course page.
I'd like to do a little online survey regarding these maps after the run to see what you think of them so be sure to check them out.
Submitted by Ean Jackson on 20 December, 2010 - 14:27.
More Christmas present: the MapSherpa folks will provide CFA members 25% of any digital map product , any size until Dec 31st. Just use the code ‘CFA-MS’ when you checkout. I hope to get a couple more Club events into the Map Sherpa over the holidays. Anyone got time to help?
Submitted by Ean Jackson on 19 December, 2010 - 10:31.
Yesterday, several of us ran the Cinni-Bun Run as a bit of a shakedown to New Years. Our route took us out and back on the New Years Day FA 50 route from Spanish Banks to the turnaround and back. I can confirm that the route is clear and the trails are all open.
There is a small issue toward the finish. The seawall is closed to the east of the totem poles on both sides of Brockton Point. The official 2010 route will therefore follow the sidewalk for the roughly 500m around Brockton Point.
What does this mean to you? Well, if you are signed up to run the 50K route, this means that you will run about 15 meters less than you did last year. (If you are Tim Wiens, the only person to have every run this course twice on the same day, you will save about 30 meters if you try to break your own record!) If you are thinking about running the 50K but not quite sure, I trust this opportunity to get full, official credit for running a slightly shorter course will be adequate incentive to push you over the edge.
If this is your first time running the 50K, consider this your Christmas bonus.
If you are a stickler for exactitude and want to get in the full, complete, honest, official course, you can run 7.5m out and back at the start after I say "Go!", then run the same route as everyone else.
You might also consider investing this energy-saving detour as extra incentive to run down to the ocean after for a refreshing happy ending to your 50K.
Have a wonderful Christmas and I look forward to seeing you on NY Day!
There's still a whole pile of Seawall construction on the English Bay side as well between Sunset Beach and Second Beach. The detour routes are pretty obvious, and if runners stick to the original FA50k route as much as possible, all that extra zigging and zagging might make up for that missing 15 metres on Brockton Point. If runners stick to Beach Ave at English Bay instead, they may have an extra 15 metres or so on their consciences.
Submitted by Ean Jackson on 28 November, 2010 - 15:14.
The Pacific Spirit Park section of the Vancouver NY Day 50K is 100% trail and 100% fun. This year, Reagan White is hosting the Flash Cinny Bun Run on this section of the trail. The Cinny Bun Run is 2 weeks before New Years Day, so the perfect opportunity to have a fun familiarization run on the NY Day course with some nice people. If interested, best to confirm on the Cinny Bun website ASAP as Reagan is offering the first 5 to sign in a cinnamon bun at the finish!
Submitted by Ean Jackson on 16 November, 2010 - 12:41.
I have just learned that our friends and CFA Business Members, Kintec, have bought a big-assed Mercedes truck. It has a pop-out tent thing in the front and room for a bunch of people inside... the perfect mobile aid station and warming-hut!
The Kintec aid station will be at the start of the NY Day Fat Ass 50 in Stanley Park and also on Spanish Banks where you will pass by twice if you are running the 50K. Ryne Melcher, who has almost 150 ultras under his belt and knows what is good for you, has taken it upon himself to put together a buffet worthy of a king. Here's the latest on the menu plan:
I have a whackload of Clif Bar product so I will make sure there is a good spread of bars, gels and even some Clif Bloks (energy chews). No ultra is an ultra without Coke and Mountain Dew so those will be there in addition to water, chocolate chip cookies, jelly beans, salted chips, pretzels any leftover Christmas junkfood I have left and will eat unless I take to the event!
Melcher has told me he's going to run the 50K and will smoke anyone who tries to kick his ass. I guess that means there will be no Christmas leftovers at the aid station buffet. As for the trash talk, we'll just have to see, won't we?
I feel relatively confident that given it's supposed to be a La Nina year, it will be cold, wet and miserable on New Years Day and that the Pacific Ocean will be as cold or colder than in previous years for your post-run polar bear dip. As always, I encourage you to have your friends and family meet you to provide encouragement and sustenance along the course because you will probably need it. Given that the Kintec aid station has a good heater and can accommodate a dozen people, your loved ones may not freeze while waiting for you this year!
Submitted by kcongra on 24 December, 2010 - 14:47.
long, long range forecast shows the weather breaking around Thursday and New Year's Day to be 4 degrees and partly sunny. BIG change from last year where the puddles made the ocean feel warm.
Comments
Thanks!
Thanks Sybille and Ean for hosting a fantastic event yesterday! It was a perfect day in all aspects!
Ean congratulations on acheiving your 100th Ultra!
See you again!
Looking for a ride from the turn-around...
....my return ride from the turn-around may not make it tomorrow (today?). If anyone has crew with a spare car seat for a lone runner to get back to Brockton Oval, I'd be most appreciative.
Looking forward to sunny weather!
Just About Full!
I woke up this morning. I looked outside. It was gray. It was rainy. The wind blew a plastic bag down the street. Ewwww. I went back to bed.
It will be worse on New Years day. It will be dark. It will be cold. It will probably rain and be windy. I will be even more fat and out of shape. I will be tired. I will probably be hung over. But I will drag my miserable excuse for a body to the start line and I will take whatever Mother Nature chooses to deal us on the day... and I will not whine. Because New Years day is when I will make the effort to kick off the new year with a positive frame of mind in the company of like-minded friends, no matter how much I would rather remain in bed.
87 of the 100 starting slots for the 18th annual Vancouver New Years Day Fat Ass 50K run and Freeze Your Fat Ass Swim have been claimed. The good news is that there are still 13 places free. More good news: some of the 87 will be too messed up to show up, so I'm going to oversubscribe the run just a bit. Even more good news: Just because there is a 50K distance doesn't mean you have to run 50K. Run whatever distance you like. But do come out for a run, because misery loves company and it's not all that bad once you get going!
Bad news is, I won't be taking registrations at the start and you only have 4 more days to make up your mind. Just do it.
See you dark and early at Brockton Oval!
Congrats Rich White
You are the 100th person to sign-up this year!
Merry Christmas -- Awesome Route Maps!
As an Event Host for a CFA event, and as much as I might let on to the contrary, I really don't want to see you get lost.
Thanks to RunRick, Tim and other kind folks, the Vancouver New Years Day Fat Ass 50 and Freeze Your Fat Ass Swim has benefited from some good GPS maps. These maps are excellent for getting an overall feel for where the run goes. They're not enough for you to find your way on some of the trails in Stanley Park and Pacific Spirit Park, however.
The detailed turn-by-turn instructions are in the route descriptions. I can say with certainty that the written instructions are accurate because I wrote them and have tested them over many years. I am so confident they are accurate, I will buy a beer for anyone who points out a factual error in the route description! They are so detailed, however, some runners get confused or frustrated when they have to stop at every trail intersection. It's also tough for those of us who are "sight challenged" to read the small print.
So for the past several years, I have been looking for a way to provide detailed maps that complement the route descriptions for this and other CFA events. Maps that are clear, as detailed as I want, and good enough to use in place of the written descriptions much of the time.
I think I've found the answer in MapSherpa!
The MapSherpa folks make it possible for me, your Event Host, to download GPS coordinates to maps, and then tweak the routes to remove any GPS errors. I can note landmarks such as aid stations and restrooms on the maps in a way that I think is better than GoogleMaps. The really cool thing is that you, the guest at my run, can print off maps to whatever level of detail you want. You can then buy the map in exactly the format you want for a small fee.
As a way to test whether this works for the Club and as a Christmas present for all participants in the New Years Day FA50, the nice folks at MapSherpa have given me five (5) maps to share. You can get the maps on the and download these maps on the Course page.
I'd like to do a little online survey regarding these maps after the run to see what you think of them so be sure to check them out.
Enjoy!
More Map Stuff
More Christmas present: the MapSherpa folks will provide CFA members 25% of any digital map product , any size until Dec 31st. Just use the code ‘CFA-MS’ when you checkout. I hope to get a couple more Club events into the Map Sherpa over the holidays. Anyone got time to help?
Minor Route Change
Yesterday, several of us ran the Cinni-Bun Run as a bit of a shakedown to New Years. Our route took us out and back on the New Years Day FA 50 route from Spanish Banks to the turnaround and back. I can confirm that the route is clear and the trails are all open.
There is a small issue toward the finish. The seawall is closed to the east of the totem poles on both sides of Brockton Point. The official 2010 route will therefore follow the sidewalk for the roughly 500m around Brockton Point.
What does this mean to you? Well, if you are signed up to run the 50K route, this means that you will run about 15 meters less than you did last year. (If you are Tim Wiens, the only person to have every run this course twice on the same day, you will save about 30 meters if you try to break your own record!) If you are thinking about running the 50K but not quite sure, I trust this opportunity to get full, official credit for running a slightly shorter course will be adequate incentive to push you over the edge.
If this is your first time running the 50K, consider this your Christmas bonus.
If you are a stickler for exactitude and want to get in the full, complete, honest, official course, you can run 7.5m out and back at the start after I say "Go!", then run the same route as everyone else.
You might also consider investing this energy-saving detour as extra incentive to run down to the ocean after for a refreshing happy ending to your 50K.
Have a wonderful Christmas and I look forward to seeing you on NY Day!
More Minor Changes
There's still a whole pile of Seawall construction on the English Bay side as well between Sunset Beach and Second Beach. The detour routes are pretty obvious, and if runners stick to the original FA50k route as much as possible, all that extra zigging and zagging might make up for that missing 15 metres on Brockton Point. If runners stick to Beach Ave at English Bay instead, they may have an extra 15 metres or so on their consciences.
Cinny Bun Run Shakedown
The Pacific Spirit Park section of the Vancouver NY Day 50K is 100% trail and 100% fun. This year, Reagan White is hosting the Flash Cinny Bun Run on this section of the trail. The Cinny Bun Run is 2 weeks before New Years Day, so the perfect opportunity to have a fun familiarization run on the NY Day course with some nice people. If interested, best to confirm on the Cinny Bun website ASAP as Reagan is offering the first 5 to sign in a cinnamon bun at the finish!
Note: I'm in, so only 4 buns left
Pay Parking
Parking for the day at Brockton Oval is $5. Machines take cash or credit card (assuming they are working).
Ouch!
Gotta pay for the Olympic Village somehow, eh? Thanks for the heads-up, Rick
Special Permit Received
Woo hoo... it's official: We can run in Stanley Park and Pacific Spirit Park on New Years Day!
Kintec Has a New Mobile Aid Station!
I have just learned that our friends and CFA Business Members, Kintec, have bought a big-assed Mercedes truck. It has a pop-out tent thing in the front and room for a bunch of people inside... the perfect mobile aid station and warming-hut!
The Kintec aid station will be at the start of the NY Day Fat Ass 50 in Stanley Park and also on Spanish Banks where you will pass by twice if you are running the 50K. Ryne Melcher, who has almost 150 ultras under his belt and knows what is good for you, has taken it upon himself to put together a buffet worthy of a king. Here's the latest on the menu plan:
I have a whackload of Clif Bar product so I will make sure there is a good spread of bars, gels and even some Clif Bloks (energy chews). No ultra is an ultra without Coke and Mountain Dew so those will be there in addition to water, chocolate chip cookies, jelly beans, salted chips, pretzels any leftover Christmas junkfood I have left and will eat unless I take to the event!
Melcher has told me he's going to run the 50K and will smoke anyone who tries to kick his ass. I guess that means there will be no Christmas leftovers at the aid station buffet. As for the trash talk, we'll just have to see, won't we?
I feel relatively confident that given it's supposed to be a La Nina year, it will be cold, wet and miserable on New Years Day and that the Pacific Ocean will be as cold or colder than in previous years for your post-run polar bear dip. As always, I encourage you to have your friends and family meet you to provide encouragement and sustenance along the course because you will probably need it. Given that the Kintec aid station has a good heater and can accommodate a dozen people, your loved ones may not freeze while waiting for you this year!
The weather outside is ... cool and dry?
long, long range forecast shows the weather breaking around Thursday and New Year's Day to be 4 degrees and partly sunny. BIG change from last year where the puddles made the ocean feel warm.