2006 - Year 13 - Vancouver New Year's Day Fat Ass 50 Run and Freeze Your Fat Ass Swim - Results

1 January 2006 - 104 Starters - 104 Finishers

The 1^st of January this year saw many firsts for the 13th running of the Vancouver New Years Day Fat Ass 50:

• 1^st time a woman ran the course in 4:50 (Patricia Jensen)
• 1^st time a runner was in the ocean for 10:50 (Bill Russell, with top 50K finisher Paul Purin a close second at just over 10 minutes)
• 1^st time the event was full (over 100 runners participated)
• 1^st time 64 runners completed the whole 50K (some got lost and ran even more!)
• 1^st time runners could publicly state their New Years Resolutions. (Check them out and add yours)
• 1^st time Vancouver was trumped for the largest representation (Coquitlam rules!)
• 1^st time a family of 5 participated (tie to the Lepards and the Kents)
• 1^st time anyone ran over 60K in 7:37 (Cheryl Johnson)
• 1^st hovercraft sighting (English Bay)
• 1^st time the temperature broke 10C (it was apparently 12C for a while)
• 1^st time a runner was almost wacked by a falling tree (several close calls due to the high winds that knocked out power in the entire west end)
• 1^st time everyone who attended the post run party went home with some recognition prize (thanks to Norco, North Shore Athletics, Trail Runner magazine and the Mosquito Creek Grill)
• 1^st time everyone who participated can share their comments and observations on this page (see “Add new comment" at the bottom of this page)

And some seconds:

• 2^nd most windy day on record (I recall 1999 was worse)
• 2^nd time male course record holder Randy Hunter slept in and missed the start
• 2nd time a participant ran 50K with an enhanced butt (Elke Bauer - see photos!)

I confess I only ran a leisurely 25K this year, but being at the back of the pack allowed me to notice things I might not otherwise have. The bald eagles that watched runners slogging through the mud pits next to the Burrard Bridge, for example. Or the Bozo who drove his gray Mercedes into the trees in Stanley Park. Or the police incident next to the Burrard Bridge (I think a body washed ashore?)

On behalf of everyone in the run, I’d like to say a special “thank you" to everyone who baked cookies, muffins, provided hot chicken noodle and garlic soup or otherwise brought food to share at the aid stations, to those who sacrificed a few moments to pick up trash along the course and to those who braved the elements to crew or encourage their friends.

Happy New Year!

Ean “Half-Ass" Jackson
Host of the Vancouver New Years Day Fat Ass 50

- To read what other members wrote about this event please scroll all the way down to view blogs and comments.
- Click on the picture grid below to get to see event photos.

* Bonus Point for hosting the Event
** Bonus Point for good sportsmanship/picking up garbage
*** Bonus Point for crewing