New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual goodresolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. ~MarkTwain
Tuesday 1 January 2013 was the 20th anniversary of this event. I guess that officially makes it a Vancouver "classic".
It was a standout year. When I look back over the past 20 years, the things that stand out most about 2013 will be the weather, the records that were broken, the lack of showers and the surprise finisher party.
I don't have a Farmer's Almanac to consult, but if I did, I'll bet it would show that the weather in Vancouver on New Years day is consistently crappy. My fading memory reminds me that, at best, there's any sun at all 20% of the time. Today was truly exceptional. We were greeted with sun and blue skies and treated with the best day for running one could possibly ask for of a January in Vancouver.
I like to call this a fun, resolution run... but let's face it, some of us have a competitive streak. When you combine talent, friendly competition and perfect running weather, records are bound to be threatened. Today, Dave Papineau's course record of 3:46 was broken by 2 men. Ellie Greenwood whooped her own record of 4:06. Loads of people who make this event an annual resolution run broke their own PBs, and a surprising number of plain, old runners can now call themselves "ultrarunners" after completing their first 50-kilometer run today. The only records I keep that that weren't broken are Tim's 100K "double-dip" and Sammy's post-run 22-minute post-run bath in the Pacific.
Here are some of my highlights and some statistics. (Please share your observations and comments by clicking on "Add New Comment" below):
almost 1/2 of the people who showed up today signed-up in the past 3 days. 'Must have been the weather!
it was the first year I offered "free love" with the "free run". If you missed your hug, you can collect it at any time
it was the first year I offered a free Trail Runner magazine special annual calendar to participants at the start. If you missed getting one and would like one, please contact me. I still have a few
it was the first year I took much notice of how participants got to the start. I found it noteworthy that Wendy Montgomery ran and Ellie Greenwood, Andy Healey and Keith Nichol rode their bikes. Keeners!
the cameraman (Sergio) from Global TV who came out to film the start, was a bit taken aback when I interviewed him.
the best New Years day kiss was between Valerie and Brent on Kits Point. (See photos below). The wet one that smelled of Sambuca that John Machray gave me at the start was right up there, too.
David Crerar, the guy who ran 50K in his kilt, ran a marathon less than 24 hours beforehand on New Years eve. I overheard several folks at the start openly wondering what, if anything, he was wearing underneath the kilt. (The answer was apparently quite obvious to those who followed him up the steep stairs on Burrard Bridge!) Reliable sources also reported back that Crerar was seen catching a few winks in the comfy, warm washrooms where Cleveland Trail meets 16th
Given the men's change room and showers were out of commission due to a fire, and the woman's showers were apparently inaccessible due to the electronic key, fewer runners opted to hit the drink after their run. This is unfortunate, because the weather was so ideal. Ideal weather for January 1st, however, is still freaking cold and the water is always glacial. Given that I opted out of this long-standing New Years day ritual, I figured best to not call too many folks, "wimp!" for fear of being thrown in with my warm post-run gear on.
Looks like I may have goofed-up regarding the finisher party venue. When I drove up, I wondered why so many runners were chatting outside in the cold rather than drinking beer and commiserating inside where it is warm. Turns-out, the Mosquito Creek Grill was closed... and the manager hadn't told me. Thankfully, the Queens Cross pub just up the street was open, their taps were not dry and their food was warm and copious.
A great, big, fat "Thank you!" to the following folks who dedicated their day to helping us with their time, their food and their drink on the course today: Ran and Gili Katzman (hot soup and goodies), Pete Stace-Smith (Norco sag wagon that sagged under the weight of so much good stuff), Benji Chu (gels), Maureen Forrestal (aid at Point Gray), Janet Mackintosh (hot coffees) and Ruedi Aschwanden (roving sag wagon). I'd also like to recognize Dave Cressman of Distance Runwear for the prizes and Sibylle Tinsel, your Chief Executive Fat Ass, for helping me a lot with registration and results.
Happy New Year... and may all of your 2013 resolutions come to pass!
Ean Jackson
Host of the Vancouver New Years Day Fat Ass 50K Run and Freeze Your Fat Ass Swim
Notes:
Please email me if I missed or screwed-up your time/distance, missed awarding you points for picking up trash, missed your finish time or otherwise.
Please also tell me how I did by completing the Club's Post Event Survey.
A housekeeping note for the Club: I need to make sure everyone who participated and was recognized was a bona fide Club member. If you haven't signed up for your 2013 CFA membership in CFA yet, please join at so you don’t have to wear a patch over one eye and talk pirate talk at the next Club event
Check Global News news to see yourself on TV! (Did anyone find a streaming video link? If so, pls share in a comment.)
Photos
Did you or yours take any photos? If so, please share them on Flickr. (Help on how to do that here.) Add to the CFA Flickr group and tag your pix with VancouverNewYearsDayFatAss50 VancouverNewYearsDayFatAss502013 VancouverNewYearsDayFatAss ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvent2013.
Here is a slideshow of photos shared so far:
I'd love to see you add your story either via the comment function below or through a post on your CFA blog. (If you use your blog, I'll attach it to this page)
In the media: coming soon if I can find the video link
Results:
Preliminary results are posted below. If I don't have your trash pick-up points or time/distance or have either recorded incorrectly, please email me.
The Twitter hashtag for the Vancouver New Year's Fat Ass 50km is #VNYDFA50. Tweets from spectators and participants are streamed below (for those of you not on Twitter)
Comments
I blogged about my experience
HERE.