2012 - Year 11 - Spring Mountain Highway Madness

Sometimes I wonder if the folks I hang out with aren't all nuts.  This was especially true on Sunday morning as I made my way to the start of the 11th annual spring running of the Mountain Highway Madness. 

It was 7:00 am on a Sunday morning, you see.  Skies were dark and it was spitting rain when I left the comfort of my home with coffee in hand.  I was out late the evening before and had plans to take the kids on a long snowshoe hike in the afternoon, so the last thing I needed to do was run up and down old Mountain Highway in the rain.  I assumed most of the people who had signed up for the run would take one look at the weather and roll over in bed... Club points be damned.  

Boy, was I was wrong!  Compared to last year, a veritable throng of bright-eyed, bushy-tailed runners gathered at the start.  Funny, isn't it, how Fat Asses seem to be attracted to adverse running conditions?

For the first time in the history of the run, there was snow at the start line.  Any threat of rain had subsided and it snowed ever so lightly.  Mike Wardas, one of the handful of crazies who participated in the first Mountain Highway Madness 11 years ago, came prepared with snowshoes.  Kerry and Chris from Fort St. John, who know the true meaning of winter, came prepared for a run in Stanley Park.  Ever the optimist, Chris Benn wore shorts.  Marc took a week off from hosting Seymour Sundays to go for Silver and Des was jonesing for snow after several weeks of 30C+ weather in Laos.

Unaware that another half-dozen people or so were on their way, we started promptly at 7:30.  Dave Cressman bolted off the front with the fast boys while a large group shared stories at a more leisurely pace.  The snowpack was inconsistent until past the Van Tan Club, so Mike didn't put his snowshoes on until about 1/3 of the way up Mt. Fromme.  From that point on, however, Bigfoot Wardas was the man to follow as he did a great job of making it easier to place one's shoe in the deep snow.  

By the time we reached the turnaround point, the fast boys (most of whom planned at least 2, if not 3 laps) were 1/2 way back down the mountain.  Rabble-rouser Pace proposed a sweet custom course down Per Gynt trail, so for the benefit of our out-of-town guests, several of us dropped down the steep trail into the woods.  In places, the powdery snow was almost bottomless.  We hooted and hollered like powder hounds as we laughed and fell in snow above our waists.  Top grades for craziness go to Senors Lavin and Le Pine:  arms flailing and screaming at the tops of their lungs as they flew by their camarades, bouncing off trees as they went.

Again for the benefit of the newly-minted Fat Asses from Fort St. John, Glenn recommended a detour to the finish via Leopard/Crinkum Crankum trail.  This took us on some bike bridges and other dicey sections which pleased our guests immensely, but left those who kept on-course wondering what in the heck had happened to everyone.

As the hard-asses went back for another lap, the rest of us made an executive decision to forego the free beer and go for coffee and sticky buns at Delaney's in Lynn Valley instead.  Thanks to Trail Runner magazine, all out of town guests were honored with an annual magazine subscription.  Thanks to Dave Cressman of Distance Runware (who, by the way, completed 2 laps in time to make it for last call at the coffee shop), a lucky runner who gave it their best in an attempt to complete 3 or more laps was awarded a $25 gift certificate.  Congrats to Mike Wardas who is still givin'er 11 years later!

Congrats to everyone who came out and enjoyed the great snow year of 2012... it was a blast running with you.

PS If you participated in the run, please take a moment to fill out the Club's Post Event Survey. You can also leave your comments, impressions from the run and feedback via the comment link below (you need to be signed in for that) or in your CFA blog.

Photos.  Here is a slideshow of event photos. You can add yours to this Flickr slideshow by following these instructions.  Please tag all photos with SpringMHM2012 SpringMHM SpringMountainHighwayMadness ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvents2012 and add to the Flickr Club Fat Ass group pool.

Results: preliminary - please email missing times
 

* Garbage Point
** EH Point