Ow Canada! - Cap Crusher

The weekend of the 23rd started off as a early one. We were up before the sunrise only to hop in a car and drive north, to Canada. We were on our way to run the Cap Crusher, the first of four races in the new Coast Mountain Trail Series that Gary Robbins and Geoff Langford have started.

The Cap Crusher has both 8k and 13k races with 3300 to 4200 feet of elevation change.  Heather's and my choice of torture for the day was the 13k.  The course was filled with a lot of technical trails, elevation change and scenic views. You could not ask for more from a race course.

Race morning was a cold one as we all stood around trying to stay warm before the start. We all knew we would be fine once the race started, but that didn't stop the shivering beforehand. The view from the starting line was breath taking as we stood by the Cleveland Dam and looked up at the surrounding mountains. What a great location for the start of a race!

We were off at 9 am sharp into the unknown as neither Heather or I had run in the Capilano Canyon before. We crossed the dam and entered the trails. It was time to have fun and enjoy the trails. Right off the bat we were heading up hill on some steep technical narrow trails. I knew I was in for a tough race, as I should have already known that as it is Gary Robbins race.

With in the first couple of little climbs I realized two things. First, I was going way too fast for my level of conditioning and second, I was already mentally lost in the maze of trails. I adjusted my pace and was able to settle into a groove and take in the new scenery around me. The trails reminded me a lot of the stuff I train back home in Western Washington.

Somewhere about half way through the first loop we popped out on to a wide gravel bike path. I had remembered that Gary said you would pop out onto this path and be on it till you hit a aid station and turn around. This was a nice change of pace, as I needed a little time for the legs to recover. You were not on the gravel for long as you were pointed back into the woods after the aid station and heading back towards the start.

Toward the end of the first loop, we were sent to this little view point to look up at the dam. As I made the turn to the view point, the  course marshall warned me that the it was wet and slippery. I acknowledged him and thought to myself, I will be fine. Lo and behold, I slipped coming back off the lookout. Oops, I should have slowed down.

There was a nice big stair climb right before the start and finish line, which you ran through and headed out for a second loop that was shorter and different then the first. 

As I continued on the second lap I was slowly catching this guy in front of me. I had let him go early in the race and found myself slowly catching him. Right around the time I caught up to him I started to recognize some of the trails and realized we were almost back to the dam. I got in front of him right before the last climb as we both settled into a hike up the hill. On the other side I made a few risky leaps and jumps to open up a little lead and was able to hold him off to the finish. I was happy with the outcome of the race, however I could not believe that there were so many stairs. I had never witnessed so many stairs located in one location.

After the race, Linda Barton took Heather and I up Grouse Mountain (BCMC trail). We had a blast hiking up, seeing new terrain and hitting the snow line. where spikes were needed. The views from the lodge were spectacular as we looked down at where we had just run the race. Thanks Linda for the hike.

The next day Heather and I went up to Squamish and ran the first preview run of the Squamish 50 mile course. It was the last 23k of the course. The weather was great, our packs were full and we had directions; it was destined to be a great day. We took off with the rest of the group and settled into our own pace, which was slow and steady. This would be the only time to enjoy the scenery as come race day it would all be a blur. We both agreed that the trails and views were fantastic. The Squamish course is beautiful and I can not wait to see the rest.

Thank you Gary and Linda for being such great hosts and thank you Gary and Geoff for putting together a great weekend full of running.

FYI : If you want to see a suspension bridge and do not want to pay 30 dollars to go see one, you should go see to Lynn Canyon which is free and a fantastic view of a water carved gorge far below.