Drizzle can’t stop Issels as Fort-to-Fort racers crush trails, hills
Credit to Author: Gord Kurenoff| Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2020 02:06:41 +0000
FORT LANGLEY — Candace Vettese of Aldergrove pointed to friend Kate Mumford on Sunday morning at Derby Reach Regional Park and said: “we’re just a couple of crazies out for a five-mile run in the pouring rain.”
Mumford, noting she hasn’t run in a long time, quickly added: “Make that idiots! What were we thinking?”
Apparently, 160 others figured the conditions were just right for the final leg of PEN RUN’s 2020 Fraser Valley Trail Series, this one named the Fort-to-Fort 5- and 10-Miler race, which featured challenging duck-for-airplanes hills, slick grass, mud, puddles and other “wild-weather fun,” to quote smiling race director Phil Ellis.
The mother-daughter White Rock combo of Corrine and Haley Issel probably thought it was a perfect day, too, as Corrine won the women’s 10-miler (16K) in 1:13 and change (official results won’t be posted for a day or two), while daughter Haley (of Ocean Athletics) won the women’s 5-miler (8K) in 32 minutes and change.
The massage tent was a popular post-race place on Sunday at Derby Reach Regional Park. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
Brandon Jones won the men’s 10-miler in a blistering 62 minutes, while Kaden Lee (of Ocean Athletics) won the men’s 5-miler in 28:32.
“It was absolutely delightful to be there with my daughter today,” said Corrine. “We were both charting new territory as it was her first 8K and my first 16K. The ‘funnest’ part for both of us is always the wonderful community of people and the super fun environment.
“We are also very grateful for the volunteers who slogged it out in miserable weather for all the racers. It was a beautiful and challenging course for sure!”
The race attracted people of all ages and skills, including many who took part in the 4K and 8K Resolution Race on New Year’s Day (Crescent Park in Surrey) and the 4.8K and 8K Aldergrove Ramble on Jan. 26 at Aldergrove Regional Park. Each race increased in course difficulty, but so did the fun.
The Campbell Valley trail race, which was a popular part of the PEN RUN series in year’s past, was scratched this year because of problems with Township of Langley parking restrictions at the park.
“That was really the only disappointment this year, sorry we couldn’t make it go there,” said Ellis, who won the Vancouver Sun Run in 1991 and still looks to be in amazing shape. “We had great weather for this series, especially the first two runs. I’m looking at doing a few changes for next year. I like the good energy we had and people said they enjoyed the runs. We’ll build on that.”
Ellis was also thrilled to see the growth in first-time runners and weekend warriors.
Runners did what they could to stay warm before the Fort-to-Fort 5- and 10-Mile trail races on Sunday. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
“It’s always nice when the competitive runners come out, but it’s also great to see the new runners, too. That keeps it fun.”
Next up for PEN RUN is the Heritage to Hatzic 5K and 10K races, set for Sunday, April 5.
The race has been described as “Mission’s own little Sun Run,” and besides raising money for the Mission Hospice Society it also serves as a good warmup test for those taking part in the annual Sun Run, set for Sunday, April 19 in Vancouver. For more information and to register, click HERE.
Here are a few other notes from Sunday’s run at Derby Reach:
Kathie Schellenberg, centre, and Sandra Jongs Sayer pose for photos in Sunday’s 10-mile race while blogger Gord Kurenoff catches his breath on Houston Trail.
Runners in Sunday’s 10-miler had to complete two loops of the nasty Houston Trail hill before moving on, just to remind them how hard the first time was!
What made it easier for trail sloths like me was seeing former MEC Langley race director-turned PEN RUN volunteer Kathie Schellenberg pointing runners in the right direction and encouraging them as they conquered the uphill beast.
Schellenberg, who invited me to take part in all of her races in the past, was thrilled to see this scribe’s graduation to longer distances after feasting on 5Ks for several years.
While I have also graduated past the mid-race “selfies” (code for catching your breath), the second loop of the nasty Houston Trail hill called for “the good old days!”
Schellenberg remains the most upbeat, pro-running, pro-fitness person I have ever met, and her “today is a great day for a run” or “to do something amazing” sign-offs on her letters really inspired this scribe over the years.
Also, hats off to all the great volunteers who stood out there in the cold and rain and made the race memorable.
Paul Williams seemed to be wishing for a fire to start on Sunday morning. He needs to watch more episodes of Survivor — or buy matches! (Gord Kurenoff photo)
Paul Williams of PEN RUN, a former three-time Olympian, multiple Sun Run winner and smart businessman might not be the best bet to win Survivor or become a Scout leader!
It was cold Sunday morning, Williams appeared to be shivering next to a pit with logs wrapped in plastic, so I asked if he was hoping the fire would start by itself.
“I don’t have a match. And my hands are cold,” he smiled. “Isn’t this one of your special skills?”
Spoken like a frozen guy who has seen me run!
Katia Stano of iPOLPO and Alain Denis sets up Sunday morning for taking pictures of the Fort-to-Fort 5- and 10-Mile trail races. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
Katia Stano of iPOLPO was worried Sunday that rain and dark skies would make her photo duties difficult.
No, she’s really good and if you keep an eye on social media and her company’s website you’ll see proof of that over the next day or two.
Stano is also a fine runner and a big booster of the spanking-new Fort Runners Club, which meets Tuesday nights in Fort Langley.
Phil Ellis of PEN RUN, left, greets the tired and relieved Sandra Jongs Sayer and Gord Kurenoff at the 10-Mile finish line on Sunday at Derby Reach Regional Park. (Katia Stano of iPOLPO photo)
Finally, she was bed-ridden a week ago, suffering from a flu bug that zapped all her energy.
Then, about mid-week, coach Sandra Jongs Sayer made a remarkable recovery and decided to change her “modest” 5-Mile plans to 10, but needed an accomplice to watch for bears and finish behind her on Sunday.
So guess who got that call?
Yours truly ran 16K in the Running Room’s Hypothermic Half three weeks ago at Stanley Park, did the Rock ‘N’ Roll half marathon and 5K two weeks ago in New Orleans and last week raced in the TRY Events Fort Langley Historic Half. I have done more running in the past month than all of last year combined, and that’s just by “training” 5K a day!
• FOR MY SUNDAY PHOTOS, click HERE
So running another 16K on Sunday, especially on those nasty Houston Trail hills, was a big ask, but Sandra sold it by promising if we finished in under two hours she’d make a big, big, big batch of cookies for me — plus let me recover for a few days before another “let’s go running” phone call!
Well, we did it, with four minutes to spare.
Sandra Jongs Sayer ran 15.9K with Gord Kurenoff on Sunday, then sprinted to the 16K finish line and made him eat her dust! Friends, eh? (Alain Denis photo, for iPOLPO)
“You must have channelled your inner Kip (Kenyan marathon star Eliud Kipchoge) to break two hours,” laughed Ellis at the finish line, where he was waiting for only one more runner to call it a day, an inspirational 72-year-old woman who almost caught me in the home stretch!
No, I told Ellis, I was channelling chocolate chips, lots and lots of them. And maybe an extra-large tube of BenGay and a month of “modest” 5Ks!
FINISH LINES: Next up for this scribe is the annual West Van Run 5K and 10K, set for March 7 and 8. I’ll “do the double” there, taking in the 5K on Saturday, and 10K on the Sunday. Ironically, I ran with Mumford and her “crazy” Aldergrove gal-pals in the West Van 10K last year and that was a lot of fun (and selfies!). … UBC is hosting a Trot for Tots this coming Saturday. For more information or to enter, click HERE.
Gotta run …