This was more than a mere race, it was an event and an unforgettable experience. My ability to participate was also a complete surprise, making me enjoy the experience that much more. Racing in the World Mountain Running Championships required qualifying on behalf of your country. A maximum of six men and four women (plus juniors) could participate from each country. In Canada, the qualifying race took place in Canmore in July. In addition, there were two wild-card spots - one for each male and female that were selected based on past performances. As noted in my previous post, I raced in the Canmore Challenge in July - as a completely last minute decision. I attended the race to support Shane and Andrew Pape-Salmon, who were both racing the event, but then decided to race in the female event a week before the race. In order to qualify for the Canadian team, you also have to submit your interest in doing so. At first, I didn't think I had a chance, but then a couple of days prior to the race, I changed my entry, as it seemed that there were not very many women entered.
While, I didn't immediately qualify for the Canadian team from my placing at Canmore, I was later selected, when some of the women who finished ahead of me declined. I received a surprising email in August notifying me of my selection. I jumped at the chance at what I saw as a once-in a lifetime experience.
This led me to the race in Albania. Each year the destination of the World Mountain Running Championship changes, and for 2011, Albania had been chosen as the host country. I didn't know much about Albania before, but was glad to view a different part of Europe, that I may not otherwise visit. Albania is a small country north of Greece, with a friendly population that is known in Europe at least for its beaches and coastline. The race itself would take place in Tirana, the capital city, but all of the teams were staying in hotels along the beach resort in Durres, about 30 kilometres away. It was definitely a popular tourist spot, and the streets were lively with vendors and shoppers in the evenings.
Leading up to the race, there were some official and ceremonial events, we had the opportunity to tour the race course prior to race day and got a glimpse of what would be a rugged, technical, steep, but also fast race. There was also a parade of the teams through Tirana and the Opening Ceremonies, in which Albanian traditional and contemporary singers and dancers performed for the teams.
After much waiting, race day had finally arrived. The women's race began at 11am and the men's race at 12pm -- in what we knew would be hot conditions. The temperature was expected to be in the 30s for both races. The Canadian team consisted of Laura Estey, Melissa Ross, Kathryn Waslyn and me for the women and Adrian Lambert, Kris Swanson, Shane Ruljancich, Paul Chafe, Mark Vollmer and James Gosselin for the men. Before our race, we headed out for a short warm-up run, and then headed to the start-line. Going into the race, my goal was to not finish last. I knew there would be many very fast women at this event, and I wanted to enjoy the experience, do my best and hopefully have at least a few people cross the finish line after me.
Soon enough the gun went off and the race was on. Thoughts of a last place finish drifted before my eyes, as I realized that I was at the very back of the pack off the start line. I gritted my teeth and was determined to do my best. I tried to maneuver around some women at the beginning, but I got locked in and the competition of the race had already set in - so I decided to not waste my energy at this point, and just see how the race progressed.
The heat was immediately apparent. We'd already doused ourselves with water before the start, but the cool factor did not last too long. We started off on a wide dusty road, and the leaders kicked up tons of dust that made it difficult to even see. Then, we ran by some farmland and through a small field, before starting the climb. We turned onto some singletrack that had been cut-out of the land just for this race. Apparently a large portion of this race took place on a single landowner's property and much of it had been designed and created simply for this race.
The singletrack led us under some tree coverage as we began to slowly wind our way uphill. The first part made me almost feel like I was on a trail run on the West Coast of BC - with lovely green tree cover and dirt trails with roots poking out. It was near the bottom of the climb that I began to pass a couple of my Canadian teammates and a few others as well. The climb started off rather gradual, but then turned into steep stairs, as we hit grades as steep as 40%.
I remembered the climb from our scouting excursion and knew it was pretty much just a 'put your head down' and hike as hard as you can type of climb. While I'm sure the leaders ran up the hills, there would be no running for me, but a steady hike all the way up, as I kept telling myself 'just keep going, push as hard as you can, don't let up.' I could hear my teammates breathing hard behind me, and wanted to keep a good steady pace all the way.
The climb really was dirt stairs practically all of the way up, along a trail that curved around the side of the hill. Luckily, it was all shaded, otherwise the already hot temperatures would have made the climb absolutely horrific. Near the top, the trail evens out for a bit, allowing a beautiful view of the city and a small chance to take a few running strides. Throughout the race there were competitors close by me - both in front and behind, and I wanted to take every opportunity I had to move as fast as I could. Then, after this section, there was one final short push up to the top. I had regained my composure enough to run all the way to the top.
All along the course there were volunteers handing out bottles of water. This was very much appreciated, as I didn't have to go long before having another opportunity to down a bit of water and try to cool myself down by pouring some water over my head.
The first part of the downhill was rather technical. It was a fun descent though, as it wasn't so rugged as to make it scary, but just enough to keep you on your toes. This section was pretty short too and only lasted a couple of minutes. The rest of the downhill was mostly all wide dirt road - although there were two very short, but steep loose sandy sections. The first one included some corners that required navigating and a rough transition from loose dirt, which was easy to fly on, and then to concrete steps, where you had to watch where you stepped. I really slowed down on this transition section, as I had a hard time getting my mind in tune with my body to just keep stepping. Then, came another section of dirt road.
We made our way around the extra loop at the bottom, where our Canadian male teammates were cheering us on. Then, soon enough, came the climb for the second time. The second time around, it was much harder. I knew right away that I was going slower, but it was all I could do to keep pushing. But amazingly, I still made some headway and was able to pass another competitor on the climb. I was happy to make it to the top, but the climb and heat had definitely taken its toll and I found myself unable to maneuver my legs as well on the technical descent. The dirt road section felt so much longer, and I knew I had to keep pushing to keep my place. I kept expecting someone to come flying by me on the down portion, as I felt I should have been going faster. Then I came to the first sandy section, and heard someone say, take your time, there's noone right behind you. Except I took it a bit too literally, as I nearly stopped at the transition section, and lost a few valuable seconds. The finish was close now, and I kept my legs pumping as hard as I could. There was a competitor in front of me who was clearly hurting and I knew I was gaining ground on her -- I got encouragement from the crowd too, as they yelled out 'go get her!' 'she's a goner, you can get her'. But, there wasn't quite enough time, as I knew I was done for too, and ended up still 5 seconds back at the finish line.
I met my goal and did not finish last -- in fact I was the second Canadian women to cross the finish line. Melissa Ross was the first Canadian female (in 34th place). It was a tough race, in a very competitive field. It would have been nicer to have had a better a placing, as I was still near the back of the pack, finishing just fifth from the end. But, I raced as hard as I could given the conditions, and was still pleased with my run and with the experience. Of course, you always want to do better, and I can only hope that I continue to improve and get faster.
I got back just in time to get hosed down with cold water, grab a banana and some water and catch the start of the men's race. It was an exciting race, with lots of racers being hit hard by the heat, and either dropping out or falling way back. Unfortunately, two of our best racers did not have their races go as planned. James Gosseli had to drop out because of being ill from food poisoning the night before and Kris suffered from heat exhaustion, causing him to fall way back from where he should have been. The heat also affected Shane's race, as he wasn't able to race at his peak, and ended up slower than he felt he was capable of racing. The other three men were about mid-pack, with Adrian coming in top Canadian male.
Overall it was a fantastic experience -- and I am so glad to have had this opportunity. A huge thank you to my wonderful club - the Prairie Inn Harriers who provided financial support to assist Shane, Kris and I to attend.
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