Orcas Island 25 km

January 28, 2012

I did this race two years ago, and a few runner friends from Victoria were keen to go again.  It's a wonderful, fun low-key 25 km race on fantastic trails in a beautiful, lush forest.  The race itself is held in State Moran Park, as we climb up Mount Constitution twice, which rises up to 2,400 feet.  Over the course of the race we gain about 3,500 feet of elevation.

The travel is somewhat of an inconvenience, as although it's quite close as the crow flies to Victoria, there are no direct ferry routes during the winter months.  As a result, it ends up taking a full day of travel to get there and back.  However, as an occasional race, it's worth it and a nice treat.

Race day, I awoke early to overcast, damp conditions - but at least no rain.  Hopefully it would hold off for the run.  I was nervous about the race, but actually feeling pretty decent, as we lined up for the start.  As the race director was giving us the pre-race spiel, it started to hail on us -- as the runner standing beside me, wearing only a t-shirt and shorts said, "I feel somewhat under-dressed."  You think?  It's only 2 degrees outside and hailing!  This time, in contrast to two years ago, the start went downhill instead of uphill, which made the start much more enjoyable.  Soon enough we turned off onto a fun single-track section, and I was about 15 people back.  On the start line, I had lined up beside a few other women who seemed speedy, and I wondered how I was going to fare.   As we turned onto the single-track, I was pretty certain there were no women in front of me.  This caused me to run scared during the entire run -if indeed I was the first woman, I wanted it to stay that way...

The trails were awesome, and I started off at a pretty decent clip as we bounded up and around a few roots and rocks, and around corners as we made our way slightly uphill.  Larry Nylen was just a few racers ahead of me, and I wondered how long we would stay close together.  Unfortunately, only about 15 minutes into the race, a racer a couple of people ahead of Larry sprained his ankle quite badly.  We came upon him groaning on the ground unable to mutter any words.  As I ran up, Larry and another runner were already standing around and seemed to have the situation under hand... not seeing how I could add value, I carried on, hoping the runner would be okay.  Larry, the good guy he is, ran back to the road, where he found some marshals to inform about the injured runner - in doing so he lost at least 15 minutes.

The climb continued pretty gradually as we ascended the mountain.  However, the real climb did not begin until about 30 minutes into the run.  We crossed a road, and I looked up a steep slope right in front of me.  As we began to ascend into the forested abyss, I thought - 'okay, here we go'.  So far, I had been feeling good and hoped that I would continue that way as the real climb began.

There was already snow along the sides of the trail, and it would only increase as we made our way up to the summit.  The climb zig-zagged back and forth and the snow on the ground slowly increased in volume. Soon enough we were running on crunchy, hard snow that thankfully was not very slippery, but definitely harder to run in than on a bare trail.  As I made my way up the mountain, I found myself able to pick up some speed on the flat or slightly downhill sections - often passing other runners - some of which would pass me back on the steeper uphill sections.  While the climb was pretty steady, there were a few small dips and flats, allowing small reprieves here and there.  As we neared the top, we encountered a few steep sections, causing me to change into a power-hike, although only for a few minutes at a time.  I felt that overall my climbing was better than two years ago, but my speed was impacted by the snowy cover on the ground.

Due to the snow, the trail was hard to see at certain spots, causing me to question which way to go.  While the route was flagged along the way, a bit more would have been helpful, especially with the snow.  At one point, the trail crossed back on itself, crossing a river - and I took a few moments to figure out which direction to go into. Two runners came up behind me, and we stared around before figuring out that the trail was actually behind us!

Towards the top of the mountain, we began running along a cliff, which provided outstanding vistas of the sea and the peninsula.  I slowed down slightly to take in the view, taking quick glances over my shoulder, while also watching my feet, as I tiptoed along the snow and ice.  Then, it was time to keep motoring, as I could smell the top of the first major climb.  I felt like the climb was going on forever, and I was itching to summit.  As I made my way up the mountain, I could feel the temperature drop, and the winds increase.  My arms were completely frozen and numb, although my core was warm.  Even just taking a gel out of my water bottle pocket was a challenge.  Finally, I heard the cheering and knew I was just about there - 1hour 10 minutes in. There was a steep rise to the summit, as a bunch of eager volunteers, bundled up in many layers, cheered us on.  An aid station was located at the top of this climb, and the volunteers were kind enough to ask me if I needed anything, as I was huffing my way towards the top. I shook my head and was warned about the slippery downhill section that ensued.

After a short road section, we turned back onto single-track and much more comfortable, less slippery downhill. However, due to the snow, it definitely caused me to check my speed somewhat on the downs, especially anything steep. Two years ago, I'd reveled in the downhill - making up a lot of time as I blasted my way down. This time, the snow was a definite factor - slowing me down.  But, I was still able to move at a decent clip - or at least I thought I was, until a male runner came up behind me, just hammering it. I was able to hang onto him, and stayed not too far behind, as we finished the first downhill section, and started climb #2.  I was able to pass him at this point - and was able to stay in front until the end.

By the bottom of the downhill section, we'd made our way out of the snow for awhile, but we soon headed back into it. This second climb was rough for me.  It seemed to go on for awhile, and I just kept wondering how much further.  I'd look up at the tree line thinking 'Wow, the top still looks so far away!'  The second climb was much shorter, taking only about 30 minutes, but on the tired legs and body, it was tough.  Although I'd had one gel and one fruit bar, I still felt somewhat energy depleted and was so happy to make it to the top.  Then came the final descent! Yay! At this point, there was about 9 km to the end.  This was a fantastic downhill - fast and flowy - especially once we got out of the snow.  Then I could really fly.  I was completely expecting Mr. Fast on the downhill to come up behind me, but somehow I was able to hold him off this time.

One little road crossing and a final 2 km to the finish around the lake.  I had previously thought that this final section was 5km to the end, but as I crossed the road, a volunteer mentioned to me that I had '1 mile to go'.  I figure it was closer to 3 km, as I saw a sign a ways in that said '1 mile to Camp Moran' and it took me about 16 minutes to get from the road to the finish at Camp Moran.  I had enough juice in my legs to push somewhat hard on the downhill and flat sections, but there were a few small climbs that the legs did not like.  I did run the whole last section, but due to sheer determination.  At this point I didn't want someone to come up behind me and smoke me at the finish.  As you make your way towards the end of the race, you catch glimpses of the beach, and I could see myself slowly inching my way forward.  Then, came the best sounds I'd heard all day -- 'cheering'.  I knew the finish line was close now.  One final descent onto the road, and then one  more small push uphill to the finish.  It was only at this point, ~400 meters to the finish that I got confirmation that I was in fact the first woman. The last climb was tough, but was I ever ecstatic to cross the finish line, with the knowledge that I'd actually come in first female overall.  

While everyone ended the day with smiles, the race itself was not without mishaps: After climbing like a rocket up the mountain, in second place, Andrew pulled his groin muscle, forcing him to slow his pace.  He managed to still finish in the top 10, but was slower than he otherwise would have been.  Larry stopped to help an injured runner, losing at least 15 minutes, as he ran back to near the start to notify the marshals. Valerie and Sara both had pretty good races, and made their way through the snow and ice quite well. Kathleen unfortunately decided to pull out of the race, due to extreme fatigue, but was all smiles to greet us at the finish. Overall it was a great weekend getaway with friends!