Running with Community
GreenTrail 21K race report.
I was supposed to race a 21K in Whistler, but family obligations kept me closer to home. So instead of running the race I had planned, I ran the race I needed.
Two days before the first weekend in June, I was supposed to go to Whistler for a half-marathon, but I had to stay closer to home, so my wife suggested, “Why don’t you run the GreenTrail instead?” I pivoted and nabbed one of the last remaining spots for the 21K. Immediately, I messaged the race director who was happy to hear I was in. In late May, I joined a run group that was training on the GreenTrail course, and now I was excited to be racing in these familiar North Vancouver trails.
The format was different from other races I’ve done. Runners had 70 minutes to complete a 7 km course that started and finished in a race village set up with tents for food and sponsors. The 6:00 a.m. starters ran six loops for a marathon, and I lined up at 9:30 a.m. for a three-loop half-marathon. It was great how the energy of the race increased as more runners joined the start line after each loop. That way, everyone—from the marathoners to the 7 km runners—shared one last loop.
The 7 km climb-up-and-then-fly-down course was fairly runnable, with a few roots and rocks along the way, a short steep scramble near the summit, plus some road sections connecting the trails to the start / finish race village. On my training run I had completed the course in about an hour so my goal was to finish each of my three loops in less than an hour; this was a race, after all. So I figured that if I focused on quick descents I would make up any time spent on the slower-paced climbs.
Since this race was close to home, my wife and kids met me at the start of my first loop, saw me finish it, and waved goodbye in the rain as I started my second loop. Throughout the first loop, the overcast and cool conditions were near perfect. All I carried in my vest was a 500ml flask with water, 30g Precision Fuel & Hydration gels, plus sodium capsules for fueling every 30 minutes or so. But on the second loop it started to pour and hail, so I slowed down a bit.
On the last loop, I gave it my all, and pushed through some leg fatigue in order to finish under the 70 minutes time limit. Loop after loop I saw the same runners—we ran together, we pushed each other, I passed some, others passed me, while volunteers cheered us on at various checkpoints. And when I crossed the finish line, it seemed everyone was there to welcome me back. It felt great to be part of a community formed by runners, volunteers, race organizers, sponsors, and families.
Post-race, I congratulated the runners I had seen throughout the day, thanked the race organizers, and promised that I’d be back next year. And when I returned home, my kids asked me, “Did you run so fast Papa? Did you win the race?” I tried to explain that I placed in my M55-59 age group, that I was happy I had a good race, and that everyone who finished earned a medal. But more importantly, as a dad I want them to know that you can accomplish anything when you find a community to run with.