West Vancouver, British Columbia – Canada’s premiere ultramarathon race is all set to go this Saturday 10 July. The eleventh annual Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run takes participants from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove along the 30-mile (48.6 km.) Baden-Powell trail. Runners go up, over, and around the major North Shore mountains – Cypress, Grouse, and Seymour – gaining over 8,000 feet (2,400 m) in elevation along the way.

The race has a well-deserved reputation as Canada’s gnarliest footrace. It has received a top ten rating from Running Wild magazine in the category of North America’s toughest races. Mile for mile it tests all facets of the runner’s repertoire – speed, strength, endurance and mental tenacity. For a runner to win this race, he or she must possess all of these skills, and must have the daring to "go for it."

This year’s race presents an additional challenge as a result of the record snowfalls experienced in the coastal mountains this past winter. 1999 will go down in the Knee Knacker books as "The Snow Year." The entire trail between miles four and ten remains buried under a blanket of snow exceeding 3 metres (10 feet) in some spots.

"Trail markers, usually found on trees around the two to three metre mark, are buried – this is making navigation a challenge," warns race director Paul Quinn in his pre-race instructions. "Please pay attention to the pink and black striped flagging tape as they mark the safest route through the snow. The rule of thumb is that if you have not seen a marker for more than 100 metres, stop and retrace your steps – you are off course."

At 6:00 a.m. Saturday over 170 racers will line up just above Horseshoe Bay at the Eagleridge Drive exit off the Upper Levels Highway. Their goal will be to arrive at the Panorama Park beach in Deep Cove by 4:30 p.m. The rewards for their efforts are simple – a T-shirt, a medal, and steaming hot doughnuts! These runners have come from all over North America to test themselves against the North Shore mountains. Five Canadian provinces and three American states are represented.

The competition up front will be fierce as many top finishers from previous years are returning. Derek Reed of Sudbury, Ontario, and Vancouver’s Tracy Lavin, are back to defend their 1998 titles. Due to the heavy snow, neither runner expects to challenge the course records of 4:45:11 (set in 1991 by Peter Findlay of Kamloops) and 5:45:36 (set in 1995 by Martha Swatt of Sheridan, Wyoming). Brian Patterson of Lindell Beach, former record holder in the men’s masters (over 40 years old) division, is hoping to become only the second person to complete the Knee Knacker race ten times.

A complete schedule of all race activities is available on the Internet at http://www.kneeknacker.com .

Proceeds from this year’s race will benefit the North Shore Rescue Team.

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For further information contact:

Paul Quinn
1999 Race Director
Tel (604) 222-3199
FAX (604) 681-9584
E-mail pc.quinn@mbltd.com