Keith Wakelin from Courtenay, B.C. won the thirteenth annual Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run in a time of 5:21:42. This was a prized win by Keith, his first in eight attempts. This year he had the lead, start to finish, including overcoming one slight detour. Keith, a Masters (40-49) runner was up against tough competition as seven of the first nine finishers were in his division.
Alexandra Watson of North Vancouver, B.C. won the women's race with a new course record. Her time of 5:45:35 bettered the record by 1 second. Marcia Boulanger, 4th woman overall from Chilliwack, B.C., also bettered her own course record in the women's Veterans (over 50 years) division completed her seventh Knee Knacker race in a time of 6:25:08. Boulanger knocked almost 12 minutes off the previous record.
This was the year for Wakelin's. Besides Keith's win, Neil won the Veterans Men's category. There were also three other Wakelin family member finishers.
A record number of 180 ultramarathon runners from across North America started the "Race Across the North Shore." In contrast to the past two years, the course from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove was snow free. The excellent trail conditions allowed a record 170 runners to finish, a 95% finish rate. 83 first timers started the race. Many using the Knee Knacker as their first ultra, a very challenging race for their first.
North Vancouver's Ean Jackson and Bill Cook of Coquitlam became the seventh and eighth individuals to complete the race at least ten times. David Brown, who is not yet 80 (contrary to Shane Collin's awards ceremony brevity), moved his string up to 13, the only individual to have run every year.
The Knee Knacker, Canada's knarliest trail race, has many challenges; the first is the initial 4,000' climb to the top of Black Mountain. This section includes the now famous rock scramble through the scree and the boulders on the way to the top. The footing down to the Cypress Ski Bowl can be tricky, as Janet Green found out in winning the most "Knackered" award. The additional 1,200' climbs up Grouse and Seymour Mountains provide more challenge on the way to the finish. Over the years many sections of the trail have been improved to make the course seem easier. There are also sections where the bridges are gone and the runners face rock climbs down and out of creek beds, increasing the difficulty. The course uses the Baden-Powell trail, very rugged while providing a scenic view of a pristine British Columbian coastal forest.
The finish at Deep Cove is especially picturesque. Runners can hear the finish line announcements while still facing a mile of short climbs and descents before the trail abruptly opens into a residential area. After the rocks and roots, it is a welcome relief to see the park while mustering a final sprint to the finish line.
Equal to the beauty of the race, is the organization and aid stations. Many of the volunteers have been involved since the early years of the race. Seeing familiar aid station crews has become as much fun as seeing many fellow participants each year. Paul Quinn, Enzo Federico and their team of volunteers, once again deserve a big thanks for an excellent job of orchestrating Knee Knackering #13.
Ron Nicholl
ronn@wolfenet.com