The Whole Thing ... by Craig Moore
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It's hard to believe the Knee Knacker is all over for another
year. We've all put so much effort into training, planning, and
organising our lives around this great event. To be successful we
made training one of our highest priorities for months, many times
forgoing other things we might rather be doing.
On the other hand, few things are better than getting together with a
friend or two, or a large group, for a good trail run. And being
well prepared for the big day in July is not only the real challenge but
also how we gauge our own personal success at the Knee Knacker Race.
Of course, after 3 very successful previous races starting in '99, The
Year of the Snow, I decided to make it really interesting (and
challenging). As if doing 30 grueling miles over 3 mountains isn't
enough, I decided to make an attempt at the Double. Many of you
have been curious about how that went and I thought I would put it down
in words for you.
At first it was going to be just me doing the run; 30 miles through the
evening and night and 30 miles back with the race. Then I came to
my senses (ya right), and graciously accepted a couple of other offers
to keep me company. In the end, a long time running friend, Debbie
Schmidt, and I did the first 30 miles together starting at 6:00 pm in
Deep Cove on the Friday before the race. It seemed like a good
idea. But, as more than one of you have commented to me, what
looks good on paper is not the same in reality.
We were giving ourselves 5 hours for the first half to Cleveland Dam and
6 hours for the second half to the start line. The weather was
perfect and it wasn't long before the flashlights were turned on
(somewhere on the Grouse section). I had gained an appreciation
for night running just this year but Debbie was experiencing it for the
first time. The way I see it, since I'm a rather average runner,
at least in terms of speed, distance and darkness are my great
equalizers.
We moved along quite well and pretty much made our target time at
Cleveland Dam. We were just a few minutes late meeting up with
some friends to help us get replenished and take on more supplies for
the big climb up Hollyburn. Also, I had earlier in the day stashed
water at Mountain Highway and Cypress Bowl and was very glad we had
that. I've never sweated so much (or peed so many times) on a run
like this so we clearly needed the liquid. The muggy weather must
have had a big effect on this as well.
After a full 15 minute break at the Dam, we started the dark stroll up
Hollyburn and through the trees. I must say, it's a darn good
thing we know the route very well because even with the race day marking
having already been completed, it was still a challenge in many spots to
find our way. Of course, going up the Hollyburn chute is a long
climb but we were getting used to the darkness by now and our spirits
were lifting as the reality of a successful trip was beginning to
hit us. It took a couple of hours to make it to the top of the
chute at which time we had our first glimpse of the city lights and a
taste of nighttime on the mountain. I was loving it and I know it
was exhilarating for both of us.
Our plan called for two more hours to get to Cypress Bowl and it seemed
as though we had lots of time. The trail is wide open going up the
cross country runs and we were able to do some running again
finally. One tip for you newbies to the nighttime, if you're going
to look up and admire the stars at night, stop firstly. Then look
up, then start running again. No serious injuries were reported on
this section but it was close a couple of times.
I for one was amazed that virtually all of the snow was gone from this
area. There had been so much before but obviously the weather took
care of it for us. And we also expected the temperature to cool
down as we approached Cypress Bowl but this did not occur. There
were only brief moments of coolness as we crossed the small patches of
remaining snow. It would have been nice to get our body
temperatures down for a while but it never happened. Sweat, sweat,
sweat!
By this time of night, about 1:30 am, all we could hear were the frogs,
a few trickles of water here and there, and our heartbeats. Having
spent so much time on the trails I was used to coming across other
people, but, apparently not this time. So it was quiet and
peaceful and that allowed us to concentrate on our goal. We made
it to the top of the cross country ski runs and started the gnarly
descent to Cypress Bowl through the trees around 2:00 am.
If you thought doing this section was tough in the daytime, try it at
night. Once we found our way through the first snowy and muddy
parts, we were quite surprised at the number of roots and obstacles
here. Darkness seems to magnify the little things and make very
awkward that which seems easy to climb over in the light. This
made it slow and mentally very challenging for us. Of course, we
were still watching carefully for the race markers and was thankful to
have them. For some reason this part seemed very dark and
challenging. But then again, it was the middle of the night and we
were deep in the forest.
As we had been drinking continuously, we were ready for our next water
stop at Cypress Bowl. What I wasn't ready for was the bright
lights on all of the buildings ... it seemed like daytime up
there! It was kind of surreal but did give us a chance to collect
our thoughts and realise that civilisation was close at hand. We
were quick to take on the water and felt as though we were ahead of
schedule leaving the parking area at about 2:45 am. What we just
didn't realise was how difficult the next leg would be. I was
still foolishly holding close to those well thought out plans on paper
... and Debbie was kind enough to believe me (or at least not say
anything to the contrary).
The grind up Black Mountain was great. Slow, but great. We
caught a magnificent view of the city lights and, again, it was
incredibly peaceful with not a soul in sight. I should say the
silence was only broken by Debbie's bear bell that she had ringing the
whole way through the night. Fortunately, it worked its magic
perfectly.
Once at the top of the gravel road (it's much longer on the way up than
on the way down it seems) we quickly did the easy and open trail to the
very top of Black Mtn. This signalled what seemed to be the end of
a very long climb out of Deep Cove. It felt like we had hardly any
down hills except for coming off of Grouse and down the road to
Cleveland Dam. A quick stop to enjoy the top of the world and we
were off to Eagleridge Bluff. Time was becoming scarce. I kept adjusting my estimated arrival
times but each time I did that the situation seemed more
pressing.
Did anyone notice the mud on the south side of Black Mtn.? It
certainly didn't speed things up for us but did give us a reason to
laugh knowing that the racers would be coming through there
shortly. This is unofficially the Year of the Mud for sure!
Particularly tough through here was the winding trail in the trees just
prior to the bluff. Without the race markers this would have been
very difficult to navigate and even still we were getting farther and
farther behind schedule. What we planned to take one hour was now
more than one and a half hours as we arrived on the rocks of the bluff a
couple of minutes before 4:30. All of our plans to enjoy the
sunrise here where shot. I sat down to empty my shoe (of mud) and
Debbie took the time to enjoy the view. (Oooh, it felt good to
toke my shoe off!) My mind was still on completing the full 60
miles so of course time was critical. I said "we're leaving
in 2 minutes!" and can barely remember taking in the amazing view
myself. It was wonderful and I can safely say being there at that
time of day was worth the whole trip itself.
So, at about half a minute past 4:30 am (we're counting the seconds at
this point), we left the very top of the bluff to hopefully get to the
start line for the beginning of the race. And yes, we've both done
this section up and down and knew what was ahead of us. By the
comments from ALL of you, going down this side of Black Mountain is not
on your top 10 list of favourite things to do on a Saturday
morning. I didn't find it that bad actually (yuk yuk).
Have you ever been so focused on something so much that nothing can
stop you from succeeding? Our one and only goal at this point was
to get me to the start (end) with enough time to head out with the
race. So we moved as fast as our legs and arms and eyes would let
us and were thankful the sun was up enough to let us see our way pretty
much without flashlights. As we scrambled down the mountain,
I was still taking shots of water knowing what was ahead of me, trying
to stay hydrated. As we got down off the scree slope and into the
forest again, we both felt that the trail went on unendingly in what
seemed like an attempt to thwart our best effort to finish.
I had been in the lead down the steep sections but as soon as we were on
the flats, Debbie pulled ahead in her best effort to get me there on
time. The passing minutes finally turned into passing seconds and
we emerged with just enough time for a speedy transition. That was
a cool experience, but, little did I know how drained Black Mountain had
left me. I felt great. I was pumped full of adrenaline and
was high from our success. A quick change into my race shirt and
number along with a water refill and food in hand, I was ready to
go. Hardly five minutes later and a heartfelt goodbye to Debbie,
Enzo signalled the start and I was off with the other racers.
Having been at the start line before, I know what a great experience it
is. I also know that rushing to get up the trail is reserved for
the lead runners. So I held back and walked all the way back up
the freeway on-ramp munching an apple as I went. I took my place
in line and was quickly on the trail ... again. Another cool
experience but one that wouldn't last.
What do you get when you scramble down a mountain after hiking all night
for 12 hours and forget to pay attention to your body? You get a
severely twisted ankle and a major bonk. I felt like I had tons of
energy as I headed back up the mountain but after about an hour, all I
wanted to do was sit down. I clearly needed more food and water,
not to mention a rest. It was a shame, of course, because my legs
and feet felt great and mentally I was looking forward to the return
challenge. My pace was the same as on my previous 8 hour finish
and I felt that I could certainly beat the 10 hour cutoff. But as
it turned out, I couldn't even make the 3 hour cutoff at the 1/4 mark
and had no choice but to settle for all that my body had at that
point. In retrospect, if I had taken a 1/2 hour at the start line
to eat and rest, I might have made it back to Deep Cove. But
perhaps that only works on paper, who knows?
In the end, I was thankful to have the race sweepers, Trevor, Matt and
Melinda, very patiently
encourage me back up to the top of Black Mountain (my choice instead of
going down) so I could catch a ride in one of the North Shore Search and
Rescue vehicles. I had started running again when they met me on
the gravel road into Cypress Bowl but I was told in no uncertain terms I
was getting a ride down ... probably the smart thing.
Finally, I want to thank the many people that gave me congratulations
after I was done. Hopefully, you all realised that I wasn't crazy
for making the attempt but just living life to the fullest.
I hope to see you all next year for more training and fun. Or
maybe I'll see you in September for the trail running clinic that Curb
and I are putting on. Either way, stick to the trails and give it
your best!
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