West Vancouver, British Columbia – The second Saturday of July is coming up, and that can only mean one thing for a growing number of enthusiastic long-distance runners – time for the Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run. The race traverses the trails of West and North Vancouver, and the sixteenth edition takes place on Saturday 10 July, 2004.

The race started out as a “fun run” with only 8 participants in 1989, when the sport of ultramarathoning (races longer than a 26.2 mile marathon) was in its infancy in Canada. This was long before adventure races like Eco-Challenge and “reality” television shows like Survivor made their mark on modern society. While there are races over distances much longer than the 30 miles covered by the Knee Knacker, not many are tougher. Canada’s largest ultramarathon race 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.

Over the years, top ultramarathoners from around the world have traveled from afar to challenge themselves in what is referred to as the gnarliest footrace in Canada. However, the great appeal of the race is that it caters to adventure seekers of all levels, and not just the elite competitors. Race participants were selected by lottery in early March. By the luck of the draw, almost 200 racers will toe the line on race day. Half of these runners will be taking part in the race for the first time.

North Vancouver’s Patricia Jensen returns to defend her title. Jensen ran away from the field in 2003, winning by over a half-hour en route to a course record of 5 hours and 41 minutes. Jensen has battled injuries to arrive at the start line this year, but her competitors are healthy and ready to challenge for victory. Topping the list are North Vancouver’s Kristin Fox, winner in the 2002 masters (over 40 years of age) division, and Susan Reynolds of Vancouver, third-place finisher last year.

The men’s division will see a new champion crowned, as defending champion Kevin Titus of Whistler takes a break this year after setting a new course record in 2003. Last year’s second-place finisher, Peter Findlay of Kamloops, will be looking to take back the course record from Titus. Findlay’s previous course record was set in 1991, and had stood the test of time until Titus lowered it by almost 3 minutes to 4 hours and 42 minutes. Portland’s William Emerson is expected to provide stiff competition up front for Findlay. Emerson has been consistently winning 50 kilometer races up and down the West Coast all spring, including the Dirty Duo 50K in North Vancouver and the Diez Vista 50K in Port Moody.

Two additional athletes are expecting to celebrate a significant milestone upon their successful completion of Saturday’s race. Robert Widdows of West Vancouver and Vancouver’s Sam Robbins are looking to join the exclusive 10-time finishers club, a feat accomplished by only 14 athletes to date.

The race itself starts at 6:00 a.m. Saturday 10 July just above Horseshoe Bay, at the Eagleridge Drive exit off the Upper Levels Highway. Runners must arrive at the Panorama Park beach in Deep Cove by the race cut-off time of 4:00 p.m. Following is a schedule of where and when to catch the top runners in action: