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Local runners get muddy in Knee Knacker

Record for ‘toughest trail race in Canada’ still stands
knee-knacker

The Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run, a 50 km epic from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove, is recognized as the toughest trail race in Canada and among the top-10 hardest races in all of North America – a list that includes at least two 100 mile ultramarathons.

The course record has been held by Whistler Secondary teacher Kevin Titus since July of 2003, but some of the top long distance road runners and trail runners in the province were gunning for that record at Saturday’s race.

If the conditions had been a little drier the runners might have had a chance, but the mud from weeks of rain took its toll on the field, slowing the climbs and making the steep descents a lot more treacherous.

Titus’s record time of four hours, 42 minutes and 37 seconds was more than safe from the competition in the 17 th annual race, and could be solid for years to come. Before Titus broke the record by more than five minutes, the previous record had stood for 12 years.

Mark Bates came the closest to the mark on Saturday, winning the Men’s Under 40 category and the race in a time of 5:05:40. The second place finisher, Peter Findlay, also hoped to break the record but had to settle for first place in the 40 to 49 group with a time of 5:17:04. Duncan Coo was third overall, and second in the men’s Under 40 group, in 5:32:13.

Behind Cook, a group of about a dozen racers traded spots during the run, including a pair of Whistler runners.

The top Whistler runner in the race was Gary Robbins, who finished sixth overall with a time of 5:40:49. Less than four minutes back was Duncan Munro who finished ninth overall in 5:44:47.

"I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of my race, as I felt strong throughout the day," said Robbins, who has also completed the 67 km STORMY race in Squamish. "I definitely have Val Burke and her training schedule to thank for that.

"Munro and I traded spots four or five times, each time disappearing on the other runner. I’m sure everyone would attest to the fact that it really helps to see other locals out on course and Sea to Sky competitors had a great day with nearly a dozen finishers."

Robbins is still recovering from the race, but has already signed up for next year. Robbins is one of the few runners that actually got faster as the day wore on, with split times between ninth and 13 th for the five stages, but with the third fastest split on the sixth and final stage.

"I can’t presently walk a straight line and was quietly fearing a police check stop on the drive home," said Robbins. "‘Can you walk the yellow stripe for me son?’ ‘Probably not sir’.

"It’s addictive, and I am already looking forward to next year’s race."

Munro’s own race fluctuated a lot, with splits that went from a low of 15 th on the second stage to a high of sixth on the last stage.

"Considering this was my first Knacker, I was just happy A) to finish and B), to finish in the top-25. To finish in the top-10, I’m ecstatic – it’s Canada’s toughest trail race, and I’m just blown away."

Munro credits the on-course support of Sylvie Allen and pre-race advice from Vanessa Murphy for his strong finish.

"(Murphy) said she was worried that I was going to go out too fast and explode out there, and told me to pace myself. This was her second year doing the race so I listened to her, and I was glad I did. I felt pretty good for most of the race, and when I finished I still felt that mentally I could have kept going."

Munro’s low point came on the top of Black Mountain, one of the main peaks of the race, when he mistook a muddy bog for the trail.

"I just thought hey, there’s a muddy section, I’ll just skip over it and the next thing I knew I was up to my waist in this bog. I waded out again as quick as I could and picked up the pace, when I got to the first aid station everyone looked at me and said ‘holy, you’re the muddiest competitor so far’," he said.

"Now my shoes were wet, but they were getting pretty wet anyway. The whole trail was pretty muddy, which made it a lot tougher for everybody."

Munro said it was great to have Robbins on the course. They bantered a little while running, and that helped them to keep up the pace through some of the toughest sections.

Munro was fastest going uphill on the flats, passing several of the other runners on the toughest climbs, but wasn’t as fast on the technical descents.

"The last time I saw Robbins he was heading downhill and just pulling away from me, he was awesome out there. He had a great race. I had a good race and I’m really happy with my time, but he had a great race."

Munro is taking a few weeks off to relax, rest, and ponder his next event. There’s a chance he could be invited to run a 100 mile race in Kazakstan in the fall, but if not he’d like to focus more on mountain biking for a while, and maybe entering an X-Terra off-road triathlon. The day after the Knee Knacker he swam the first leg of the Squamish Triathlon for a relay team, "and caught the bug."

"Right now I just want to take it easy for a few weeks, drink a few beers, catch up with friends, and give the 5 a.m. training sessions a miss," he said. "I’ve been training for this since January, so I’m looking forward to a little time off."

The top woman in the race was Suzanne Evans in the Under 40 category. She was 10 th overall in 5:45:00. Tracy Wakalusk was second in the Under 40 category in 5:54:46, while Lisa Lange was third in 6:24:44.

Other Sea to Sky finishers include Shelley Webster, who was 59 th out of 182 competitors and ninth in the Under 40 age category with a time of 6:58:13.

Vanessa Murphy was one spot back in the Under 40 category, as well as 65 th overall with a time of 7:03:48.

John Hall was 67 th overall and 19 th in the 40 to 49 category in 7:05:15.

Russ Angrigon of Squamish was 84 th overall and 24 th in the men’s 40 to 49 group in 7:20:54.

Delena Angrignon was six spots back and 14 th in the Under 40 race in 7:25:30.

Vincent Hoog of Squamish was 98 th and 29 th in the men’s 40 to 49 group in 7:33:22.

Georgina Titus of Whistler was 11 th and fifth in the women’s 40 to 49 race in 7:46:00.

Scott Whelan was 125 th and 43 rd in the Men’s Under 40 group in 8:01:25.

Complete results are available online at www.kneeknacker.com.