Water’s Edge, organizers of the Whistler Dragon Boat Festival on June 28-29, are still looking for local paddlers to come out and join the regatta, inviting local businesses to enter teams and people to sign up as groups and individuals. Although you need a team of 20 paddlers to race, Water’s Edge will pair up paddlers with other paddlers to get them into the competition. No experience or equipment is necessary — each team will be given instructions how to paddle, and provided with a drummer and steer person for the race.
Up to 30 teams are expected to take part in the race, which will be based out of Rainbow Park. Teams will compete in a variety of categories over two days in three different distances — a 200-metre sprint, a 500-metre, and a 1,000-metre.
The festival will feature live entertainment and a beer garden, proceeds going towards the purchase of a special outrigger canoe for an adaptive paddling program being created by the Pemberton Canoe Club and Whistler Adaptive Sports Program. The Whistler Dragon Boat Festival also takes place the week after one of the biggest dragon boat festivals in North America in Vancouver, the Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival. The goal of Water’s Edge is to host the Canadian dragon boat championship in the summer of 2010.
Hash Run on Tuesday
The second Whistler Hash House Harriers run will take place on Tuesday, June 24, with participants meeting at Escape Route at 5:30 p.m. for a 6 p.m. start.
If you’re into trail running but aren’t familiar with hash runs, the tradition goes back to hare hunting in the British countryside. The format was adapted to running in the former British colony of Malaysia in 1938, designating one person as the hare to run ahead and leave clues for his pursuers.
The Whistler hash runs use symbols instead of a hare, with false trails, short cuts, breaks and checks. As a result the field can mostly run together as the faster runners go ahead to find clues while the slower runners catch up.
The cost is $5 to take part, and there are refreshments and prizes for participants.
Top riders expected for B.C. Bike Race
The B.C. Bike Race could be one of the most challenging multi-day mountain bike races in the world, covering more than 500 km of roads and singletrack trails from Victoria to Whistler in just seven days.
Always up for a challenge, some of the top endurance riders of the world are heading to B.C. to match themselves up against a course that will include three days of riding on Vancouver Island, two days on the Sunshine Coast, a day in Squamish and a day in Whistler.
The race sold out on March 1, and last week organizers released a list of teams to watch.
• Six-time 24 Hour Solo World Champion Chris Eatough and Jeff Shalk of Team Trek are returning to defend their title from the inaugural B.C. Bike Race.
• Tinker Juarez, the current 24 Hour champion, is teamed with Mitchel Peterson of Team Cannondale/Moanvie.
• Former national champion and Olympic hopeful Seamus McGrath is teamed up with Chris Shepherd, a former racer with the national team.
• Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks of Team Kona.
• Former Olympian, three-time TransRockies winner and BCBR founder Andreas Hestler will be racing with a partner to be named — his previous choice, recent Test of Metal winner and record setter Max Plaxton, was added to the national team bound for the world championships last week.
• Wendy Simms, who recently set the women’s Test of Metal record as well, will be racing with her husband Norm Thibault in the mixed category.
• Top Costa Rican riders Marvin Campos Suazo and Luis de Ezpeleta of Team La Ruta.
Details about the race are posted at www.bcbikerace.com. Organizers of the Whistler stage are still looking for volunteers to help steer riders in the right direction, and help with other arrangements.
