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Busy summer coming right up

A round up of local sporting events
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One thing that Whistler and Sea to Sky don't do during the summer months is kick back and relax, even on the heels of the second-best season for snow on record. From May to October, the calendar is packed with events, to the point where you could find something to do almost every day of the week.

The regular events include 20 Thursday night Mountain bike races, 18 Monday Night Rides, downhill races almost every second week, trail running clinics and hash runs, sailing races, and leagues for beach volleyball, slo-pitch, touch rugby and more.

(Bike events will be posted online by WORCA's successor. Information about trail running will be announced as the dates are finalized. The Whistler Outdoor Volleyball Association has a website at www.wova.ca, and is hosting a team registration night on May 31. Whistler Slo Pitch is huge, and last year had 62 teams playing in six divisions. Visit www.whistlerslopitch.com for details. Touch Rugby has a Facebook page. The Whistler Sailing Club has a website at www.whistlersailing.com.)

As well as regular events, there is a full-slate of major events in Whistler and the surrounding area. Some events, including the West Side Wheel Up and Betty vs. Veronica race are still to be announced.

There are also a few events missing from the calendar this year. Notably, the Dragon Boat Festival has been cancelled for 2011 because of the lack of interest there are plans to return in 2012. The Cheakamus Challenge Fall Classic mountain bike race is also missing from September's "Month of Pain" but another event will be held instead during the Crankworx festival with

 

May 1 - Mosquito Lake Trail Run. This roughly nine kilometre trail run in Pemberton starts and finishes at the end of Reid Road.

 

May 8 - Squamish Youth Triathlon. This event has been sold out since April 19. http://squamishyouthtri.ca.

 

May 14 - Ore Crusher. A 40 km, three-lap mountain bike race through the Cheekeye Fan trails in Squamish. Visit www.orecrusher.ca.

 

May 21-22 - Bike Bash. Celebrate the opening of the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Visit www.whistlerbike.com for details.

 

May 28 - NimbyFifty. A tough, 30 km ride through some of Pemberton's toughest singletrack. Visit www.nimbyfifty.com.

 

May 28 - Kids of Steel/Sprint Triathlon. Organized by the Whistler Tri Club, these events lead off with a pool swim, followed by a road ride and Valley Trail Run. More info at www.whistlertriclub.ca.

 

May 29 - Whistler Valley Trail Run. Take on a 5 km or 10 km course through Lost Lake Park.

 

May 29 - Crud 2 Mud Downhill. The first leg is a giant slalom on Whistler Mountain, the second is a race through the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. Race solo or as part of a team.

 

June 4 - North Face Whistler Half Marathon. Over 800 runners will be on the start line for this inaugural 21.1 km run. For more, visit www.whistlerhalfmarathon.com.

 

June 10-12 - The Squamish BMX Club will host the Sea to Sky Nationals on the course at Brennan Park.

 

June 18 - Test of Metal. This mountain bike event is sold out unless you're a registered Pro Elite rider. For more, visit www.testofmetal.com.

 

June 26 - Comfortably Numb Trail Run. A 25 km trail run on Whistler's only IMBA-sanctioned trail. Visit www.runthenorthshore.com for details.

 

July 2 to 9 - The B.C. Bike Race starts on the North Shore with the prologue, heads over to Vancouver Island for the first stage and then jumps from trail centre to trail centre before arriving in Whistler on July 9. For more, visit www.bcbikerace.com

 

July 10 - The 14th annual Squamish Triathlon is an Olympic-distance race, with a few twists - a slightly shorter lap road race and an off-road run. Visit www.squamishtriathlon.org.

 

July 16 to 24 - Crankworx! A full range of downhill events, plus the Ken Quon Memorial, Ritchie's Rally and a new event that will replace the Cheakamus Challenge. Visit www.crankworx.com for the latest.

 

July 23 - GearJammer. This Squamish epic follows a 62 km course that weaves through dozens of trails.

 

August 6 to 7 - Warrior Dash. sFor the first time ever, Whistler will play host to a Warrior Dash event. The course is short at around five kilometres, but there will be 10 obstacles along the way that runners have to get over/under/through. Everybody's getting dirty for this. Visit www.warriordash.com.

 

August 7 - STORMY Ultra. The Squamish Test of Running Metal-Yeah! turns 11 this year. There are two off-road course options this year, a 50 mile (80 km) solo race and a 50 mile relay.

 

August 20 - The Whistler 5 Peaks race takes place on Whistler Mountain with Enduro and Sport courses available. Visit www.5peaks.com.

 

August 28 - Ironman Canada. While this technically isn't a local race there is always local participation. This year there are five athletes from Whistler registered, along with four from Squamish.

 

September 4 - Xterra Canadian Open Championship. The king and queen of off-road triathlons returns for a second year.

 

September 10 - RBC Granfondo. This event sold out back in March, with 7,000 riders riding from Vancouver to Whistler. There's still space in the competitive Giro category for licenced riders. Visit www.rbcgranfondo.com.

 

September 17 - West Side Wheel Up. Tentative date only.

 

September 24 - The third annual Whistler Spirit Run takes place at Whistler Olympic Park, with a full range of age categories. Visit www.whistlerspiritrun.com for more details.

 

September 25 - Rubble Creek Classic. This is one of the most scenic trail runs in the corridor, ascending Black Tusk to the alpine meadows and descending back through Garibaldi Park. Visit www.rubblecreekclassic.com.

 

October TBA - Lumpy's Epic. A roughly 10-km trail run around Pemberton's Signal Hill, including most of the Lumpy's Epic mountain bike trail.

 

November 5 - Whistler 50 Relay and Ultra. After more than a decade a decision was made to move the Haney to Harrison relay and run to Whistler. You can race the 80 km course solo or as a member of a team of eight. For more, visit www.bcathletics.org.