Race Report by CLPT athlete RUTHIE SLOAN, who completed the Golden Ultra this past September!
Background: On the eve of turning 40 this year, I promised myself one thing- to say yes to all the big racing adventures that were to come up this year. 4 years ago during COVID and my own cancer journey, turning 40 had seemed like a pipe dream, so celebrating this milestone of life, and friendships deserved incredible adventure stories. So I signed up for crazy athletic goals that were way out of my comfort zone and way out of my postal code.
Going into this year, I would have identified myself as an ultramarathon trail runner who was learning how to transfer her ‘superpower’ of using ‘slow-twitch muscles’ and Disney Princess playlist to conjure the mental fortitude to smile and sing through 50+km on the trails to Ironman racing. Trail running has become therapy for me over COVID and cancer. Chasing trails was not measuring PBs on Strava, or committing to a ‘training regime’, it was about returning to gratitude for a body that could run, measuring time in the changing of the seasons and having friends to share them with. The longer the trail run, the more Disney karaoke, snacks,laughter and feeling like I was chasing after life vs. having to ‘survive’ COVID/cancer.
Diving into triathlons was such a different world to me, and while it was expected that I would ‘love’ and excel with the long distance run portion of the sport, It quickly became the portion I loathed the most, regardless of how much Disney Princess music one might play. However, one of the biggest assets I have discovered through this process is that my training for triathlons has actually improved my trail running not only in stamina, but also in mental fortitude. I would argue that sometimes growth as an athlete is more easy to observe when you opt to add different forms of training that require new learning of techniques and understanding of body awareness and muscle sets.
As a trail runner, signing up for this race, I had run segments of the entire Bruce trail, set FKT’s in certain sections and paced others in their attempts as well. I had done a bunch of local ultra trail races at the conservation areas in GTA with 5 Peaks, Happy Trails, Sulphur Springs, The Bad Thing (Maitland trail), Fat Ass (Batawa Ski Hill), Limberlost in Huntsville and the Haliburton Hundred Miler. But the closest I had come to a ‘mountain’ run was being a pacer for the run segment up mountain in south Quebec for Canadaman, one of the most extreme ultra triathlon races.
So when the invitation to signup for a 3 day ultra trail race in the mountains in BC came up, it was an opportunity to expand my trail exposure to something bigger and better. I have to confess that there was a lot of people that voiced concerns and had a perception that signing up for this race was a wildly impulsive idea as there were so many new and unknown factors involved in mountain races (e.g., altitude, elevation climbs, and weather/climate shifts and hungry bears) all of which, I would not have exposure or experience with in training beforehand. However as a trail runner I have learned that flexibility is one of the fundamental characteristics of trail running as conditions are unpredictable and affect pacing goals and race outcomes. No 2 races are ever the same, and each race is an opportunity for learning- especially when weather is less than ideal.
Logistics:
Signing Up for the Race:
There is a 3 tier sign-up opportunity for this race. If you register when it opens, you have the option of saving money if you are one of the lucky first 100 or so racers. The Break Down of Distance: The Golden Ultra Full Pint
This race is a 3-day staged race that takes place at the Kicking Horse Ski Resort in Golden BC. The longest distance is the Full-Pint which advertises 3-stages of ‘Blood’, ‘Sweat’ and ‘Tears’.
Day 1= ‘Blood’ Distance – 4.6 km Elevation Gain – 1063 m Begins at the chalet of Kicking Horse and is a 5km climb straight up the mountain that roughly follows the gondola track. As this was my first time at Golden, I had no clue what the course would be like, and the strategy was to ‘warm-up’ and have fun with Day 1 run, and save legs for the 60km of Day 2. As a trail runner, I have worn knee braces for all of my trail races. However, this year while training on roads I have not used them very much at all. Given the unknown of mountain elevation and the distances my plan was to use them for the entirety of the race. Unfortunately, my knee braces did not get packed in my gear and Day 1 I was anxious about fall injury or knee injuries with the scramble and high elevation. So the goal was to save my legs and ‘not to die’ by going crazy fast.
The first 2km is an easy climb that is a mix of gravel roads and paths. However the last 3km, I would not in any way advertise this as a ‘trail’ run as much as it was a steep and sketchy hill climb that was a down and dirty scramble up a steep overgrown ski hill. Although 5km does not seem like a far distance, the challenge is in the terrain. As the ski hill is overgrown with small saplings and random hidden rocks, it is a technical nightmare to navigate. What adds to the challenge, is that while there is no cut down ‘path’ racers navigate in single file, observing the footing of the racer in front as a guide. Even more challenging is the elevation grade, as there are sections where it feels like the racer ahead is ‘on top’ vs. in front of you and you are praying that their feet and poles do not misfire. This climb does not allow you to stop for gels or hydration as racers move so closely together. Fortunately sticking in the middle of the pack meant that there was a trampled path that we could see rocks and sharp cut off tree trunks sticking up. However, overthinking footing, or attempting to pass other racers is a dangerous risk as it meant you had to navigate the overgrowth sections that were not flat and had things hiding beneath.
Originally Cindy (my coach) had suggested to my friend Mike and I to take our trekking poles for all 3 days. I had brought my poles and purchased a new Salomon quiver from Running Free, however I had not trained with it as I have never considered using poles for distances under 50km and hate having to carry more than necessary. Thankfully Mike and I had brought our quivers and poles and took them out in the first 2km before the grassy climb. The poles helped to focus on keeping head down and powering through, as you soon learn that looking ahead and seeing racers still climbing becomes demoralizing quickly.
The last 700m opens up to a more trail-like path through more rocky terrain up a bunch of short uneven rock steps (which made me wildly grateful for all the mind numbing stair-sprint workouts I had been given prior).
The finish line is at the top of the gondola track with some incredible mountain views that were too dangerous to stop and observe while we were climbing. The option to have a drop bag was announced at the start of the race, and I was glad Mike and I had gone back to the truck to grab warmer clothing after finishing because it was 10 degrees colder and had begun to rain once we got there. Truthfully, it wasn’t until we got on the gondola and traveled back down, that the reality of what the 5km had entailed began to sink in. Observing the race on the ride down made the 5km seem way more insane, as we got to see both the incredible views and the bear that was roaming the course we had just climbed 30 mins prior.
Side Note: (Mike will kill me for putting this in) But do not ever show up for a trail race with a ‘bear bell’. Serious trail runners at events like these consider them to be ‘dinner bells’ for ‘bear baiting’. Cindy had suggested we purchase bear spray as an alternative. However the spray is heavy, and while it seemed the majority of racers had cans, Mike and I figured we would stay in the middle of the pack with other racers who were more sensible than us. For the record this strategy did work, as we did not encounter any bears while racing.
‘Sweat’ Day 2=Distance – 59 km Elevation Gain – 2322 m (4 mountain peaks) Thankfully I did not experience any stiffness lingering from Day 1 and we went to sleep early to be able to get up early the next morning. The race began in the middle of Golden’s ski town in the dark. The first few kilometers ran along a backroad to some easy flowing single track mountain bike trails. Passing racers was difficult until reaching the first aid station at 6km. Thankfully the sun had come up by this point and we ditched our headlamps and headed back to the trails. My hydration for this race had been using Gruppo (which is incredible for carbs and calories for long distances) and Gu Roctane gels, pickles, and gluten free honey mustard pretzels. I had some fruit at the aid stations, but stuck most of the race with what I had brought.
The Climb:
We got to the second aid station, still cruising. There had been a location shift of 2-3km and a couple of us had backtracked a bit to see if we had missed a cut off. We made it to the second aid station and didn’t stay long as the temperature had dropped significantly and snowflakes were starting to fall. Between aid station 2-3 is the crazy mountain climb and drastic changes in altitude. There were kilometers that took 30 mins of climbing, and everytime you looked up you saw racers tackling steeper sections. This is where bike climbing in training pays off, as I literally put my head down and kept breathing through the climbs. I did not notice the altitude at all and the fog on the mountain prevented me from seeing any dangerous parts. I kept moving forward and stopping every so often to ensure I didn’t lose Mike or let him become bear bait.
We got to the summit and the trail changed to navigating rock piles. As it was still foggy, we did not see much, however we were glad for the hype squad at T2 that had epic tunes blasting. From T2-Aid station 3 was navigating more rock piles surrounded by fog. It was hard to understand distance or perspective because you could not see or hear much. But eventually you see the gondola from the day before and you arrive at Aid Station 3
The descent:
After a quick stop, and some soup broth, you get to descend down the rock stairs and trail you scrambled up the day before. After the climb, this descent feels like you can and should fly. Beware… While a gravel service road seems like safe terrain, it is deceiving. I ran my fastest paces down these gravel roads as gravity pulled me fasters. Unfortunately my knees did not appreciate the pounding whatsoever. In between the gravel roads were marked sections of overgrown ski hill that were steep and unrunnable (you literally felt like you were tumbling down them). The last 25% of the run is returning to the single track bike trails back to town. It was after Aid Station 3 I began to pass a bunch of people, all of which were walking. My legs were so glad to not be climbing, they kept shuffling. There was no other racers at aid station 4 and I was told that I needed to keep moving as there was an expected train crossing around 5pm that would delay finishing. I got to the railway tracks as the train came to the bridge and lights began flashing. I made it across before the train and crossed the finish line in 10:27hr right before the rain.
‘Tears’ Day 3 distance: 23.9km Vertical – 750 m
My legs were crazy mad at me on Sunday. Due to another event in town, the race course was rerouted and the distance was shortened to 16km the night before. When we got to the starting line, I was skeptical about how much ‘running’ my legs had left for single track switchback trails. Without my knee braces, my feet were shaky and felt like they were lead. It took 5km to get into a groove that came to a stop when we got attacked by wasps whose hive had been kicked over by the runners ahead. You heard screams of racers plucking out wasps from clothing. I stopped to give Gravol, Advil and Benadryl to a racer who was puking on the trail less than a kilometer from the wasps. She was having a violent reaction and had no drugs and was with her friend. 2 of us ran ahead to get help from a trail marshall and were told to continue on. This leg of the race was the least technical, but mentally the hardest. There was no way I was not going to finish, however I knew it was not going to be pretty at all. I gave everything I had left to get to the finish line, and I crossed it with no regrets and a heart full of gratitude.
Perks of the race:
- Race includes meals for Friday and Saturday (with medal ceremonies and photos from each day)
- You get a belt buckle medal (but only after completing the final day). If you drop out after Saturday they give you a racing beer glass
- The community: the race series are crazy fun and supportive community that want you to laugh more than watching you puke or cry.
- Small town: Golden is a small town with great restaurants and locals who are ready to cheer you on all weekend.
- Commute: We flew into Calgary and rented a pick up truck and stopped to check out Canmore (and stopped in at Ski Bike Run for free latte and gels) as well as a tour of Banff and a quick leg stretch walk around Lake Louise.
- The suspension bridge post race: I would strongly recommend touring the suspension bridge post Sunday’s race as it is a great place to stretch out legs and see the mountain range your just ran.
