About
Legacy
- 2004 created first ever trail clinics in North Vancouver to train for local races like Five Peaks and Run the North Shore. Recruited 25 leaders over time with an emphasis on inclusivity (from fast to slow). Borrowed a border collie, Zoya, to run with me to document the trails.
- 2005 was asked to take over the iconic Dirty Duo Trail and Bike Race from Mike Wardas. Offered challenging bike and running routes with the start and finish at Jaycee House where we served the famous Zinetti lasagna after the event. The Solo Event included running 25 km then riding 30 km, providing double the challenge (and pain). Distances included 25 and 50 km run, 30 km bike, and relay.
- 2006 created The Phantom Run Trail Race with distances of 12, 19 and 25 km. Provided the training clinic. Served the famous homemade minestrone soup and included fundraising for the food bank.
- 2009 with the help of some amazing trail leaders and friends, investigated routes for a new race called Fat Dog (Cathedral Provincial Park, Trapper Lake Trail, Manning Park, Skagit Valley Provincial Park). All our long distance racers were going to the US, so I created Fat Dog in an accessible BC location; the trails are amazing. Overall climb (4 ascents) 8673 metres is just short of Everest.
- 2010 hosted the first Fat Dog 120 Trail Race which ran from Cathedral Provincial Park to Manning Park. Original distances were 120 mile, 115 km and relay. Later added 70 mile, 50 mile and 30 mile. In 2023, Outside Online posted an article claiming that Fat Dog was one of the 9 toughest ultramarathons along with Hardrock and Badwater. Within 3 years, this race sold out.
- 2010-2021 inspired by Don Scott, who had his chainsaw operator's certificate, we hosted multiple trail clearing events for Fat Dog. We made it mandatory for racers to prove their trail maintenance requirement (4-8 hours). We cleared thousands of fallen trees over the 120-mile route, pruned overgrown bushes, and raked trails. We introduced the Baek Ma GS-600 Turbo Cut folding trail manual saw which can handle large trees and remains very sharp. Compiled the training guide and offered a chainsaw training course under the direction of a retired park ranger. Carried out fundraising for North Shore Rescue.
- 2013 was asked by Five Peaks to take over Run the North Shore race series (after they had bought the series from North Shore Athletics). This included Iron Knee/Tender Knee, My First Trail Race, Comfortably Numb, and Hallow's Eve. I added Dirty Duo and Phantom Run to the series, and sold Comfortably Numb to a Squamish resident. Continued to offer clinics and races until 2016.
- 2016 acquired a permit to run the first Brigade Trail Race based on the 1849 Hudson Bay Company route (first commercial trade route) restored by Kelley Cook, Vic Sagorski and the Hope Mountain Centre.
- 2017 hosted the first Brigade Trail Race with distances of 50 mile (80 km) and 19 mile (30 km). Manson's Ridge continues to be a memorable feature. How did the fur traders get the horses to manage that ridge?
- 2021 Mountain Madness won BC Park's Volunteer Group of the Year trail maintenance award.
- Over the years, we recruited and trained outstanding volunteers who continue to support these races and clinics. Without volunteers, there would be no races.
Stories
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Best Hallucination Fat Dog 2015 by Andy Healey. "As I rounded a corner along a nice section of single track, I looked ahead and plopped down at the end of a fallen log was a baby. The little fella was furiously typing away on his laptop. Of course, why not? A baby on a laptop; perfectly normal. I needed coffee and an aid station like I’d never needed them before. This was new ground for me..." |
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Heather does Death Valley 2003. Incredible scenery, friendly people, casual race, and a magical setting added up to a very memorable race in the heart of Death Valley, California. I went thinking that the desert was flattish, gray and uninviting; I couldn’t have been more wrong. |