This past weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada. In keeping with tradition, this was marked by the consumption of vast the amounts of turkey and pumpkin pie throughout the land; and by some 1,400 runners from all over Canada and beyond descending on the Canmore Nordic Centre for a truly awesome day of racing at the Grizzly 50k Ultra Marathon and Relay – a day of broken records, personal bests and individual triumphs. Continue reading
Kelowna, British Columbia. 500km west of Canmore. Home of the Canadian Culinary Championships, 
my lovely in-laws, a great climate, sandy beaches, wonderful wineries, not to mention Pace Sports Fitness, organizer of this weekend’s fantastic (by all accounts) Broken Goat ultra, as well as a number of very cool trails. I was in Kelowna last week visiting family and took the opportunity to run some of those trails, including the always-fabulous Knox Mountain. Continue reading
You may remember from the “The Racing Post” (or as I call it, the “tempting fate post” as no sooner had I clicked “publish” than I was sidelined by injury for three weeks) that i’d set my sights on three key races for this season – Rundle’s Revenge, TrailStoke and the Grizzly Ultra.
The first of these, Rundle’s Revenge, took place last weekend at Canmore Nordic Centre under sunny skies with temperatures in the low 30s. Continue reading
Last week I had what easily ranks as one of my most epic running experiences to date – the Cory and Edith Pass Trail Loop, just outside Banff. What’s more, I ran in the great company of Mike Fitzpatrick – “Fitzy” – the founder of Canmore Trail Culture (find it on Facebook!), the local trail running group and the subject of a future post. Continue reading
The Montane Traverse Trail, on the east side of the Bow Valley, is another spectacular run. Starting at the Cougar Creek trailhead, it climbs steadily and steeply in parts in the first 2 kilometres. But after that, the trail stretches out into a rollercoaster of a ride along largely technical single track with tree roots, twists and turns, and the occasional rocky creek bed to navigate. Continue reading
…there’s always the chance of a big surprise, like running into a bear. This, along with running in very sub-zero temperatures, is the other major adjustment i’ve had to make running in Canmore. Continue reading
Welcome to the racing post! For the equestrian minded among you, apologies as I don’t mean this:
…so much as this…
The racing season has begun! I’ve been in Geneva this week on a work trip that coincided, happily, with the Run&Skate race that took place today in Chamonix, France. Continue reading
This is the second trail running route post. It’s a variation on the previous one described in Hello Highline, a speedy, undulating and relatively short 6.5km round trip starting and ending at Quarry Lake, just outside of town. The Powerline-Loki-Highline Whammy also starts and ends in Quarry Lake. However, it covers an altogether more challenging 18.5km with 600m plus of elevation.
It’s no secret, especially if you follow me on twitter — @canmorerunner — that the Highline Trail ranks top among my favourite runs in Canmore. It wasn’t always the case. It was good three months before I ventured up the Highline, once i’d got a handle of my not entirely irrational fear of bears which was accentuated by the fact that I tend to run alone. But once i’d got up there, I was hooked. Continue reading
Canmore Runner 