Entry form for 5th annual marathon

Holy smackle! I know I told you I'd have this by late summer but that didn't happen and now, ok let's say its still late summer coz people are asking. No one ever cared before November so I'm all choked up.

So here is the link to the paper entry:

2013 Entry Form pdf

Print this up. Fill this out. Send me $$ and entry and you're in. No refunds though. Don't get all stressy about caps and deadlines I'm pretty west coast when you get down to it. That means I won't be strict like. But be polite and don't be last minute.

I will post your name when I receive your entry.

All proceeds go to local food bank.

More info to come when it does. Thanks for your interest. 

Hey did I tell you I got an email from Australia? I know, right! Aussies running my little marathon. 

How cool is that?

Announcing the 5th annual Solstice Marathon

 

In the beginning of May, in the jungles of Nool
in the cool of the pool..............

5th Annual Westwood Lake Winter Solstice Marathon! (& 1/2 marathon)

Full - 2@ 6.1 km laps & 3 @10km out & backs around beautiful Westwood Lake, Nanaimo BC Canada
1/2 -  2@6.1km laps & 1 @ 10km out & back at the same location

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Early start time  7:30 am (headlamp recommended)

Regular start time 9:00 am

 20 person cap on 1/2 marathon, 10 person cap on full

Entry fee - $20 & some canned goods

Pre-registration will be required this year & will be open later this summer

#5!!! A Saturday!!! A volunteer race with all proceeds going to the local food bank!!!  Pancakes & Cocoa @ the finish!  

Happy 2013!

Well - that was a little disappointing -that so called world end,  but maybe that's for the better.  The world is still here, in all it's messy glory.  And hopefully we all run along.
And here at the Westwood Lake Solstice Marathon, we are happy to report we donated
$365.00 to Loaves & Fishes
along with several bags & boxes of food!

I am also happy to report that next year's event will happen.  And it will be on a Saturday!!  Other details to follow later in the year - but mark it on your calendar & know that it will be capped & kept small coz at this point it has to be. Saturday, December 21, 2013 - 5th year!! 9am - BE THERE!!
Have a wonderful 2013 - run, jump, dance, skate  - enjoy!

Whole New World but it's still raining!

Our first (& last) Double is officially over!

Congrats to all the finishers of all the events !

Congrats to those who braved the rainy rain mcrain rain 

& ran at all!

And huge thanks all around for 2 days o running fun!!

Now to post today's results!  First though let me say it was CRAZY! And if you know this event you know it was coz of those pesky pesky CeeVacs! (Thank goodness for them all!)  We at Westwood Lake Marathon LOVE us some CeeVacs!

So here are the results - I am amazed at my new timing system mostly coz it worked! I added names & numbers to each tag so when a flock (gaggle? murder? is it only birds?) of runners comes in then I could keep track - last year, not so much!  So huzzah!  And since there was an advertised early start, then a medium start which the CeeVacs bullied me into, then a late starting CeeVac,then the advertised regular start, then poor Julien who was late from Gold River, well..but SUCCESS was mine!!

Full - listed by time!

#1 - George Clark!!!  Winner of the marathon at 4:06.  Winner of the Double!!  And just a swell guy with a swell family - thanks so much Clark family!!

#2 - Julien Menard -4:13-  all the way from Gold River - started 30 minutes late, finished 2nd time wise!!  His first marathon!! (Not sure he knows there are easier ones to choose as a first one!)

#3 - Jason Bowman - 4:19 - ok - so Jason & his entire extended family joined us under the tent for chili - another great supportive family - hooray!  But how weird is this - of the 2 days worth of entrants (less than 50 after all) & organizers, 4 people had been in NYC for the non marathon this year - WOW! Right? Jason, George, Sheila & myself.  Oh wait, results, right...

#4 - Mylisa Edison - 5:39 - HUZZAH!  Our girl Mylisa runs the double using rice as fuel ala Scott Jurek!  But the other cool thing is she smiled the whole time (my people tell me she smiled on the other side too, not just when she saw me!)

Now I must mention that I had 2 DNFers, Sheila Dawe & Stacy Wallington.  Running this marathon, around this lake trail, in these conditions isn't really all that easy & these runners had both done that very thing YESTERDAY, only the conditions were way worse.    But today was also a cold wet slog - so I personally think they are amazing & I am proud that they listened to their bodies & did what they needed to do.  So thanks & congrats!

Half - listed by time!

#1 - Damien Allen - 1:36

#2 - Katy Wallington - 2:09

#3 - Sheron Chrysler - 2:10 (she came 5 minutes after all the other CeeVacs & still smoked them.  Uh oh!)

#4 - David Vanderlinde - 2:12

#5 - Lisa de Lusignan - 2:23

#6 -James Griffin- 2:23(the rebel rouser!)(he just ran a quad in November - that's 4 in 4 days!)

#7 - Catherine Macey - 2:26

#8 - Kelly Schellenberg - 2:28

#9 - Glenn Goodwin - 2:32

#10 - Kim Rodger - 2:36

#11 - Andrea Thomson - 2:36

#12 - Danna Hadden - 3:25

And of course, a big gianormous thank you to all the volunteers!

Alan Medcalf - indespensible chef de pancake

Deirde Glaros

Angellos Glaros

Catherine Campbell

Neil Gallagher - chili master

Beatrix Gallagher

Dale Luxford

Dr Jess Reed & her whole cookie baking family

The Running Room

Anne Heyes

The Wee Cupcakery

Crystal Hanson - designer & creator of this year's coveted gear!

As for next year, well I can not tell you all how much I love hosting this event.  My own personal future is a little topsy turvy at the moment but I do hope to be able to continue with our little marathon.  I meet really cool people, get to help people challenge themselves & all the while raising money & food for the food bank - what is not to love.  Thank you all!  

We're still standing!!

CONGRATS TO ALL OF TODAY"S END OF THE WORLD RUNNERS!!!

The world may not have ended and we experienced not asteroid showers nor 999 degree temperatures, but we did have wind, sleet, snow, rain - mud, ice, no tears.  Well done steadfast runners!  You truly ran out the end of the world!

It's rainy & mucky up there at Westwood but I'll be there tomorrow with vegan chili & cocoa & pancakes - so come on up!  Please let me know if you know you aren't coming.  And although I have no right  - if you wanted to pay anyway - you surely can - email for my snail mail

beasknee@gmail.com

So today's times are loosey goosey & as follows!

FULL MARATHON (There's only 5 so you can figure the order out - I listed them by bib number)

3.Quentin Proud - DNF or 2:07 for 22km - went back to help his partner - squee!

4. George Clark - 3:36 - smoking under crappy conditions & recovering from food poisoning! And coming back for more tomorrow!

5. Stacy Wallington - 4:27 - working through some cramps & shining through! Back tomorrow for more!

6. Sheila Dawe - 6:00 - hot off Birch Bay & a maniac for tomorrow too!!

7. Mylilsa Edison - 5:22 - a marathon a month this lady has been running!  And another tomorrow!!

8. Bob Wall - 4:01 - whose finishing words were "That was fun!"  And gracious Bob shared much insight on the trails today - an ultra guy! And promised to send pictures as I took NONE - (fail!)

1/2 MARATHON (listed by time)

2:16 - Susan Miller

2:20 - Scott Speakman (coming back for roound 2, but amping it to a full!)

2:22 - Breanna Curnow

2:30 - Tracy McKeown

2:30 - Jessica Krippendorf Kirby

2:49 - Wendy Williams

2:49 - Colleen van der Heide (19k)
3:07 - Sandra Clark

3:09 - Susan Marshall

3:09 - Wendy Marshall

Thank you to all the great runners who make this worth while!  Thanks to our small but dedicated team of volunteers & donors - 

Alan Medcalf

Neil Gallagher

Beatrix Gallagher

Sheila Dawe

Catherine Campbell

Angellos Glaros

Dale Luxford 

The Running Room

A Wee Cupcakery

And thanks to those who stopped by, did not run, but paid anyway - it all goes to a good cause - even better when I don't have to go out of pocket!

See you all tomorrow!!  Come rain or come meteor!

Here's what I'm gonna do

So - got back into Nanaimo last night - through BC blizzards, the scary Kokahalla,  torrential Vancouver downpour & choppy ferry crossing - to sloppy sloppy Vancouver Island.
I just ran the route - I was gonna post pictures of each kilometre to let you all know the conditions but then I just figured ....
There is no good kilometre. As my friend Richard would say - it's cookie dough out there.  While it did not seem dangerous per se it is sloppy & wet, slippy bits on some down hills, snowy patches. But I also so a few runners & a couple of walkers SO...
The race is a go.
If you want to come, I will be here.  I am an enabler.
FYI -
I did not wear yak trax or spikes or cleats or anything & was fine - but there is patchy, sometimes ankle deep, slushy snow through out the course.  It was not frozen.
km 1 - The hill - If you run from the start line (mucky) through the parking lot (fine) then watching out for Deirdre's pole, you will go on the cookie dough path up the cookie dough hill & you will do this again the next time around.  I walked a lot of it.   It is not frozen but sloppy.  There are roots & rocks & things that you can not see. Use caution on the downhill.
km 2 - Sloppy & ankle deep but trod upon in the open areas - I would think it will be even more worn by tomorrow.
km 3 - The flat back area - patchy snow - some fallen branches
km 4 - the same
km 5 - some muddy bits too
km 6 - in the end I cut across the parking lot once I got to the final clearing approaching the aid table.  Use your best judgement.

Early start is at 7:30 am - I'll be there around 7 to sign you in.  BRING HEADLAMPS - 1st lap will be darker.  Please bring exact change. ($15) Regular start @ 9am - again come early to sign up.  Bathrooms are open - there is water available there as well to fill packs.
Plan accordingly - it is mucky out there - you might want to bring your cleats or cramp ons - - but exercize caution - it was never a super easy course, now it has snow & slush - so.
If you have a cell phone - bring it.  Handy for the back side. I will give you my number if you ask.

SAFETY FIRST!!!  Remember - if the world does end tomorrow, then your time does not matter.  If the world does NOT end, then your time still doesn't matter coz this ain't no Boston Qualifier!
See you tomorrow!!

A plea for....

Please be patient & remember that this is a small time affair and the race director & the race director's daughter have both been fighting a flu, in a northern BC town, in the middle of a snowfall warning & it's snowed in Nanaimo. So when you come on Friday & Saturday (if there is one), come expecting a low key, friendly event without a lot of fan fare or hoopla -  the 1st year the medals were hand sewn quilty things (just saying) Trying to get it all together from a distance is not as easy as all that, then to get hit by a bad ol bug, THEN to be inundated with more snow than I have seen in 13 years - well... patience is all I ask. Thank you & it's coming up sooooooOOOOOOoooooon!