Notes from Bastion Ross

Dear Bastion

How about this weather! It was a real scorcher last week down at the ironman in Coeur d’Alene last week as a few of our competitors found out the hard way. Sheila and Ken had a great day while Carrie had a long one but ultimately triumphed. Congrats to Norm who went down to Duncan and won the MOMAR in a tight race. What I find interesting is that while Stefan and Ceri finished with a respectable time they were two hours behind Norm. Either they were riding the brakes all the way down the mountain or they got lost in the back woods. I had a look in the Frontrunners site today and I can only say to those who are thinking of doing an adventure race, don’t do it. For the love of God, just don’t do it. Meanwhile in Vancouver, Steve Osadiuk finished fifth at the Scotiabank Half Marathon and Brian McDonald finished third in his category. No matter how much people complain about the heat, it still beats running in the cold and rain.

This Saturday is Canada Day and while I hoped to have a run of Mt. Benson, I can’t find anyone who can assure me they can find their way up safely. Maybe when we get some new trails whacked out. So, instead for anybody who is not heading out of the city I will have ice cream after the run on Saturday. The Cambie is closed for repairs at the moment but an advance scout party of Bill Hollingshead and Mike Jorgenson say that they have found a good replacement in a restaurant behind the Husky gas station downtown off Stewart and Terminal. It has good food and coffee and when Bill says it has good coffee, it has good coffee. Also it’s close to the seawall and Sands Funeral Home, which could come in handy if anybody snuffs it while eating. It’s typical. You can’t get anybody to find a way up a mountain right in front of your face but if you want somewhere to get bacon and eggs they can find it in no time flat.

The Nanaimo Gutbuster is a couple of weeks away and I’m sure Dan would appreciate a few more volunteers. You can help the night before the race setting up the course or on the day of, whatever you can do. Contact Dan Brady at danbrady@shaw.ca .

We have received an email from the recreation programmer of Nanaimo Parks and Rec about organizing this years Terry Fox run on September 17th. They are looking for people to serve on the event planning committee or to volunteer on the day of the run. This might appeal to anyone who has had a personal experience with cancer. You can contact Jenn Browett at 756-2517 if you are interested.

Besides the Gutbuster there is a wide variety of Island events this month. Two short tri’s in Chemainus and Victoria plus a mini adventure race geared for fun in Ladysmith. There are also a number of shorter road races. Check the Event page in the website for details. Remember to clear out your internet cache to view new updates.

Have a great weekend,
Ross