ROC Trail Bits 2006 #29

Trail Bits # 29

What a Sunday!

If you were bored on Sunday in Nanaimo, I don’t know what to tell you. Your day should/could have gone like this: run a half marathon or 8k trail race in the morning, then drop over to the new Nanaimo Ice Centre and skate a few laps with the Premier, followed by a quick drive down to the inner harbour where you could have crewed on some Silly Boat racing team and then to finish it all off, you could have had a cold beer and a salmon burger while you listened to Rubber Soul, Blue Rodeo and Powder Blues Band. You could have even driven to Quallicum and had a quick bit to eat with the Premier if you were politically connected. All in all it was a fun filled day in Nanaimo.

Ø GUTBUSTER - the main event for ROC was the GutBuster, which went off without a hitch. There were a record number of entries in both race distances, no serious injuries, no lost runners, no complaints and we walked away with a cheque for close to $ 1600.00….perfect! The number of compliments that I received on Sunday was overwhelming. People simply loved our race and they loved the way the route was marked and flagged and they commented on how positive it was to see so many of our members out in some very remote sections of the route. These compliments are a direct result of the hard work from a large number of people who answered the call to action and helped out over the last two weeks with trail clearing, removing of downfall from the course, flagging, marshalling, traffic control, sweeping, water stations, biking, set up, and timing. I won’t mention anyone by name as I will probably forget someone, but I want each and every one of you that came out and helped to know that we could not have pulled off this race without all of your help…..Thank You. You are a truly amazing group of people.

There are several hundred photos at the website http://www.pbase.com/autie/gutbuster_nanaimo_2006 which feature almost all of the runners and a large number of the volunteers. There are also great photos of the mud pit that was added to the long course this year, as well as photos of the river crossing. Full race results are available at http://www.gutbustertrailrun.com/results.html

Ø Music for the Mountain – Sunday night was pretty amazing. The weather cooperated, a beautiful sunset, the sound was fantastic and the selection of music was great. For a first time event, it was first class. NALT (Nanaimo and Area Land Trust) deserve a huge pat on the back. Talk has already started about next year’s concert. How about that Iron Man Drummer Billy Hicks, he drummed for two bands after having run in the GutBuster earlier in the day.

Ø Nanaimo Daily News Harbour City Half Marathon & 10km Road Race – our website for the Half Marathon is now up and live. Check it out at www.harbourcityhalf.com On line registration is now available. A new added feature to this year’s 10km Race is the Corporate Challenge. Full details are on the website. If you are able to distribute race brochures through your place of work, please let me know and I will drop off brochures to you…..thanks.

NEW Trail Run this weekend. This weekend Kathleen & Brad will lead the group on a tour of the NEW Trails in Linley Valley. A 1:15 time for the route is the estimate. Meet at the end of Burma Road at 7:00am. Email me if you need driving directions. I will be on my bike if someone feels like touring around Linley with me….Dan