Cedar Ultra

I signed up for a number of races scheduled to take place during 2020. Two years later and COVID-19 is still very much a part of our daily lives and conversations but thankfully organized running events have been able to return. The Cedar Ultra 24 hour endurance run is one of them. This would be my first time running through the night and attempting this kind of time on feet and overall distance. I had high hopes of hitting 100 miles for the lucrative Cedar Ultra belt buckle but at the same time I didn’t know what to expect of myself and what it would take to push through the inevitable barriers that would arise. Cedar is somewhat unique in that it is on a 3.3km nature loop and so runners repetitively pass through the one and only aid station. While this makes it simple to restock on food and liquids, it also increases the bermuda triangle effect of getting pulled into a comfortable camp chair to reassess just what this was that I had signed myself up for. I’ll try and retrace my journey through the muddy forest, overnight delirium, and lingering brain fatigue that I’m still feeling a few days later. Hope you enjoy!

The start/finish area for the 3.3km Hemer Park loop. Tommy, Fred, and Richard did an amazing job stepping in and putting on a top shelf event at the last minute. If I had a dollar for every time Richard asked me “what do you need?” I’d be a wealthy man! The twinkle lights lining the chute created a forest dreamscape that helped pull me in during the later night loops in the rain.

Leading up to Cedar I was feeling better about my running than I had in quite some time. I’m still getting my right foot/ankle treated for some lingering issues from an ankle roll two years ago but I had hit both a 5km (Bazan Bay) and 50km (Elk Beaver Ultra) personal best in the preceding months - classic Groggery training plan that doesn’t make any sense at all! Thanks to Darren Tannas for not only running through the night with me at Cedar but also for convincing me to do the Elk Beaver Lake Ultra three weeks beforehand. The fast 50km turned out to be a nice build up (Darren did the 100km at Elk Beaver, no big deal).

Kim and I left Victoria around 1pm and headed straight to one of our must-stop lunch finds in Cedar, The Crow and Gate Pub. With four hours before the 7pm race start and a plan to attempt a quick power nap before the race I ordered myself a big pub plate and a pint of Hoyne bitter. Neither let me down. We checked in to our seaside rental unit and I did manage to sneak in about 15 minutes of shut eye. Things were all going to plan so far, including the race-day butterflies that started to flutter as we drove the 5km stretch towards Hemer Park to get signed in and to set up camp. We saw Darren unloading his truck as we pulled up to the park and we made short work of establishing ‘Camp Good Times’. We brought way too much ‘stuff’ but we were warned not to expect much in the way of food/support at the race due to Tommy Mlazgar selflessly stepping in on a week’s notice to rescue a trimmed down version of the annual event. With limited time and limited funds he couldn’t promise us much but as it turned out the aid station was well stocked and we were all very well looked after. A shout out to Tommy’s accomplices who ran the aid station while Tommy was kicking ass on the 12 hour night run. Fred and Richard held it down managing the timing, the lap count, food, and the ever so comforting propane fire pit that became an important pick-me up between those dark rainy laps into the next morning. Also sending my best to previous RD Matthew Lamb and hope everything is okay. This Cedar Ultra brain child of yours is a truly amazing event that I hope continues for years to come.

Jumping with anticipation to get things started on Friday night. The race was rescued from cancellation at the last minute this year and runners were told to bring anything we needed. Naturally we built our own little camp near the starting line with a ton of food! It’s funny to see the area so clean and mud-less before the rainfall hit the area later in the night.

*Groggery and Darren: all smiles during the first three laps. No mud, no puddles, no problems!*

Darren and I had planned to take advantage of those early evening race hours where we would still be feeling fresh and also benefit from daylight. For the first twelve or so laps we *mostly stopped for aid support only every third lap. *Mostly is because we had to make an exception on lap eight when the evening drizzle intensified into a steady downpour in conjunction with a pile of fresh pizzas showing up at camp. Impossible to say no to a warm, dry fire pit paired with a slice of spicy hawaiian after logging about 25km in deteriorating weather. This would have been around midnight. Even more notable than the pizza during this break was that it was our first chance to chat and bond with our fellow racers and with the amazing aid station crew. We had two amazing ladies running through the night with us - Melissa tackling the 12km and Leah running her first ultra distance (or anything over a 5km!) and taking on the 24 hour option. We would come to share many laughs and snacks together around that fire pit as the rain intensified into the night and we sought this comfort more frequently between loops. A few of us were lucky to spot what I believe to be a Barred Owl sitting just off the trail on a waist high tree stump. It remained there for another lap but must have decided our blinding headlamps weren’t helping the nocturnal hunting scene. During the never-ending ‘lakeside rooty tooty’ section on the far Eastern side of the park we would also startle a camp of bats that would flap directly across our path. Aside from a few mosquitoes and a lot of slugs and earthworms that was about the extent of the wildlife. Of course, that’s if you don’t count the ‘faces in the trees’ and other mild delusions that a few of us were experiencing later into the race, too.

I had little experience running with a headlamp prior to Cedar. I was constantly adjusting how it sat on my head and weighed down my ears. Ultimately I found a comfortable set-up with the strap tight around the back of my hat and the light tucked securely under the brim and out of the rain. With the rain/cloud cover it was extremely dark on the trail. I had a backup battery on me, but if I had gone dark mid-loop I would have had to wait for another runner to come along in order for me to either see well enough to replace the battery or simply jog in to camp using their light. Luckily this didn’t occur. Adjusting my headlamp would cause a temporary blind as the hand being used for adjusting the strap would reflect the light back into eyes and temporary cause a white out effect. I definitely clubbed a few of the many tree roots with my big toe during these lamp adjustments which, I believe, ultimately made for a shorter learning curve. I’ve also never had the pleasure to run with a headlamp during such a heavy rain which also posed a challenge. Despite our slow and steady pace the heavy rain would create a sheet of reflective light making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead on the trail. Running with your vision focussed on each and every next step in rain, mud, and roots is an altogether tiring affair. The heaviest of the rain would stick around for several hours but ultimately returned to more of a drizzle by daybreak. Fortunately the trail-bed around much of Hemer Park drained quickly. Despite the continuation of lighter rainfall through the early morning, the ankle deep puddles that had started to form during the heavy night’s rain began to fast retreat into more navigable muck by dawn.

*Looking deceivingly fresh here on Saturday morning. Felt great to ditch the headlamp and run with full visability.*

It was a welcomed surprise to see Kim arrive back bright and early on Saturday morning to start her “Anytime 10k”. In addition to the 24, 12, and 6 hour race options you can also register for a timed three lap 10k and start on your own terms at anytime during the 24 hour event window. I took a longer break at the fire pit and watched Kim take off at 7am alongside the day time 12 hour runners. When she came back through the chute I was keen to join her for the remaining two laps of her 10k which proved to be some of my faster laps that morning. She would join me for yet another lap later that morning which was immensely uplifting. These events are mentally consuming during the lead up period and us runners get a little weird, distant, and yeah we probably get a little irritable and lousy, too. Many thanks to my amazing wife Kim for her patience and understanding during these self-centered periods of long day runs, anxious packing/planning, and on the day of for being my unwavering biggest fan, chauffeur, photographer, pacer, delirious dinner date, and overall rock to lean on during moments of vulnerability.

I hit the 50 mile mark at around 12 hours into the race. On track for a 100 mile finish, you say? Not a chance! I had severely under-estimated just how slow the pace per kilometer would be reduced through each fireside rest stop and resupply throughout the night. Not to mention the sock and shirt changes, blister treatments, outhouse inspections, and you get the idea. By around 3am Darren and I had come to the realization that hitting 100km would be a worthy objective based on our level of fatigue and the muddy, wet conditions that year. I know we each had more gas in the tank and with hours left on the clock we could have chipped away at increasing our overall mileage and this will always have me wondering just how far we could have gone. At the same time, my pace had slowed considerably by 9am and I was taking a break between each and every loop. If I had chosen to grind out the remainder of the 24 hour time cut off I don’t think I would have added more than about 20 km to my total and might also have sidelined my post Cedar return to running for weeks. I finally walked/ran my 30th (and final?) lap and was ready to call it a day around 11:30am the next morning. Richard and Fred were excited that I had hit the 30 lap benchmark but then proceeded to gently break the news to me that technically the Cedar loop is only 3.29km so 30 laps only had me at a 99km total distance. Without hesitation I reached deep into the pocket of positivity that I had been relying on, smiled back and shouted, “I guess I’ll see you in a bit” and headed back out on the course for my swan song 31st loop.

*Crossing the ‘line’ for lap 31. Race director and 12 hour evening champ Tommy Mlazgar with the congratulatory Hi-5. The entire crew was so supportive and really hit this event out of the park.*

*“THE BOARD!” Charles Perrin would go on to hit an impressive 112km during the day time 12 hour our event - congrats!*

Reflecting now, some 48 hours after the race, I’m still noticing a brain fog/fatigue. My legs are sore but much less than I would have thought. I don’t think I would have been out mowing the lawn and drying out my camp gear today if I had gone for that 125km+ over the remaining hours of the 24. I’m perfectly content with my decision to end at 17 hours and 102 km and in doing so reaching a new personal best. I also expect that I’ll be back on the trails in no time which is in itself a gift that I would not have expected this soon after Cedar.

Some takeaways from the weekend in no particular order… 1) Never under estimate the power of twinkle lights and a firepit in the dark, wet and cold hours of an ultra - they are an enchanting and wonderous thing to behold. 2) We are capable of so much more than we often give ourselves credit for and I have absolutely no doubt that giving and receiving smiles fuels this capability to a massive extent. 3) Leah: your courage in tackling this race as only your second running event EVER (the first was a 5km) was crazy inspiring and I hope you’re at home right now scrolling the interwebs to plot your next ultra. 4) Ultra running delusions are a thing - sure, I saw a few ‘tree faces’, and the headlamp shadows can mess with you, but I did see an all too convincing old man bending over to pick mushrooms in the moss covered forest but who quickly turned into a very still stump as I approached. 5) Darren, you’ve been a coach and inspiration (believe it or not) since you got me into this ultra thing five years ago; thanks for hanging with me until the morning light and good luck at the Big Foot 200 Miler…you idiot :) 6) I have to once again profusely thank Tommy, Richard and Fred for making this happen - and thanks for the sweet shirt Fred and Lucid Clothing in Nanaimo, “Strange on the Range” indeed! 7) Another thanks to Myke Labelle and the Vancouver Island Trail Series who put up some terrific prizes. My next race is actually the VITR Mount Washington in August and I’ll look forward to running into some of my newly minted Cedar family members again at this event. 8) Last and most importantly, thank you to the gal who got me into this running thing in the first place some 15 years ago and for her willingness to let me be my often eccentric, self consuming beer-running Groggery, my wife, Kim. I love you, pants.

Chuckanut 50k

Finlayson Arm 50k

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