Looking to Kick 2010 off with Some Serious Mileage? Jan 2 Peter Lougheed Ski Buffet

Happy New Year to all fellow Harriers! We hope everyone has a nice relaxing Christmas and have rested up for what is going to be great year for the Bow Valley Harriers.

Matt planted the seed a while ago

about skiing all the trails in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (PLPP). What a great idea! So why not kick off the new year with working off all that Christmas turkey.

Carl Pryce, Blaine Penny and a few other xc ski enthusiasts (or shall we call them lunatics) are planning to ski all the trails in PLPP on Saturday Jan 2. The distance is about 112 km once you link all the trails. PLPP is classic only and has a double track on most trails. The conditions are excellent and if we are lucky we'll even score some fresh grooming. If you are still not sure if this is for you, check out a recent ski at PLPP that Blaine and the gang put in just before Christmas.

Peter Lougheed Ski Video

It will be about a 10 to 12 hour day (depending on conditions, level of skill and fitness) and the plan is for an alpine start leaving the city at 4:30 am.

For those who may be interested and want more details, drop Blaine an email

blaine.penny@worleyparsons.com

For anyone else out there just planning a nice day of skiing, there is a great website SkiHere.ca that is really up to date on all the local trail conditions.

Cheers and Happy New Year to all!!

Check out this link...

It shows what it's like at the front of the CRR races:

http://speedtheorycyclingteam.blogspot.com/

Go to the Monday posting and click on the video link to see all 27 minutes of the Silver Springs XC from the viewpoint of eventual winner, Trev Williams. Trev had a camera mounted on his head for the entire race. Better still, Trev trails a bundled-up (due to the -24C temperature) Harrier Mark Fewster for much of the race. I understand Mark was asked to show his best side for the camera... :)

Wednesday Night Training

Don't forget Wednesday night training tomorrow at the Oval. Meet at 8pm inside the Oval and we will look for a 20 minute warm-up and then start the session at 8.20pm. I am hoping to be there holding a watch and calling out times.

Please try and wear your vests so that we are recognisable.

I am thinking 800s tomorrow (or, rather, 2 laps of the Oval which is slightly more than 800m). Maybe 2 sets of 4 x 800m with 90 secs recovery and 3 mins recovery between sets. I'm happy to discuss... :)

Sacramento and Silver Springs

The last two weekends have seen some more BVH performances on a global and local scale.

First off was Don King in the Sacramento marathon. Known to be a fast course for its "downhill" profile and warm weather, I'm sure Don was looking for a fast time. And he won't have been disappointed, clocking 2:37.36 for a very impressive 43rd overall (2nd in his age group). That's a constant 6 minute miling - good work Don. This was all the more impressive given that I am led to believe that conditions were far from ideal - 0C and a headwind the whole way.

0C would have seemed positively balmy to those brave Harriers who lined up for the Silver Springs XC event yesterday. Three Harriers were on display (presumably under several layers) - Harriers Ukrainetz, Fewster and Wilcox. In what must have been a slog of a race, Ukrainetz was just edged out by Trev Williams for the victory, with Fewster missing out on bronze by 2 seconds. By all accounts, Fewster took the race by the scruff of the neck and led from the gun for much of the race and was unlucky not to hold on. The pictures show a wrapped-up Fewster leading Trev (who seems to be videoing the whole race with a camera on his head). Run-in-all-weathers Wilcox ran a dogged race to finish high up the field in 16th. Well done to those brave souls!

Finally, A big shout out to Friend-of-the-Harriers Paul Mainwaring who came 3rd in the Charlotte marathon this weekend in 2:38...

Don't forget training at the Oval at 8pm this Wednesday everyone!

Wednesday Night Training

The oval is shut next Wednesday and so we're having a week off the regular Wednesday night training sessions. The next session will be on Wednesday 16 December. Meet at 8pm with the aim of doing a 20 min warm-up and starting the session at 8.20pm. The session will be posted a few days beforehand but we'll probably do some 800s or a whistle fartlek.

Don't forget the next race which is the Silver Springs XC on Saturday December 12, 2009 at midday.

Enjoy the weather everyone!

Oval Wednesdays

Welcome to Oval Wednesdays!

What are Oval Wednesdays? They are our regular BVH Wednesday night training sessions at the Olympic Oval. Meet at 8.30pm for a 15 minute warm-up and the session will start at 8.45pm. It's a regular event every Wednesday at 8.30 throughout the winter.

So what sort of sessions will we be doing? Intervals mainly. They are a chance to keep some speed in your legs over the winter months when snow and ice tend to make this much more difficult, which will make the spring races much less painful. They are also great for staying in tune for the winter cross country races.

Sessions are open to anyone - just turn up on time and even if you can't keep up with the fastest among us, we'll make sure you get a session out of it, either by handicapping it or making it a relay.

Meet inside the Oval (it's a few dollars for entry). This week we will be doing a gentle introduction - 10 x 400m (or, one lap of the Oval which is more like 440m) with 90 secs rest. I won't be there this week but we definitely have a group turning up (look for Mark Fewster if you know him). Those turning up, try and wear your BVH vests so that we are an easily recognisable group and we get the name out there!

"I feel the need, the need for speed"...

Okotoks XC Report by Ryan Rawlyk

Weather was perfect around 5 degrees with a little wind. Course was dry with good footing for the most part, some ice and snow in the coulee for short sections.

Bow Valley Harriers had two representatives myself (Ryan Rawlyk) and Jason Wilcox.

Good field of runners and the early start was a mad panic for the first corner. Me and Jason quickly found ourselves behind 10 to 20 guys.

Course was a 2 loop race with only 500m of level ground at the start of the loop. It was a hard, undulating battle both physically and mentally and the finish line could not have come soon enough. I found myself in a group of 4 for the entire race, surging and fighting from getting dropped. I was eventually gapped in the last kilometer before I was able to battle back and barely win a print finish for 12th with Lindsay Mclaren. Jason Wilcox came in 25th putting in a solid effort despite fighting off a nasty cold. Andrew Carruthers took the win handily in front of Trevor Williams.

This race is one of the better courses and definitely not one to miss next year.

Next X Country race is Silver Springs in three weeks (Dec 12). Bow Valley Harriers expects to see a better turnout, with Phil Ukrainetz and Mark Fewster back in the fold.

Cover Girl

Check out this month's Impact magazine. Harrier Syl Corbett is on the cover and there is a great article all about her achievements including the fact that she is reigning national snowshoe champ!

The full article can be accessed here:

http://www.impactmagazine.ca/profiles/2009/snow-way.html

Strides Running Store...

Friend of the Bow Valley Harriers, Strides Running Store, is having its annual Strides Friends & Family Night from 5-8:30pm on Wednesday, November 25th and they have very kindly offered all Bow Valley Harriers to be "friends and family" for this event. Turn up with your vest as proof of membership and get a head start on your Christmas shopping. There are great deals on this night only including a massive 20% of all fall shoes and clothing and 10% off accessories. For those who have not been there recently, they are now at 3558 Garrison Gate SW (across the street from the Garrison Safeway & Starbucks): www.stridesrunning.com.

Also, don't forget the Okotoks XC race this weekend. Starts at 12 noon I believe. This may be the only year ever you can run it without snow on the ground so make the most of it! I know a few names who are running so look forward to a report.

Last Chance Half Race Report by Scott Manktelow

The Last Chance Half took place yesterday and I was fortunate enough to be present at the finish and see Harrier Manktelow (in the words of the immortal David Coleman) "open his legs and show his class". It was a fantastic finish that went right down to the wire. Here's what the Harrier himself had to say about the race:

The Last Chance Half is run along the riverside paths, starting and finishing at Eau Claire. I had two main goals for this race: 1) a new PB, and 2) having gone off-course in 4 separate races this season, I hoped to Stay On The Course. Achieving #1 was probably only going to happen if I achieved #2.

There was a strong wind from the west so the first 5km was blustery and slow. At the turnaround I accelerated and passed the early leader, Jan Pedder, and tried to lay down some fast splits with the tailwind. I got a nice gap, running the 2nd 5km almost a minute faster than the first, and going through 10km in just over 36min.

I might have been a bit too eager. By 12km, I was starting to stagger, was getting dizzy and realized it was a perfect opportunity for me to lose focus and Go Off The Course. Steely resolve was required. By 15km I could see that Jan had caught up to within 10-15 sec. and Harrier Don King was not far behind. I tried to drill it for the last 5km, but despite my best efforts, Jan kept closing the bloody gap. At the 20km marker, Jan passed me and passed HARD. I hoped he was bluffing and surged to get on his shoulder.

With 400m to go, we had to climb the ramp leading to the pedestrian bridge over the Bow R. I stumbled up the ramp, turned right, and was surprised (and dismayed) to discover myself kicking as hard as I could from 300m out. With 100m to go, I could see Duncan cheering by the side (with new baby in tow) and knew I could not let him down while wearing the dashing new Bow Valley Harriers vest. Unfortunately, Jan was still on my shoulder and it turned into a full-out sprint to the line -- not a pretty sight in a half-marathon.

I was able to get a small gap and win by one second (!), successfully getting a new PB (1:17:11) and also successfully Staying On The Course.

Much credit is due to Jan Pedder for hauling ass through the 2nd half of the race, and Don King who came in a fast-closing 3rd in 1:17:48. The full results are here: http://www.winningtime.ca/09/09lastchance/oall.txt

Drinks, Training and Racing...in that order!

First of all, the inaugural pub night at Kilkenny's last night was a great success. Lots of new faces to add to the names and we really are a great group of people! Not sure how many early runs will have been missed this morning...

Part of the conversation last night turned to group training sessions and there was some discussion about a group training night at the Oval on Wednesday nights from starting at either 8pm or 8.30pm. A few of us did these last year and it was good to leave it later so the place clears out and then we can either do intervals inside or head off on a run depending on what everyone is keen on. I was thinking of December 2 being the first week we try this out and then just making it a regular Wednesday night event with minimal commitment and people just turn up if they can, knowing that some of us will be there at least. Let me know what you think either by adding a comment to this post or by sending me an email (duncanmarsden@gmail.com); (a) would you be interested (b) is Wednesday good for you (c) is the Oval good for you (d) what time is best for you?

Finally, it's the Last Chance half marathon this weekend and the race is sold out. Good luck to those running and I look forward to a race report...

CRR Edworthy Park XC Race Report

The sacred grey and black vests made their first appearance in a local race this weekend, and to great effect.

Saturday saw the first of the Calgary Road Runners' series of XC races. There are about 6 throughout the winter and they are well worth doing.

We had a number of Harriers competing and, as you can see from the picture on the left, the vests were out in force (picture of a very relaxed Mark Fewster leading Scott Manktelow). The full men's team was Manktelow, Fewster, Phil Ukrainetz and Ryan Rawlyk.

The early pace was forced on by Fewster, keen to impress on home soil, with Manktelow close behind and Harrier Phil Ukrainetz just behind them. In a close-fought race, however, Calgary's Trev Williams managed to outsprint Manktelow for full honours with Manktelow capping a marvellous autumn season with a second place. (Manktelow is the bookies' favourite for this weekend's Last Chance Half - provided he can stay on course that is...!) Fewster was just a few seconds further back in third and Ukrainetz finished a fantastic fourth. Rawlyk also had a good showing in a competitive race to finish 13th. A GREAT showing at the front by the Harriers. The picture on the right is of Fewster leading eventual winner, Trev Williams.

On the women's side we had just as much success with our one female participant (it's all about the quality, not the quantity with us Harriers!), Syl Corbett. Syl clearly had a very close-fought race with eventual winner Lindsay McLaren and Syl finished a matter of seconds behind Lindsay, to take the silver medal.

A very successful start to the cross country season - good work everyone! Full results are here:

http://www.calgaryroadrunners.com/result.php?item=189

The next race in this series is in Okotoks on November 21.

Races and Pub Night

There are two main races this weekend and we have BVH representatives in each. The first is the CRR Edworthy XC event at Edworthy Park. This is a great little series of races which goes throughout the winter and is great fun. Start is at 12 noon and you just turn up and pay your $10 entry. All standards are catered for and there are two races (8k and 4k) and a kids' race. I know that Harriers Manktelow and Fewster will be running and sporting their new vests to boot. I know that Manktelow in particular is very excited about dusting off the old spikes having retired them a few years ago...

Later that same day (about 7pm I think) the Banff Winterstart will set off from the Caribou Lodge. I know that Harrier Russell will be doing this sprint (for her) following her Okanagan marathon success.

I look forward to reports from all!

Finally, our first pub night will be held next Thursday (November 12th) at Kilkenny's starting at 8pm. I will be bringing the vests for those who let me know they will be there. Hope to see as many of you there as possible. Friends, partners, spouses etc welcome!

NYC Marathon Report by Jody Draude

4:30 am - alarm. That would be EST. Too early. Perhaps I could fake an injury.

5:30 am - Staten Island ferry. Pouring rain and windy. Yup, the warm, dry, bed is looking good right now. I bet it's nice in Calgary.

6:30 am to 9:30 am - Refugee camp - with coffee and bagels. Still raining. This is not cool.

9:30 am - At the start line. An Italian guy just peed on my leg. Note to self : must, at all cost, beat that Italian guy. Can't wait to get going. This is cool (can a 40 year old say that?).

9:40 am - We're off. Rain has stopped. Windy. In our face. Still happy to be there.

Approx 1:23 and change later - 13.1 miles in, and all is well. Plan to run the second half in low 1:20s. Left the Italian guy behind long ago. This is easy. I am awesome. ( Foreshadowing....)

6: something later - Mile 14 water station. Wondering if anyone ever gone blind from splashing Gatorade in their eyes while running a race. I am something less than awesome. Bad omen. Getting plenty of shouts of "Go Harrier", though.

Approx Mile 15 - beginning to wonder if I should have taken Jeremy's Deere's advice and worn my Etonic Tayu's. Why listen to Jeremy? What does he know about running anyway? The excruciating pain emanating from my right foot within my beat-up DS Racers provides the answer. I am an idiot.

Mile 17 - wondering if I will ever walk again. I actually stop and re-tie my shoe in the hopes that somehow my amateur knot-tying technique is my issue. I curse the triple knot I tied in my shoe to ensure that it would NEVER come undone in the race. Amateur. Back and running approx 1:30 later. Shouts of "Go Harrier", replaced by "You suck Harrier". Am I in the Bronx?

Mile 20 - Decide that I will make it. Way off pace. Too bad: aside from the excruciating pain in my foot, I feel pretty good.

Mile 22 - Decide that I don't care if I ever walk again: I will at least break 2:50. Spend the next 5km all but sprinting past - well, it felt like sprinting, compared to the death march around me - the many, many inconsiderate bas--ards who passed me during the shoe fiasco. Fueled by a combination of fear of failure and anger, I pass 108 people. Not one passed me. Not sure what me knowing that fact says about me aside from the fact that I am obviously OC.

Mile 25 onward - Lots of "Go Harrier" cries again as I roar past people like a psychopath: feeling pretty chuffed about myself until it dawns on me that the huge roar from the crowd is not for me, your now humbled Harrier, but for the 52 YEAR OLD lady that just beat me. I feel a bit better that it was Joan Benoit Samuelsson (sp?) (I should have beat her). Oh well, I definitely beat the Italian urine-boy.

2:49:14 - Done . Broke 2:50. Don't care if I looked like a maniac doing it.

Approx 2:50 after start - DS Racers deposited in the rubbish bin. Note to self: listen to Jeremy.

3:53 pm - Having my fourth recovery Guinness in St James' Pub. Humbled. My only truly professional running move of the day.

NYC

The BVH vest will make its first public appearance this weekend - and what a stage for it - Jody Draude will be pulling on the sacred grey and black and lining up against the world's best marathon runners in New York City. If you can spot the vest among 38,000 other runners, though, you'll be doing well...

For those who want to pick up their vests, there are 3 options:

1. Let me know when you want to come to Canterra Tower (Eau Claire) and pick it up; or

2. For those doing the Winterstart, email me and I will bring your vest to the race next week; or

3. Best of all - come to the pub! Thursday November 12th has been earmarked for a night in a pub somewhere so we can all get to know each other a bit. The venue has not been finalised yet but keep the date free! All welcome!

Duncan

The Vests are Here!

The vests arrived today! A sample picture is attached.

If you are near Eau Claire during the week then send me an email (to dmarsden@blgcanada.com) and you can come and pick up your vest. Otherwise I will arrange a pub night for us all to get to know each other and hand them out then.

There are still a few unpaid debts so please send any remaining cheques ASAP. Thanks!!

Another week another win!

The Bow Valley Harriers (comprising Ryan Rawlyk, Phil Ukrainetz and Mark Fewster) entered a strong team in the 3 x 4k CRR Confederation Park Relay on Saturday and the team's strength became immediately evident. The mild fall weather was a welcome change to the last few weeks of racing, even with the creek crossings.

Ryan led the charge on leg 1 of the 4km loop, leaving it all on the course and coming in around 6th about a minute down from the lead runners. Phil rose to the challenge to move us up to 2nd overall after a 13' performance for the 4km. Mark had about 20" to make up and did so about 1 mile in, then added another 15" or so by the finish to take the win for the team.

Phil and Ryan were so moved by the win that they decided to volunteer themselves as race directors for next year...really!

A special thanks to Sugoi for the new uniforms (see attached). (On that note, the actual kit is being shipped on October 30, so we can expect it early November...)

Relay Weekend!

There are two races this weekend - both relays.

Today we have the Eikden relay in Banff which is being sponsored and co-hosted by Strides Running Store. For those who don't know much about Ekiden, wikipedia has a few words of wisdom:

"An Ekiden originally referred to a post-horse or stagecoach which transmitted communication by stages, and now usually refers to a long-distance relay race, typically a road race. The term originated in Japan. The first ekiden race was in 1917, and was run over three days between Kyoto and Tokyo, a distance of 508 km."

Very interesting. I know Jeremy was looking for volunteers so if you find yourself at a loose end today, go along and seek him out!

Tomorrow is the Confederation Park relay and the Bow Valley Harriers have at least one team entered in the 3 x 4k event. I look forward to a race report...

Alberta XC Race - Official write-up

The official write-up of last Saturday's XC race is set out below. BVH men finished 5th out of 8 teams which is not bad at all. Very encouragingly, we were only 3 points off 4th place and only 16 points from finishing second. Also, as Phil pointed out, we dominated the 30-39 age group. Syl came in a very creditable 21st, although it seems that they put her in the wrong age group :)


Race #3: The Battle of Alberta results are now up along with the series standings after 3 races:http://runningsolutions.shawwebspace.ca/pages/view/2009_saucony_run_alberta_xc_seri/
Chantell Widney from the Edmonton Thunder won her 2nd race in the series over Ciara Kara from UCAC. Top 3 was rounded out by the UofA's Hayley Degaust who lead her team to a big win over the UofC and Lethbridge Kodiaks. Series standings after 3 races see Tara Struyk from the Running Room leading followed by Heather Sim from CALTAF and Jennifer kemp from the Running Room. Runners are currently ranked according to the # of races they have run and then by their points so look for Chantell to top the standings after she finishes another couple of races in the series. Lethbridge Kodiaks lead the team standings followed by the Running Room and CALTAF.The mens race saw the same top 2 as the first 2 races in the series go 1-2 again with Kip Kangogo of the Running Room winning over Willy Kimosop from the Lethbridge Kodiaks. Geoff Kerr from the UCAC cracked the top 3 in his first race of the series. The team result saw the UofA run a very impressive and disciplined race to win easily over the Running Room Athletic Club with the UofC just one point behind in 3rd place.Mens series standings see no change with Kip Kangogo (RRAC) leading Willy Kimosop (LCK) and Andrew Carruthers also from the Running Room athletic club. The team standings see the Running Room on top followed by Augustana College and the Lethbridge Kodiaks.Race #4 of the series goes next weekend in Camrose where the 2009 College Cross Country Championships will be held.

Marathon Heroes

There were a number of marathons held this last weekend, from Chicago to Victoria via the Okanagan and we have a few early results:

1. The Okanagan Marathon - by far the best BVH performance of the weekend was Harrier Deb Russell's third place podium finish in the Okanagan marathon. Deb's summer of running in the TransRockies seems to have paid off as she smashed her personal best marathon time to finish in 3rd place, only 5 minutes behind the winner.

2. Victoria Marathon - Jason Wilcox, who a week ago was running the River Park classic, went out hard in the Victoria marathon and was on pace for sub 3 hours at half way. Jason slowed slightly in the second half but finished in a very good 3:15 which he will be very pleased with.

Good work, Harriers!!

The Bow Valley Harriers are up and... er, Running!

The Bow Valley Harriers excelled in their first team race today in a cold and wintry Canmore Park in Calgary. Temperatures at the start were -5C with an icy cold wind dropping them further still but not even the first few flakes of snow in the air could dampen the spirits of the Harriers who made it to the start line with the excitement of the first BVH team race to spur us on. We had 6 Harriers running; Jeremy Deere, Mark Fewster, Phil Villeneuve, Blaine Penny, Matt Wanford and Duncan Marsden - kudos to Phil Villeneuve for fighting off a hangover and coming all the way from Canmore for the event.

This was the third in a 6 race series and is very much a team event. Times do not matter (as Jeremy reminded me just as I was about to start my watch on the start line!), only places. There are 4 to score in a team and the team with the lowest score wins. Easy. Non-Scorers are vital for these sorts of events though - not only do they provide a safety net but they can reduce other teams' scores.

The race was over a distance of 8k (4 x 2k loops - ideal for spectators) and the event attracts the cream of the Alberta running community. The Harriers knew they would be in for some tough competition. The average age of the field was about 20 and with the youngest Harrier being a sprightly 33 years old, we knew our tough old legs would have some raw young speed to face.

The toughest thing about cross country races, is the intensity. If you relax for 30 seconds, 5 people will pass you. But it's also about not getting sucked in to the early pace which is always much too fast. The Harriers started well and we all watched in awe as the gun went off and Jeremy Deere sprinted into the lead group never to be seen again (at least not by us) and into what was probably a top 5 finish. The rest of us had a very close race which is good in these team events - a team that packs its runners together is generally a strong team. For the first half, Villeneuve led Marsden and Fewster, all within seconds of each other with Penny and Wanford very close behind. The gaps stretched over the last 2 laps, with Marsden finishing second Harrier, very closely followed by Villeneuve and Fewster who, in turn, had Penny and Wanford breathing down their necks.

We do not have the results yet but everyone enjoyed the intensity of the competition - generally, a resounding success!

In the women's event, we had one Harrier - Syl Corbett - fighting the BVH cause. Syl ran a great race having just come back from the World Mountain Running Champs in the UK. We'll give more on Syl's performance when the results are in...

Great running everyone! We can mix it with the best...! Photos will be posted on facebook.

Sugoi Offer

Seeing as we have ordered our club vests with SUGOI, they have offered us a discount of 40% off any SUGOI Inline apparel you want to buy, via SUGOI.com. The offer only lasts for 60 days. You need to use the promotion code CUS09APPR1208 and place your order through SUGOI.com. You can use the code any number of times until the beginning of December so anyone on the team can place an order!

Weekend Racing

This weekend saw a packed schedule of races with a large number of Harriers out on display showing off their speed for what seems like the last time before we all have snow and ice to contend with...

Ambulance Chasers

First up was the Ambulance Chasers 10k and 5k on Friday night. The race starts and finishes in Eau Claire and runs along the paths by the river. It was very well attended and drew huge crowds. In addition, it seemed to be a real who's who of the Calgary running community. The 10k was won convincingly by Harrier Jeremy Deere in a great time of about 32.50. Jeremy led from gun to tape and looked in very good form despite not much training recently. The results are not out yet but Harrier Kyle Marcotte also put in a good performance to finish very close to the top 5.

The 5k was won by Harrier Duncan Marsden in 16.35 with Jody Draude hot on his heels in 3rd place. Jody was getting in some speed work for the New York marathon next month. Good luck, Jody!

Harvest Half

Barely 12 hours later, the gun went off for the Harvest half marathon in cold (but thankfully not snowy) conditions out in Midnapore. The course is undulating but goes through Fish Creek provincial park and is very pretty with virtually no traffic. Highly recommended. Right from the start it was clear that the Bow Valley Harriers would have control of this race - Harriers Marsden and Scott Manktelow looked easy in the lead group until about 3 miles in when they both took off and very quickly had a big gap on the rest of the field. The BVH duo stayed together until about half way when Marsden slowly got the better of Manktelow and just managed to pull away slightly. Marsden went on to win in a new course record of 75.29. Manktelow would have been 2 minutes behind at most (and the owner of a new PB) but for the fact that he went off course in the last 1k and, although still finishing second, lost a big chunk of time (and a PB).

River Park Classic

By far the biggest BVH presence this weekend was at the Calgary Road Runners cross country series race in River Park, Calgary. The course is rightly known as a classic and involves two rivers crossings (with about 50m worth of wading) very early in the race leading to chilly toes throughout throughout the remainder of it.

Harriers Mark Fewster and Phil Villeneuve had great races and finished 4th and 5th respectively, close together. Excellent performances were also put in by Harriers Ukrainetz, Rawlyk and Wilcox:

Jason flies down the hill

Fewster Tracks Villeneuve

4 Mark FEWSTER 25:06
5 Phil VILLENEUVE 25:13
14 Philip UKRAINETZ 26:35
21 Ryan RAWLYK 27:54
26 Jason WILCOX 28:51

Full results are here:
http://www.calgaryroadrunners.com/result.php?item=186

Harrier Phil

We have received the following roving report from our roaming Harrier Phil Villeneuve (all such race reports are very welcome and highly encouraged):

"Ran 7 summits trail in Rossland this past Wednesday on my way through to Vancouver – What a fantastic trail…worth going back for sure and running it as a posse. It turned out to be a great warmup run for a last minute entry into the Rubble Creek Classic Trail Run, a 26km jaunt up (1,000m), in and around Black Tusk mountain and back down (1,300m) to Rubble Creek (more info: http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/index.php?cat=C_Sport&content=Rubble+creek+run+1639 ) just outside Whistler.

No official results yet but it ended being a great battle between Oliver Utting and myself, down to the wire on the final 8km steep descent and I just managed to squeak out the win (and a new course record!) by a few seconds. Now my legs are…fried!"

Good work, Phil! Don't forget there are a number of races this weekend including Ambulance Chasers, River Park Classic, Harvest half - all of which are great warm-ups for the main event - the Alberta XC series race on October 10.

Keep those race reports coming!!

Melissa's

The Harriers had representatives in both the 10k and the 22k races in this weekend's Melissa's Road Race out in Banff. The race is hugely popular and when online entries become available in February every year, they sell out within hours.

Reports from the course tell of hills and wind - neither being conducive to fast times, but the Harriers lucky enough to have scored entries showed what they are made of with some strong performances.

The 10k event was part of the Alberta road race series and so the cream of Alberta's 10k runners were out on display. The race was won by Devon Kershaw in 32:57 and Harrier Scott Manktelow finished a very creditable 16th in 36:47. After the race, Scott commented that whole swathe of xc skiers came past him on the Tunnel Mountain hill - let's hope they are just as fit come February...

Full results of the 10k are here: http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2009/run/Melissas200910K.html

In the 22k event, we had Harriers Ryan Schellenberg and Brooke Houston showing what they could do over the longer distance. The race was won by Geoff Hopfner in 1:24:13. Ryan, in great form this year and improving all the time, finished 20th in 1:36:34. Brooke, in her first race as a Harrier, finished 27th woman in 1:49.44.

Full results of the 22k are here: http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2009/run/Melissas200922K.html

Well run everybody! If I missed any other Harriers in the results, please email me (duncanmarsden@gmail.com) and let me know...

Weekend Races

Good luck to anyone doing Melissa's, the Waldorf School XC or any other races this weekend. Don't forget to send pictures, race reports etc to duncanmarsden@gmail.com...


On the subject of pictures, I will be posting a few on the facebook page of a last-minute impromptu run up Moose Mountain which 5 brave Harriers took on during the week. Aside from a seriously sprained ankle and some tactical night-time formation running, it was a great success!

Harrier Carl Pryce, Three-Time Reigning Moose Mountain Champion Cuts a lean silhouette near the Peak

Also, anyone wanting to do a 50k or 100k training run out in Canmore on the weekend of October 16, please step forward. Harrier Blaine Penny and a few of his friends are looking to go a full 100k and would welcome anyone willing to pace them for any part of the distance...

Finally, don't forget the XC on October 10. I have Deere, Fewster, Marcotte, Wanford and Marsden as confirmations. Anyone else wanting to sign up, send an email to duncanmarsden@gmail.com. Cost will be $6 (payable on the day). Let's try and get two teams out!!

Strides Running Store

Many of you will know Jeremy Deere by reputation if not in person. Not only is he a very good runner and a jolly decent chap, but he's also a Harrier.

Jeremy owns the Strides Running Store in Marda Loop:

http://www.stridesrunning.com/

They are on Garrison Gate in Marda Loop and have a new store just round the corner from the old store location. Check it out some time.

Jeremy has very kindly agreed to provide a discount in his store for any Bow Valley Harriers members! The discount is 10% on shoes and 15% on clothing (subject to usual terms e.g. doesn't apply to sale items etc) for all Bow Valley Harriers members, which is very generous. We will use the club vest as proof of membership so please make sure you take your vest with you when you shop at Strides to get the discount. I will email a list of members to Jeremy for anyone who will be shopping there prior to the arrival of the vests...

Get spending!

Alberta XC Series Race 2

Results from race #2 held in Goldstick Park in Edmonton are up along with series standings after 2 races.

http://runningsolutions.shawwebspace.ca/pages/view/2009_saucony_run_alberta_xc_seri/

Chantell Widney, the 2008 series champ and national XC team member, won her first race of the series over Tara Struyk of Edmonton. Heather Sim and Jennifer Kemp traded places for 3rd and 4th respectively. The ladies team competition won was won again by Lethbridge with Augustana finishing in 2nd. Mens top 3 were the same again with Kip Kangogo, Willy Kimosop and Andrew Carruthers leading the way. Mens team competition was won by RRAC with just 13 points followed by the Augustana men.

Race #3 is in Calgary on Oct 10th. We already have a good Harriers interest but let's see if we can get a large Harriers presence at this one!

Relays, Relays...

If anyone is doing any races this weekend then make sure you send in a race report to duncanmarsden@gmail.com so we can get you on the blog.

Also, have a look at the facebook page for some new races listed including the Banff Ekiden relay and the Confederation Park relay. Let's see if we can get some teams out for both... Feel free to add details of races you are doing in case anyone else wants to join you.

The preliminary order for the vests has gone in but we can add more vests until Monday so get your last-minute orders in quickly. We have women's vests as well as men's. We can expect to receive them in early November.

Enjoy the weekend everyone! I feel long runs in the mountains calling...

Update from Matt Normington on the Alberta XC Series

CALLING ALL HARRIERS! LET'S GET SOME GOOD MENS, WOMENS AND KIDS TEAMS OUT FOR THE THIRD RACE IN THIS SERIES, ON OCTOBER 10...

The battle for Alberta XC team supremacy began on Saturday at Hawk Ridge Ranch in Calgary. Lethbridge College took the ladies team title with 26 points, lead home by Winnie Cheptogok in 4th place. Running Room AC finished in 2nd place with 52 points. RRAC athletes Tara Struyk and Jennifer Kemp actually took 1st and 2nd place in the ladies race but we were forced to take last place +1 and last place +2 for their next scorers as they weren't able to get out a full team. Augstana college rounded out the top 3 with 54 points lead by Emily Cole in 9th place. Heather Sim of CALTAF rounded out the top 3 individuals.The mens team competition has began where it left off last season, with Lethbridge College taking the top spot with 32 points and Running Room in 2nd with 35 points. As they were in the ladies, the Augustana men, lead by David Ariel in 6th place, rounded out the top 3 teams with 44 points. The individual competition has also started off as the 2008 Saucony Run Alberta XC series ended with Kip Kangogo (RRAC) defeating Willy Kimosop (LCC). Andrew Carruthers (RRAC) continued his strong summer form finishing in 3rd place overall.Full results and information on the series can be found at:
http://runningsolutions.shawwebspace.ca/pages/view/2009_saucony_run_alberta_xc_seri/
Race number 2 goes this Saturday in Edmonton's Goldstick park. Ladies 5km race goes at 12:30, mens 8km goes at 1:30pm. There will be a youth 1km race at 2:30pm and a youth 2km race at 2:45pm.

Please pass this on to any XC fans you know.

Matt

News of Two More Weekend Harriers Victories!

Well it really was an incredible weekend for the Harriers... In addition to the victorious exploits in the 5 peaks, we had two more victories to celebrate.

The weekend was kicked off in style by Carl Pryce taking the Lost Soul 50k race with a certain amount of ease - cruising to victory in 5 hours 27 mins - 30 minutes ahead of second place. The course is a punishing hilly affair and Carl's time is all the more impressive when you take into consideration the heat he had to contend with down in Lethbridge on Friday. The results are here:

http://www.lostsoulultra.com/LSU09%20OA_31.PDF

Carl was originally planning the 100 miler but dropped to the "shorter" distance only a few days ago and clearly it was to his liking...

And to round off the weekend, Harrier Mark Fewster won the Canmore half marathon (on another very hot day) in a shade over 80 minutes. His winning margin was slightly less than Carl's but clearly Mark had the legs to hold off a strong challenge from last year's winner. The results are here:

http://www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2009/run/RockyMountain2009Half.html

Congratulations to both Harriers!!

A quick reminder that the deadline for ordering singlets is 5pm tomorrow (Tuesday). We are going to try and see if we can get women's singlets too...

Harriers Rip Up the 5 Peaks

Saturday September 12, 2009 - 5 Peaks Canmore

In its first outing, the Bow Valley Harriers had unprecedented success in the 5 Peaks trail races on a very hot day at the Nordic centre in Canmore.

The race has three events - a "sport" race of about 7.5k, an "enduro" race of about 14k and a half marathon (21k) on the trails around the Nordic centre. And I'm pleased to report that there were not only Harriers competing in both the enduro and the half marathon races but there were medals on show too.


In the half marathon, Harrier Phil Villeneuve, "fresh" from his incredible 4th place finish in the Transrockies Run, came in a creditable second in 1:31, followed by Blaine Penny only 4 minutes behind, who had a great race despite being ill in bed for most of the day before. Any allegations that Blaine had been faking illness the day before so as to avoid housework and rest up for the big race, were strongly denied by Blaine.

Matt before the Start

In the enduro race, Harriers fared just as well with Duncan Marsden taking the victory in 55 minutes, closely followed by Scott Manktelow in third. Scott was only 24 seconds behind second place. Matt Wanford battled to a creditable 15th place finish despite a few niggling injuries which have restricted his training.

Phil on the Podium

The results are posted here:

http://www.5peaks.com/results/2009Results_Canmore%20Sheet1.pdf

Great running everyone!

We also have results for Carl Pryce in the Lost Soul ultra 50k race and for Mark Fewster in the Canmore half marathon to post once they become available.

Please send in your race reports and photos so we can keep the blog up to date!

Club Vests

I wish I could take even the slightest bit of credit for this but it's all thanks to James Davison... Please find attached a link to the BOW VALLEY HARRIERS club vest:

http://custom.sugoi.com/can/eng/reviewTemplate?id=5498&code=3858

Have a look and see if you want one. You can spin it round to see the front and back.
If you would like one, then please email me back with the size you would like. We need to order 25 minimum so I'm hoping most people will be up for it. Also, if you think you know someone who might be interested in joining our merry band then please make sure you let them know about this ASAP so we can order vests in one batch. Looks like the cost will be about $30 when you factor in tax and shipping. Makes a great Christmas present for family members! :)

WELCOME TO THE BOW VALLEY HARRIERS!

Welcome to the blog page of the BOW VALLEY HARRIERS!

We will be updating this page as often as possible with details of upcoming races, race results, photos and anything else

you might find useful. Feel free to leave comments or questions on this page and use it as much as possible.

A few of us are doing the 5 Peaks race in Canmore on Saturday and there's also a half marathon in Canmore on Sunday for the really hard-core. Leave a comment if you need a ride - I am probably staying over on Saturday night so am only good for one way...

Don't forget that the first race we are targetting is the Cross Country in Calgary on Saturday October 10. A link to the website is here:

http://runningsolutions.shawwebspace.ca/pages/view/----_2009_xc_race_3__uofc_open_c/

Let me know if you want to run (either leave a comment here or send me an email). I'll be sending out a reminder a week or so before.

Cheers

Duncan