Ultra competitive: Why the North Shore is a trail-running hotbed

By Justin Beddall, North Shore Outlook Even though he’s decked out in a bright orange jacket, electric blue shorts and red runners, he doesn’t turn many heads when he enters the Starbucks at the base of Grouse Mountain. Nobody here seems to know that the sweaty runner who just ordered a coffee and yogurt is Adam Campbell. You know, Adam Campbell, the North Van athlete named Canadian Male Ultra Trail Runner of the Year by Trail Running Canada in 2012. OK, so maybe he’s not a household name — yet. But if this was Europe, or maybe even Japan, where the ardent ultra racing fans line the trails to cheer on the competitors, he might get asked for an autograph or to pose for a photo. Ultrarunning, by Campbell’s own admission, is somewhat of a fringe sport. But its popularity is growing and there are a few Canadians, who are making a living — albeit modest — at it. “There’s a handful of us who do it full-time. Two other people who do it at a high level [are] Gary Robbins and Ellie Greenwood and they both live on the North Shore,” says Campbell. Read more, http://www.northshoreoutlook.com/news/209364401.html