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100K Ultra Report

by Ron Adams, H2H 100K Ultra Coordinator

Hi Folks:

Every year, when I write a race report for the H2H 100K, I have always done it in a news release format.  I've done that again this year and it is included below.  However, somehow the writing style seems a little dry and impersonal, so this year I am adding a few of my own comments first.

First I would mention that the weather was superb.  This really makes everything else easy.  In some ways, I think that nice weather is a much bigger bonus for the crews and for the volunteers than it is for the runners.

A number of people came up to me after the race and mentioned how well everything went.  I was glad to hear that.  I think that I am a bit too close to the race organization to make that kind of a judgment call myself.  I guess that is in part a credit to the experience of volunteers who come out each year and in part to the fact that we are finally getting the relay volunteers trained too (This race is piggybacked on a road relay held at the same time).

I was also surprised by the number of crews who came up and told me how much fun they had and how much they enjoyed the event.  Of course, the nice weather helped, but one aspect of this race is that since it is on the roads the crew is able to follow the progress of their runner throughout the day.  The old acronym of CREW (cranky runner, endless waiting) doesn't fully apply.  OK, the runner can still get cranky ;-) but there is no waiting, you always know where your runner is and how he/she is doing.

It is interesting to observe that there are essentially 3 races happening.  At the front are the elite athletes who are superbly fit (and superbly talented) who are racing each other.

Next there are the veteran ultrarunners, also superbly fit, with lots of experience and running with consistency.  These are our "low maintenance" competitors and the core of the ultrarunning community.  

Finally, there are the newcomers, rising to the challenge of running their first ultra, trying to learn from the experience of others and wondering if they can really accomplish this.

Over the years, this race has had a high percentage of first timers.  These are the people with the biggest smiles on their faces when they cross the finish line.  Our 2nd place woman this year was an inspiration to all, smiling throughout the race.

However, I think that if you could give awards for happiness at the finish, the women's winner would be Sandy Sessions (3rd place female).  Sandy ran this race last year and was forced to drop out in tears about half way through.

This year, she returned and persevered through a very long day where she had to fight off her own personal demons (stomach problems), but she did it and finished.  Later at the dinner and awards, she couldn't stop smiling.  I'm sure that she was walking on air.

Another first timer, Gord Lepitzki came across the finish line with a big smile and a lightness to his step that made it look like he was ready to keep going for another 100K.

Although most of these folks are at the back of the pack, as a race organizer these are some of the more rewarding aspects of all the effort to putting on an event.

I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to thank Kevin Sayers for his Ultrunr site http://www.fred.net/ultrunr/.  It is a fantastic resource and I am grateful, in the weeks before the race,  to be able to refer many of our first timers to the info posted there.

Finally, back to our first timers, this year we had a couple of relative youngsters (ages 21 and 23) attempt to run much, much further than they had ever gone before.  Each of them had a learning experience that will benefit them in the future, and each of them put in a pretty decent amount of mileage before packing it in.  

One ran a full 50 miles before calling it a day.  In most anyone's books, 50 miles is a pretty decent ultra distance all by itself, so my hat is off to both of them for what they did and for even attempting the event.

This year was our biggest turnout.  We had 25 entrants, 23 starters and 20 finishers.  By trail running standards, this is a very small race.  Somehow, in North America trail running is king, in spite of the fact that on the international stage the World Challenge 100K is the benchmark for international competition and Comrades in South Africa attracts thousands of competitors.  

Every year, I wonder if it is worth the effort to put on an event with a relatively few number of participants.  On the other hand, we have a lot of runners who come back year after year and for whom this is a major event on their running calendar.  In fact, some people who started with the H2H 100K have even graduated to trail 100 milers ;-)

Just a few thoughts.

Regards,
Ron Adams
Haney Harrison 100K Ultra Coordinator

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Haney Harrison 100KM Ultra

Saturday November 2nd, 2002
Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia

Andy Nicol of Vancouver BC, the winner of this year's BC Ultra Trailrunning Series, showed that he also knows how to run on the roads.  Nicol ran a steady race, moving into first place just after the halfway mark (a lead that he would not relinquish) to finish in 8:35:12.  Second place was captured by last year's winner and Canadian national 100K team member, Rob Wall of Campbell River, BC in 9:05:34.

The women's race was won for the second consecutive year by Margaret Paxton of Squamish BC who persevered to finish in 10:43:57.  Newcomer Catherine Yoell of Vancouver BC, took 2nd place in 11:00:17.  Yoell's performance was marked by her smile and infectious cheerfulness throughout the racing day.

A highlight this year was that for the 1st time the race had a 5 year finisher.  In fact, we had three of them.  This achievement was accomplished by Bruce Grant from Delta BC, Port Moody's Matt Sessions and Mark White of North Vancouver BC.

This year's weather conditions were ideal for road running, featuring lots of sunshine and calm winds on a glorious autumn day, with temperatures ranging from a frosty minus 3.5°C (25°) at the 4 a.m. start rising to warm temperatures of 10°C (50°) in the afternoon.

Twenty-three runners toed the start line, with 20 competitors (a number of them first timers to the 100K distance) making it to the beachfront finish line in Harrison Hot Springs.

This was the 6th edition of the Ultra race held in conjunction with the 21st Annual Haney Harrison Relay, a point to point course which starts in Haney, British Columbia (a suburb of Greater Vancouver) and winds along scenic rural roads in British Columbia's Fraser Valley to finish by the beach on the Esplanade in the idyllic resort community of Harrison Hot Springs.

For complete results click here.

Ron Adams
Haney Harrison 100K Ultra Coordinator

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