Two members of the Comox Valley Road Runners did their imitation of mountain goats in the Emperor's Challenge, a half marathon held Aug. 6 in Tumbler Ridge. This challenging race begins at the treeline then heads straight up to the summit of Babcock Mountain, where runners are challenged by rocky terrain before tackling a steep descent to the finish line.
CVRR veteran John Ingram was second in the grand masters M50-69 division while partner Cathy Clarke was first in the F50-59 age group.
On the same day in Whistler, extreme racers Robyn Dicesare and Karen Siblely took on the Warrior Dash, a 5,000-metre race that takes challenging to a whole new level. The course, referred to as a battlefield, requires runners to leap through fire, climb over walls, and
crawl through mud pits and under barb wire fencing.
“This is the most fun race I have ever done," said Dicesare, who has run hundreds of races.
The local warriors showed their toughness. Dicesare finished first in the W45-50 age group and 53rd overall out of 4,500 runners. Siblely finished second in the W50-59 and 92nd overall. Former Valley runner Robin Poirier was second overall.
In other news, Gordon Harris and his team 'Wii not so Fit' came 42nd out of 177 teams in the mixed division of the 125km Canadian Death Race in Grand Cache, Alta. Their combined time was 17:04:43.
Ken Richardson recently returned from the World Masters Athletic Championships with a seventh-place finish in the M65-70 marathon.
– Comox Valley Road Runners