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The Vacation is Over

What better way to return to running than with an ill advised attempt at a speed record on the Kootenay’s infamous Rock Wall, a 55 km trail that is typically done as a 3-5 day hike.

…and what better way to return to running than with an ill advised attempt at a speed record on the Kootenay’s infamous Rock Wall, a ~ 55K trail that is typically done as a 3-5 day hike. It can be accessed through numerous entry points, but the “official” route goes from Floe Lake to the Paint Pots. The route gains over 2000 m, crosses three mountain passes, and provides an indescribable scenery overload. It’s known for panoramic views and grizzly bear sightings.

Last week I received a text from Canmore ultrarunner Mike Fitzpatrick saying that he and his trans alpine partner were going to run it. I contacted my buddy Phil Villeneuve and suggested going for a speed record – which Phil and Martin Gaffuri currently hold at 6:45 hrs. We all agreed that it was a terrible idea – we didn’t know if the creeks were passable due to rumors that recent storms had washed out most of the bridges and that the water was still high, and none of us had even considered this run until last week. So, of course we agreed to go for it with a goal of completing this in six to six-and-a-half hours.

We added two more Calgary based ultrarunners (Ian McNair and Matthew Innis), and then worked out the rules, which were stupidly simple – run hard, no waiting, no photos, and if you get dropped and fall behind, take a bail-out option because cars were leaving after seven hours.

When Sunday morning arrived we were down to four runners (Fitzy and his partner had withdrawn due to other commitments). We started shortly after 9 a.m. and set out climbing at a steady pace. We all took turns at the front until the route steepened as it rose to Floe Lake. This was the last time we were all together. Phil went off the front, Ian went off the back, and Matthew and I ran together. We kept it steady, hiking the climbs, running all the flats and descents, and although we couldn’t see Phil, we were running well and were confident.

Climbing through the burn scar on the way to Floe Lake
Climbing through the burn scar on the way to Floe Lake

The first sign of trouble came during the first big downhill along Numa Creek. I felt the back of my shorts getting really wet, which I initially attributed to sweat, but as the downhill progressed began to wonder if my hydration pack was leaking. This was confirmed many kilometers later when I finally stopped to check, and discovered that bladder seam had ruptured near the hose. So, with an empty hydration pack and a failed emergency fix attempt, I decided to abandon my attempt at the Tumbling Creek campsite – 30K into the run. This still meant a 13K run-out to the vehicles, but I did not want to risk remaining ~25K without fluids. We waited for Ian, convinced him to bail out with us, and proceeded down the washed-out and overgrown Tumbling Creek trail towards the Paint Pots. The highlight of the exit was passing within 30m of a young, curious grizzly, who watched us from just off the trail as we passed cautiously with our bear spray at the ready.

With our day done, we began watching the clock as we waited anxiously for Phil to finish. He appeared at six hours and forty-five minutes, tying his previous best. Although the record did not fall on Sunday we all enjoyed yet another incredible day in the mountains – appreciating life, nature, and our health and fitness. There was a time, not too long ago when something like this would have seemed insane and unachievable for me. Now, I don’t see anything as impossible, and live by the motto, “It is better to have tried and failed, then to have never tried at all”. So while we did not break the record on Sunday, it was anything but a failure, and hey, we were out of the parking lot after about seven hrs, so at least we nailed that goal!

*It seems, after all, that the record was indeed broken on Sunday. Phil went back to his moves count log and low and behold, the autopause was on for his 2011 attempt, putting them in at 7:48. Thus, his 6:46 two days ago is the new speed record. Well done PV.

**Photos used in this blog entry are from our 2011 run, courtesy of Ellie Greenwood

Running an alpine meadow en route to Numa Creek
Running an alpine meadow en route to Numa Creek
A well worn path in the alpine of the Rockwall Trail
A well worn path in the alpine of the Rockwall Trail

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