Terry Byrne, a 76-year-old who has completed the Grouse Grind in North Vancouver, B.C. more than 2,000 times, has an ambitious goal for the Aug. 5 Red Bull 400 in Whistler, B.C. He wants to improve his time by upwards of 45 seconds, an impressive feat considering the difficulty of the course, a 400m stretch up the ski jump at Whistler Olympic Park.
The septuagenarian who resides in south Vancouver is a stair climbing machine. Byrne has traversed the Grouse Grind, a 2.9K trail that climbs 853m, a staggering 2,212 times, which ranks him second all-time. In 2016, the former airline ticket agent beat 80 people and was one of the oldest participants in the field of the world’s steepest 400m race. The Red Bull 400 Whistler climbs 140m at an average grade of 37 per cent.
When asked how a newcomer should approach the race, Byrne had a simple recommendation: “just go for it,” he says. “Keep a straight line, use footwear that you’re accustomed to and dress lightly. Set a pace and cadence and go for it.” He says that it’s tough to prepare for the Red Bull 400 because of the unique nature of the race. Plus, the ski jump is only open to run, or crawl, on race day.
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His personal preference is to wear gloves, as do many participants, because it prevents any sort of lacerations on the wooden portion of the race. The first portion of the race is on grass before brave participants ascend the actual ski jump takeoff ramp. (Ski jumping is a winter sport in which athletes are judged on distance travelled, often more than 200m, and style.)
Byrne has made the Grouse Grind his playground and says that he first completed the mountain climb for the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation in the mid-2000s. He continues to use the charity aspect as motivation. Although he has made a name for himself in the mountains, he has raced on the roads. He says he’s completed one marathon: Honolulu.
In 2016, Byrne twice completed the 400m course at the Red Bull 400 Whistler. He did the first 400, in qualifying, in 8:45 and, in the lucky loser section, did his second 400 in an almost-identical 8:44. His 2017 goal would put him around the eight-minute mark, which would have placed him ahead of a quarter of the field in 2016.
The Red Bull 400 Whistler takes place on Aug. 5 at 8 a.m. in waves with a chance to reach the finals where the winners are decided. Canadian Running will be there taking on the daunting climb.
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