Gary Robbins’ Coast Mountain Trail Series cancels spring and summer events

The Coast Mountain Trail Series, which Gary Robbins founded and directs, got off to a great start in February with its Run Ridge Run race, an event in Port Moody, B.C. A month later, the series’ second event, the Cap Crusher in North Vancouver’s Capilano Canyon, was cancelled due to coronavirus, and it was announced on Saturday that the series’ next five events are cancelled as well.

With heaviness in our hearts, we have decided to cancel the remainder of races under the CMTR banner. Events include:
The Cap Crusher
Diez Vista
Survival of the Fittest
Buckin’ Hell
Sky Pilot
Squamish50
WAM (TBD)
For registered participants please check your email for details. pic.twitter.com/xwbaDJXSVd

— Squamish50 (@Squamish50) March 22, 2020

The Coast Mountain Trail Series had eight races set for 2020, and six will not be run for sure, while the final event on the calendar—the Whistler Alpine Meadows trail race—is listed as TBD. The Whistler event is scheduled for September 25 to 27, over a month after the second-last race, the Squamish 50.

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The list of cancelled events include: the Diez Vista on April 11, Survival of the Fittest on May 23, the Buckin’ Hell on July 25, the Sky Pilot on August 9 and the Squamish 50 on August 15 and 16, as well as the already-past Cap Crusher, which was set for March 14. Each of the Coast Mountain Trail Series races take place in B.C.

We know it's hard to keep distance from the people we care about, from what we love, from the things we've looked forward to. So please practice social distancing & all the things people much smarter than us have advised us to do so we can get back to it all sooner than later. pic.twitter.com/0KX9NIpWHC

— Squamish50 (@Squamish50) March 20, 2020

Robbins took to Instagram on Saturday, and although he didn’t mention the race cancellations specifically, his message could be applied to that situation.

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“Just a reminder to everyone, it’s Saturday, a day you used to look forward to all week long,” he wrote. “Don’t forget to still celebrate the little things along the way. Here’s something to celebrate, you made it through another day, and you’re one step closer to this all of this being behind you.”

Robbins and his fellow series director Geoff Langford wrote a COVID-19 update on the Coast Mountain website to announce the race cancellations. While the Whistler Alpine Meadows races (there are six race options for runners) have yet to be cancelled, the matter will be revisited at the end of April. 

Robbins faced a race cancellation recently as well, as he was ready to compete in his fourth Barkley Marathons, which were cancelled last week.