Summerfast 10K 2018

It’s totally cliché, but Summerfast has typically been a bit of a Summerslow for me. I was determined to make this year’s race something a bit different, to focus and make it work. But then things went a bit awry in life, I was tired and lacking energy. By the time race day rolled around, I wasn’t sure I had much to give.

I was committed to running the race as part of the West Van Run Crew, however, so I showed up regardless. And all I can say is this…running with friends just makes things so much more fun!

Debra worked her magic and built up the West Van Run Crew to competitive proportions. Much like last year, I had divided loyalties, since I have spent the last 7 months running with Mile2Marathon, the winners of the 2017 Crew Challenge. But West Van Run has played a big part of my life for many years, and I couldn’t let Debra down!

Pre-Race

Package pickup was held Friday afternoon at the Denman Running Room – and, bless her heart, Debra picked up race packages for me and many folks on the team. Thanks again Debra!!

Saturday morning I hopped on a Mobi bike and cruised down to Second Beach. Folks were beginning to gather in Ceperley Meadow. The day was promising to be beautiful.

I greeted a bunch of friends for some pre-race shenanigans. Shout-outs to Jeannine, Jonathan, Gord, Margaret and Debra!

 

Then, I went for a quick warm-up run and washroom break – then headed to the start line. It was all very familiar, although the fact that I wasn’t wearing a Mile2Marathon singlet made me feel a little emotional. Still, it is all in good-natured fun!

The Race

It’s a flat course, all the way around Stanley Park. We started out just south of Lost Lagoon, running along the east side of the water until we reached Coal Harbour. There’s a brief out-and-back at this point (which got cut a bit short in last year’s race), and it’s at this point you see who’s ahead and who’s nipping at your heels!

Hope and I ran together for a good chunk of the race as we heading past the Rowing Club, Deadman’s Island, Brockton Point Lighthouse and back around to the 5k mark (and aid station) near Lumberman’s Arch. The sun was starting to warm things up, so I was grateful when we reached the shadows of the cliffs beneath Prospect Point.

I had decided to ‘own’ this race at the halfway mark, and set my sights on pushing through after the Third Beach aid station. I managed to catch up to a few folks who had been ahead of me the whole way…and it felt good!

Then the end was in sight! And unlike previous years when I was totally gassed, I managed to kick things into gear to cross the finish line strong!

Post-Race

I’ve raved about it before, and always tout it as a selling point for running the Summerfast 10K – baked goods! So many baked goods. Cakes and cookies and brownies and squares and all the sweets you could dream of. My personal favourite was the peanut butter pillow (peanut butter-stuffed chocolate brownie) – TO. DIE. FOR.

Celebrated our successes with a bunch of buddies! I’m the selfie king (with selfie-sharing kudos to Hope, Jeannine and Gord!)

Then it was time for awards and door prizes. The coaches of Mile2Marathon – Rob, Dylan and Tony – swept the top 3 male spots. So proud of these guys who’ve helped me so much with my running over the past year!

The winners of the door prizes were selected by virtue of who yelled the corrects answers loudest to random (running related) trivia questions. Although I appreciate the fun in this, I also feel like it doesn’t give a fair shake to those who might be a little more shy or whose voices aren’t as booming. Maybe some random number draws to mix things up a bit? Having said that, I won a bottle of Omega-3 oils because I knew the last province to enter Confederation (Newfoundland! 1947!!!)

I had to leave a bit early for another event, but as I cycled away I heard that announcement that Mile2Marathon had won the team competition. It was a huge group of talented runners, so it wasn’t a big surprise. West Van Run came second – but I heard after the fact that M2M generously shared their cakes with our team! THAT is the spirit of community running!

Final Results

Turns out this was my best Summerfast ever, and my third best 10k time. So, pretty pleased with that.

Chip time: 48:20
Average pace:  4:50 min/km
Overall place: 174/402
Place in age category: 15/25

Click here for complete race results

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Summerfast 10K 2018 – Quick Review

What I liked:
– The community spirit – all the local run clubs together in one place for some good-natured competition
– The BAKED GOODS
– Flat, fast course with beautiful views
– Amazing door prizes

What could be improved:
– Honestly, there’s nothing I’d change about this amazing race. Could the weather be a bit cooler? Maybe, but heck – it’s Summerfast!

Would I run it again?
Obviously