MEC # 2 Birds Hill Park Race

MEC # 2 Birds Hill Park Race
MEC #2 Birds Hill Park 2017 3rd Overall After A Sprint Finish!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Aldergrove Mud Run

On Sunday, February 3rd, I ran the Aldergrove Mud Run. We started off at 9 AM from the parking lot beside the picnic area at Aldergrove Lake Regional Park, running through the fairly narrow opening into the woods that created a bottleneck for a bit with the dense pack of runners. Fairly quickly though, we began to spread out and there was room for the faster runners caught back to pass us, and I even had to pass some people, including Ingo and Mark.
 
Murray passed me about a kilometer into the race, and I kept him in sight for a kilometer or so afterward, but then he was gone! Not long after he passed me we hit a steep looping incline that really zapped my energy. After this it leveled off, and a young fellow wearing a green shirt passed me, but I kept him in sight for most of the race. There were many more hills, and some steep downhills with loose dirt to challenge us too, as we mostly ran along the mud path through the woods.
 
With about a kilometer to go I came up behind the guy in the green shirt, and he was slowing down so I passed him. You could already hear the announcer calling people in at the finish, and soon I was racing over the little bridge and into the open for the last hundred meters or so dash in to the finish line!
 
Murray was waiting for me, and with a combination of me running slower than last year, plus him ramping it up, he beat me by over 2 minutes! It was a great workout though on the challenging course, and a lot of fun hanging around with all the other runners afterward, as everyone was in good spirits now that it was over.
 
They had water and coffee, plus various types of sliced Cobb's bread with Nutella, peanut butter, and 2 types of jam to spread on them. I had a few slices spread with Nutella, it was so good, plus a banana piece, which they also had along with oranges and apples, while we gabbed and waited for the awards.
 
They had plenty of draw prizes, and then announced the overall and category winners. Murray got his $50 Peninsula Runners gift certificate for winning our age group in the 5K at the last series race, the Campbell Valley Stomp. However, they didn't have the ones for this race, so people will have to get them at the next one on February 24th, the Fort-2-Fort 30K & 5K!
 
With the awards done it was time to head home after another invigorating jaunt through the park.
 
 Murray finished 20th overall out of 141 and 3rd of 17 in our age group, with a time of 34:35. I finished 31st overall, and 7th of 17 in our AG, with a time of 36:47.
 
 
For another race report that people might like go here:
 
 
My next race was supposed to be the Starting Block 10K in Lavington near Vernon tomorrow, but I unexpectedly got caught up in a weeklong endurance event here in Vancouver called the Bagel Chase that just ended yesterday, so I'm in no shape to run another race right now. 

2 comments:

Eva, Alfie and Elwood said...

Hey Gord,
We're really impressed with your exceptional performance in the Bagel Chase! This mud run sounds challenging ~ even moreso after completing the Bagel Chase. Somebody deserves bagels!

Wobbler said...

Thanks Eva, I ran the Mud Run BEFORE the Bagel Chase!