The 2019 edition of the Banff Ekiden Relay had a bit of everything; snow, sun, laughs, nerves and true GRIT. The relay was comprised of 5 legs with distances ranging from 13 – 5.7 kms with varying degrees of elevation. What was truly unique was the fact that the Cave and Basin was the start and finish location for all 5 legs, which made for a great race hub and a unique experience with runners coming and going all morning. It was evident early on that we were going to have to bring our A-Game. As we walked around the runner’s village, we could see a collection of some of the finest individual and club runners our area has to offer. This included Canadian Age Group record holders, former collegiate runners and current elites. But as a group we quickly refocused to our mantra of, “Focusing on our performance, how others do is out of our control”. As for the race, we would definitely do it again as it was a ton of fun and very well run. The check-in was a bit chaotic as they initially asked the teams to just have the Leg 1 runners check-in first to ensure everyone started on time, unfortunately most teams (including us) didn’t heed that advice, haha. So, when Simon showed up, he was about 40 people back in the line with less than 15 minutes to go. Luckily, he was able to flex his local celebrity status to jump to the front of the line. Advice for next year: I would show up at least an hour early. That way you get prime parking at the Cave and Basin, quick registration and first pick of the Cinnamon Buns! The race started with a bang. Although the snow really started coming down HEAVY, Simon sprinted out of the gate to finish second behind Jody (the newly anointed Canadian Age Group holder for the half marathon). Simon’s performance was to set the standard for what was going to be a very competitive day. On Leg 2 BobbiJo took on 9.7km’s of tunnel mountain and completed an impressive 2nd place Female on what was one of the most grueling legs of the day. Seeing BobbbiJo push the last hill was incredibly inspirational as she left everything on that run. Laura was then set for Leg 3, a leg that had promise to be one of the most scenic as it meandered the Bow River. However, with Laura’s 2nd place finish in our division and an icy bridge crossing, the last thing she was able to do was ‘enjoy the sites’. This setup Wayne for the longest Leg of the day, and with the snow finally stopping and the sun trying to come out, Wayne was posed with a new set of challenges. As Laura crested the last hill Wayne discarded an extra layer of clothing and he was off, but rather than having to balance the slippery snow-covered paths he was now having to jump, dodge and avoid puddles at every corner. As we eagerly anticipated the exchange for our final leg, we could see that our competition was having an equally strong day. First came the Adrenaline Rush team for the exchange, next we watched the No Limits team fly out for there final lap. But as we discussed how a top 3 finish in this highly competitive group of runners is still an incredible feat, Wayne came charging over the hill for the final hand-off. With 3 minutes separating 3rd place from 1st and with only 5.7km to make up the time, the race was on. The three teams made there way to the base of the final hill to watch the last 200m push. The first team to cross would win the Mixed division. As time clicked away the first two Men’s division runners crossed the line, the first being Mito Men followed by the Calgary Road Runners Men, and in 3rd place overall and 1st in the Mixed division… GRIT!! What a feeling. As we high-fived and hugged at the finish line like a bunch of loons, we realized we won our division and by almost 3 minutes. What a day, what a team… way to GRIT!! For more info on the Banff Ekiden Race click here. For detailed Leg review/strategy check out the comments below from those that ran each Leg:
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10/18/2019 0 Comments Does one size fit all?
10/8/2019 0 Comments Jolly Ole GRIT Runners
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