Fat Dog 100

By Heather Macdonald

Fat Dog 100 is a new Mountain Madness point to point trail race with 100 miles, 100 km and relay categories. It is part of two series: Run the North Shore and the Trophy Series (Trail Runner Magazine). Race dates are July 23-24, 2010.

Do you have to be certifiably nuts to do 100 miles? Yes. Apart from that, here’s more reasons why runners will want to do this race:

· It spans 3 beautiful provincial parks and one recreational area including Cathedral Provincial Park, Cascades Recreational Area, E.C. Manning Provincial Park and Skagit Provincial Park.

· There’s lots of other distance options: 100 km or relay legs varying from 16 to 36 km with a very generous cutoff time.

· The trails are runnable.

· The views are outstanding.

· It’s within a 3 hour drive of Vancouver.

· Aid stations will be memorable!

· Racers who complete the 100 mile race will receive the traditional belt buckle.

· We will be doing orientation runs, so here’s your chance to do some new trails.

· You can enjoy wine country after the race.

Why Did I Create This Race?

When people ask why I created this race, here’s my top reasons. Many of our BC racers go to the states to do 100 milers so let’s provide more races here for them and at the same time attract Americans to our wonderful parks. This race is point to point with no loops involved; this means racers are treated to constantly changing scenery. We have an amazing back yard; let’s get to know it better and what better way than a trail race. The runnable nature of the trails makes them very appealing. Skagit Valley trails are a no-brainer to run at night. I picked July for maximum daylight hours but realize there is no summer weekend that doesn’t impact other races.

Who Are You Calling a Fat Dog?

Fat Dog is the actual name of a trail in Manning but it’s a winter cross-country trail. BC Parks discouraged me from using it by letting me know that bears hang out there in the summer! No problem, we’ll pick other routes.

Requirements

Due to the level of difficulty (and time on your feet), you should have completed at least a 50 km before tackling the 100 mile or 100 km. For the relay, running any previous race of the distance of your Fat Dog ‘leg’ is okay.

There is a trail maintenance requirement for this race (like many other long distance races) of 8 hours of volunteer trail work. This may be done at any location like North Vancouver, or it may be done in May and June in the race area. You can combine that with orientation runs.

Wanna Be an Aid Station and Camp Out Overnight?

We want our aid stations to be memorable and sumptuous! This is a 2 day race so that means you need at least 4 people so you can get some sleep. If you have a team of 4 or more people who would like to take on this job, send me an email to info@mountainmadness.ca. We will cover your camping fees. Don’t be surprised if the aid stations compete to outdo each other.

North Shore Trail Runners Who Helped Scope Out This Race

I have always believed that trail runners are special people. Here’s a group of special people who helped scope out the route and GPS the trails:

· Peter Watson

· Gary Robbins

· Nicola Gildersleeve

· Tamsin Anstey

· Glenn Pace

· Cheryl Johnson

· Laura Woodward

· Judy Sullivan

· Lara Taylor

· Amber Ringers

· Mike Heiliger

Links

Race website: http://www.mountainmadness.ca/fatdog.php

UltraSignup registration: http://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=6695