Another Brick in Nepal

Marika Nagasaka with medal from Another Brick in Nepal run at East Sooke.

Sunday April 21st the Another Brick in Nepal race took place in beautiful East Sooke park starting and finishing near the covered picnic area in the Aylard Farm part of the park.  This is the only race that takes place in East Sooke park.

 

The weather was a bit iffy on the drive to the race but it ended up clearing up and it turned out to be lovely racing weather under mostly sunny skies with just a touch of drizzle around half way through the race.

 

Parking was tight so for anyone planning to attend next year I would suggest car-pooling and heading in early to secure a good parking spot.

 

The race had a 5km and 10km option and although not advertised as such, this years race seemed to be dog friendly as there were a few people running with their dogs.

 

The race starts out on a grassy area and mostly winds around the fields for the first km or so which was a nice way to spread people out before heading off onto the trails.  The trails were a mix of single and double track with some technical parts and some climbs although less elevation gain than many of the other trails races I have participated in.  Near cabin point there were some lovely fawn lilies so that was a nice distraction just before a bit of a climb.  The trail was well marked and there were lots of volunteers pointing you in the right direction and cheering you on so that was nice as I didn't always have someone in my sight to help me find my way.  There was a large group of hikers (20+) that I saw getting ready to head out so I was worried we'd have to pass all of them but then I didn't end up seeing any other people on the trails other than fellow runners and race volunteers so that was kind of nice not to have to scooch around anyone.

 

As in most races all the volunteers were very friendly and motivating, perhaps even a bit more than usual as it was a fundraiser and it had a very homey, supportive and relaxed feeling.

 

My goal was to not push too hard and have fun and I was able to accomplish that.  I also forgot to bring my watch so I ran without any idea of distance or time which was actually pretty refreshing for me.

 

The best part of the race was the post race meal provided my the owners of the Mint restaurant downtown; rice, butter chicken and also chana masala (chickpeas and potatoes).  Food was available for $5 for non-participants which was a great deal.

 

I ended up coming in 1st in the Womens Masters category with a time of 1:14:14 so that was exactly the boost I needed to keep me motivated as I try to get myself back into racing.  I wasn't expecting a medal so it took me awhile to get to where they were handing them out but I was determined to claim my much needed bit of bling and called out weakly "wait, I'm here" as I made my way over to the race director.  I wasn't even sure if it was a bronze or gold when I received it (I guess they only hand out a gold for the Masters but I assumed at first it was bronze because they generally hand that out first).  The medals are very beautiful and they seem to really put a lot of effort into all the parts of this race.  Each participant also received a beautiful scarf with a Tibetan motif on it at the end of the race.

 

Patricia Roney (30-39) took first place overall in the 10km with a time of 55:03.  I am always quite proud when a women does so well, I find it very inspiring!

 

The race is a fundraising event for building projects in Nepal.  This year the money raised was going towards a safe house for women and in the past they have raised funds to build schools.

 

I would highly recommend this race and it would be great to see more STARR's attend next year.  I would like to put out a challenge to STARR's to participate and try to do some fundraising to help this wonderful cause out at next years race.  You can expect me to hound you next year.  The only other STARR I saw was Bruce Hawkes, he did the sweep for the 5km race.

 

I have included a very goofy picture of me with my beautiful medal.

Bazan Bay Race Report and Island Series wrap-up

Starting line photo by Andy Smith

By Leslie Ann Bent

Sunday, April 14 marked the last race of the Vancouver Island race series. It was a beautiful sunny day for a race and 619 participants were up for the challenge. The 5k race is a flat and fast out and back course – considered to be Canada’s fastest 5k. It’s a scenic route dotted by tulips in full bloom on one side and the strait on the other, hugging the Sidney shoreline for most of the way. Ten STARR participants were part of the action. Whether you are a serious competitor or a back of the pack recreational runner, coming off injury or tackling a personal challenge - the stimulation was there and no one felt alone. The top 18 finishers completed the course in less than 16 minutes. The final two runners crossed the course at 1:03.

STARR’s top finisher was Barbara with an incredible time of 21:02, earning her a 2 nd place finish in her age group. Justin was our first male to cross the finish line with a time of 29:09. I was pleased to see him out on the course and he gave me a shout and an encouraging wave when I needed it most. Thanks! STARR members took home one medal and four ribbons.

This event also announced the series winners. Runners earn points for their age-group performance for each race they complete. To qualify, runners must complete five races with one being longer than 10k. Congratulations to Barbara, Maggie, Kari, Jill, Joldine and Bruce for a successful hardware-earning series. We’re really proud of you all.

STARR Bazan Bay Results

Barbara (F45-49) 21:02, 2 nd

Stephanie (F50-54) 24:22, 5 th

Melanie E (F 40-44) 25:50

Maggie (F50-54) 27:03, 9 th

Jill (F60-64) 27:38

Kari (F50-54) 28:20, 10 th

Justin (M50-54) 29:09

Donna (F45-49) 40:52

Bruce (M80-84) 42:24, 5 th

Leslie Ann (F55-59) 45:11

STARR Series results – age group standing

Barbara 3 rd

Maggie 6 th

Kari 7 th

Jill 5 th

Joldine 9 th

Bruce 4 th

Congratulations to all of our runners. We’ve had a successful season. Thanks also to everyone who took photos to bring the races to life.

Port ALberni McLean Mill 10K Race Report

By Andy Smith

Five Starr members made the scenic drive up-island to Port Alberni for the seventh race in the Vancouver Island Race Series on Sunday April 7 hosted at the Mclean Mill historical site. It’s a great location for an event with a rolling course over quiet rural roads. This race has a relaxed vibe and great scenery with giant trees and Vancouver Island’s central mountains in the background.

Formerly known as the Port Alberni Paper Chase 15K race; the course was shortened in 2023 to start and finish at the beautiful and rustic Mclean Mill historical site. The abandoned mill is now a tourist site with lots of historical interest and a great location for post-race food and celebrations.

This year the McLean Mill 10K, as organised by Ridge View Health & Performance, drew a great crowd of 469 runners representing age categories from under-16 to 80+. The race was won by Logan Roots from the Esprit running club in a time of 32:22. The top female runner was Carley Gering (also from the Esprit club) in a time of 37:47.

STARR participants had a great day with 3 earning medals/ribbons for top ten age group results. Congratulations to Bruce Hawkes for winning the M80+ category and to Jill and Maggie for top ten results in their age groups! The VIRA race series wraps up next weekend with the Bazan Bay 5k in Sidney.

Name Chip Time Age Group Age Group Placing

Melanie Eskildsen 56:34 F40-44

Jill Potter-Hellman 57:20 F60-64 7

Maggie Curtis 57:37 F50-54 9

Donna Heeley 1:26:27 F45-49

Bruce Hawkes 1:47:08 M80+ 1

Around the Bay Simulation Run

Some of the in-person runners, walkers, and volunteers at the STARR Around the Bay simulation run. A great day was had by all!

By Leslie Ann Bent

What a great day we had on Saturday for our 4 th annual Around the Bay (ATB) simulation event. The sun was out – no rain and very comfortable not only for running but waiting in “the chute.” ATB is a very famous 30km race held in Hamilton each year. Many elite runners use the race as their last training run before the Boston Marathon (held in April) and the race generates lots of excitement. The race is considered to be North America’s oldest race as it dates back to the late 1890s!

Here in Sooke we’ve organized our own modification of the race with solo (30k), 2-person relay (15km/person), and 3-personal relay (15km/person). A record 24 members participated, most in-person but a few virtually from exotic places such as Denmark and Canmore, AB. Paul and I were the official volunteers for timing, photos, starting gun and cheering. The out and back route took us on a well-known portion of the Galloping Goose trail, largely free of traffic and allowed runners and walkers tocheer each other on as they passed one another enroute. The on-site members enjoyed water, chocolate and cookies at the end as well as some door prizes.

I was very impressed with all of our runners and walkers. There is something to be said about being on a team, knowing your team mates are counting on you. From old to young, to pregnant (two mothers-to-be), to coming off injury, to new members and seasoned members, we all managed embrace the day and have some social time together as well. There are many photos of the event. Thanks everyone for making this event such a successful one. See you virtually in Hamilton next year!

Solo: David D. - 2:35:32

2-person relay: Sooke Snails (Tory, Claude) - 2:49

3-person relay

The Team with No Name (Kayla, Sarah, Ian) - 2:35:03

Andy, Jim, David W - 2:41:15

Kari, Maggie, Jill - 2:55:05

Mother Runners + Jordan (Bri, Sonya, Jordan, Karla) – 3:13:35

Sherman’s STARRs (Ken, Sue, Jan) - 3:56:11

3-person walk/run: The Coddiwomples (Danny, Jackie, Steve) 4:51

2-person walk (32.3km – over-achievers!): Melanie C, Sharon – 5:00

Comox Half Marathon Race Report

By Kari Toovey

Six STARR members turned out on a beautiful day in Comox BC to run the Comox Half Marathon, the sixth race in the Island Race Series. STARR’s Bruce Hawkes took first place in this division, while Jill Potter Hellmann took 6 th place in her division.

The out and back course was somewhat challenging for a first-time half marathoner (me!) – with a lot of uphill between kilometers 6-11, but a nice downhill on the way back. The scenery along the way provided a nice distraction – beautiful green fields, snow-capped mountain peaks in the distance, a chorus of singing frogs, a field of horses, a field of gorgeous black cows. I think I even saw a bald eagle fly overhead (full disclosure: that was at the point in the run where I was beginning to think I might not finish and wondered if I really saw an eagle or if I was just imagining seeing an eagle, circling over me, waiting for me to collapse).

Lots of amazing runners turned out for the race in addition to our STARR crew, including two-time Olympian Natasha Wodak, who flew by on her way back, as I was plodding along towards the halfway point. Wodak crossed the finish line in 1:11:52 to break the course record by more than five minutes. Absolutely amazing!

677 runners finished the race, which looks like it could be a record for the Comox Valley Half – overall the fastest finisher was Dusty Spiller with a time of 1:09:08.

I love the Island Race Series – over the course of the races we have run with all kinds of runners, from very competitive, Olympic caliber runners to runners like me, who are just happy to be outside and off the couch. That might be the best part about running; how accessible it is to everyone. Five years ago, if someone had told me I would run a half marathon I would have laughed but now here I am thinking how I might shave a few minutes off the next one.

As I was coming up on kilometer 18 of the run, the podcast I was listening too provided this quote, “Running is a form of practiced stoicism. It means teaching your brain and body to be biochemically comfortable in a state of disrepair” from Matthew Inman. At kilometer 18 everything in my body was telling me to stop, but my body kept pushing. I’m proud of myself for finishing and I am proud off all 677 of the rest of the runners who joined that day.

Congratulations to all the STARRS who came out!

STARR and friends’ results (chip time)

Robin Wark 1:56:23

Melanie Eskildsen 2:05:26

Maggie Curtis 2:07:04

Jill Potter-Hellmann 2:12:06

Kari Toovey 2:16:05

Bruce Hawkes 4:06:09

Westcoast Sooke 10K Race Report

Medal and Ribbon Day for STARR

By Leslie Ann Bent

STARRs ran on Sooke River Road this Sunday, racing on home turf in the 5th race of the Vancouver Island race series. This race is a special one for our club as we usually have a great STARR turnout. 2024 was no exception. With members and friends 19-strong for competition and two others cheering us on along the route, we had excellent representation at this local race. I worried about heavy rain but the weather gods gave us a break. The race starts with a kids race – very fun to watch. This year, the Lion’s Club wasat the finish line with pancakes and sausages for the runners (plus special meal packages for those with dietary restrictions).

The course is an out and back, hilly and winding course with a nice downhill start and uphill climb back to the finish. It’s not the elevation that makes this course a challenging one, but rather some short steep kickers that keep runners on their toes. One thing I love about the out and back course is that it allows participants to see other runners and cheer each other on as we pass.

This race attracts an incredible field of athletes. The first runner across the finish line was Brandon Vail (M25-29) with a time of 32:14. What was more impressive on Sunday, was the well-known overall second-place finisher, Andrew Russel (M40-44) with an amazing time of 32:29 – a course record in his division. The first female athlete to cross the finish line was Speedfarm’s Jennifer Erikson (F30-34) with a time of 36:20. The top 16 runners all had times under 35 minutes on this challenging race.

The first STARR to cross the finish line was Andy Smith with a time of 41:05, earning him a silver age-group medal. The second club runner to finish was Ian with a time of 44:55, also in the M60-64 age category – his first race on Vancouver Island, earning him a 6th place age group ribbon.

Our Thursday speed night runner, Barbara Cina crossed neck and neck with Scott R, just one second behind him. She was our first female runner to complete the course. All of our athletes had an incredible day.

Here is what some STARR members had to say about the race:

Bri: “I felt good at 24 weeks pregnant :)! Definitely took it easy and listened to my body. I love the local Sooke race and the post race food offerings are some of the best I have had at any island race. The first half felt smooth and steady. I enjoyed the rolling hills and your legs got a nice break on the downhill as you approach km 5. I also took my time to hydrate with electrolytes at the 5km aid station which helped fuel me up those hills! The second half is a great challenge with some steady hills until the 8km mark. Once you see 8km it’s nice and relatively flat so you can push to the finish! Always a treat to run this route in Sooke with the local running community!”

Ian: “t was great, a very nice event and indeed my first on the Island. My takeaways were.. Great to see such a strong local presence and such good representation form the young with the kids race and the senior citizens in the 10km.  As a Canmore resident it is totally novel to be running a race in March. Our season doesn’t start till June and so that is why it all felt a little rusty for me. Lovely course, we have driven the road many times, but it is only when you run it that you notice the ups and the downs and how many bends there are thankfully obscuring the course ahead. Organizers and volunteers deserve a big shout out as it the race was superbly arranged without being micro managed.  I’d also like to acknowledge the Lions for the pancake breakfast, that was a real bonus and well deserved for us all at the end. Great to have an out and back route as you know where you are and you can give and get shout outs to/from your club mates! Lastly thanks to the rain gods for showing some discretion and holding off till after everyone had finished.”

Melanie C: “What I really liked was the support and encouragement given by all our STARRS! Seeing Jackie at the top of the hill made me pick up the pace because I didn’t want to get caught walking! And, to see that this race has survived the test of time with so many younger runners coming out now. The organization did a great job and I am was so happy to see our local Sooke Lions Club cooking up pancakes along side the ladies of Sooke Harbourside Lions catering to our celiac runners.”

Sonya: “It was a great day! I’m so glad I did it, I had some doubts prior. Seeing all the STARRs on course and having a pregnant run buddy made it more enjoyable! I’m also glad we did a test run a few weeks ago, that helped prepare me for the hills on the course.”

Claude: “ideal weather for the race and great to see so me Starrs either participating or supporting.  A shout out for Robin for dragging me up the hills.”

And, short and sweet from Robin: “I enjoyed the event and it was awesome to see so many STARR runners out there.”

STARR and friends’ results (chip time)

Andy (M60-64) 41:05, 2nd

Ian (M60-64) 44:55, 6th

Scott (M35-39) 45:16

Barbara Cina (F45-49) 45:17, 3rd

Steve E. (M50-54) 47:17

Jordan (M35-39) 51:04

Claude (M60-64) 54:21

Robin (M45-49) 54:22

Melanie E (F40-44) 55:41

Maggie (F50-54) 57:03, 9th

Jill (F60-64) 57:11, 6th

Kari (F50-54) 58:34, 10th

Bri (F30-34) 1:04:32

Sonya (F35-39) 1:07:02

Georgia (F60-64) 1:12:51

Melanie C (F70-74) 1:17:55, 7th

Bruce (M80+) 1:37:16, 4th

Unofficial times (as both registered, but started a few minutes early)

Donna H 1:32

Leslie Ann 1:37

A big congratulations to all of our runners. Thanks to Joldine and Jackie for coming out to cheer.

Goddess Run Report

By Leslie Ann Bent

Lining up at the start-line this past cool Sunday morning brought back some fond memories of my first Goddess run in 2019, the year Andy and I moved to Sooke. With fellow STARRS, Carol and Jenny, and our husbands as our personal cheering squad, we ran (took over more like) the streets of Westhills with hundreds of other runners.

Five years later the Goddess Run is still going strong and has moved to the much nicer location at Elk Lake/Beaver Lake. Scenic and traffic-free, the course offers groomed trail and gentle hills circling the lake. Options for 5k and 10k on-site as well as virtual, makes this sold-out race so popular. This race started back in 2012 with a focus of women supporting women. Although men are encouraged to run, it’s a race that is dominated by females. (Sorry guys if you needed to the use the facilities, it was taken over by the ladies). It’s also much earlier in the year now and is a great event to kick off the race season.

For me it was about shaking off the ol’ cob webs and testing my racing readiness. In addition to the cardio and muscle readiness, as a type 1 diabetic, the season also starts with re-jigging insulin levels and carbohydrate balancing with the more exerting level exercise during a race –no year is ever quite the same for minor adjustments. So, a first race is a good opportunity to test insulin levels and nutrition choices without it being at a goal race.

The well-organized event (in its 13th year) gets a lot of support from the community in terms of sponsors and volunteers, and also gives back. This year’s charities included the Victoria Hospice, Victoria Women’s Transition House and the Esquimalt Military Resource Centre. Superheroes of Victoria were there in full form and costumes to support the cause. Many people young and old got their photos taken with the likes of Batman and Captain America, while the Lady Octopus did the dance moves on stage with the warm-up team.

The race started at the Filter Beds at the end of Beaver Lake. The first 120 meters were up a hill but then flattened out to a gentle trail with some roots and rocks to watch out for. The first 800 meters or so were crowded but by the first kilometer marker, the athletes had spread out and it was a comfortable race after that. The 5k course was out and back so it was a great opportunity to cheer on other runners. Volunteers in dinosaur costumes made sure that the 5km turned instead of following the 10k participants. The 10km circled the lake.

Since the start was up hill, that made for a great downhill sprint to the finish and I took full advantage. It wasn’t a stellar performance for me (exactly middle of the pack in my age group) but it was a lot of fun and very motivating seeing so many runners out there. The stats showed 289 women finishing in each of the races and a couple of token men – 2 in one and 3 in the other. It was a great way for me to start 2024 racing. I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t run it to try it for 2025.

Sicily Race Report

By Ken Pungente

Ken running with world class runners at a race in Augusta.

Hello all from Sicily,

Just thought I would send out a race report to date as I have one more race before I leave back to Canada this month.

 I was in 7 competitive races so far with four 1sts, one 2nd & two 3rds. My running club here ( Pachino Running ) post a lot of info & pics on WhatsApp. The races were in Avola, Augusta, Catania, Ispica, Portopalo - Marzamemi, Acireale & Balestrade.

Most of these towns and cities have a great history and are very picturesque. The Marzamemi to Portopalo called (Due Mari, 2 seas ) is a half marathon & also has a 10km which I ran. The race travels along the sea coast and goes past where the Ionian & Mediterranean seas meet in the town where I live ( Portopalo di C.P. ) and is as far south that you can go in Sicily.

 The Augusta race was very special as I had the privilege of running with about 10 world class runners from Kenya, Burundi & Italy. Below is a pic of me getting ready to pass 2 of them (NOT). A lot of these races are on Festival days or to honour people of note.

I'm still having some good times on the longer races with 1.14.14 on the Catania 10.5 ( half of a half ) & Acireale 10km. with a 109.11, not bad for the 80+ category. A lot of  these race results & pics can be found on Timing Data Services ( Sicilia ) who run the timing for a lot of these races.

Will close for now & look forward to some runs & races in Canada when I return. Stay hungry, Stay foolish, Ciao, Ciao, Ken Pungente

Ken standing happily on the podium with his third place medal at a race in Sicily.

A collection of snazzy medals and ribbons from Sicily—well done Ken!

STARR Cedar 12k Race Report, February 11, 2024

Melanie, Andy, Kari, Maggie, Jill, and Joldine

By Andy Smith

Nine Starr members made the trip to Cedar (near Nanaimo) for the third race in the Vancouver Island Race Series on Sunday February 11th hosted by the local Bastion Running Club.  All our runners agreed it’s a great location for an event with a scenic and challenging course. The route rolls over quiet rural roads starting and ending near Cedar Elementary School. The after-race meal and award ceremony were hosted in the school gym.

The weather looked threatening on the morning of the race with rain and fog on the drive from Sooke over the Malahat Pass. Fortunately, the precipitation stopped before the 11am start and conditions for the race were misty and cool but pleasant with calm winds. Seven club members lined up at the start. Two more club members, Donna and Justin Heeley, were also present cheering on daughter and son-in law from the sidelines. In all there were 421 participants representing age categories from under-16 to 80+. It was an out-and-back course, so it was fun to cheer teammates and other runners as we passed each other on our way out or back to the start/finish. The race was won by Brandon Vail from the Speedfarm club in a time of 38:33 (that’s 3:13 per km!). The top female runner was Jennifer Ericson (also from the Speedfarm club) in a time of 44:03. The Bastion Running Club did a great job with volunteers and food. Hot coffee, homemade sandwiches and cookies and door prizes at the awards ceremony were much appreciated.

STARR participants seemed pleased with their performances on the day. Four earned medals/ribbons for top ten age group results. Jill and Melanie ran identical times, although competing in different age groups! It was great to see lots of younger runners which bodes well for the future of running and running clubs here on Vancouver Island. Congratulations to all our finishers!

Cobble Hill 10K

By Maggie Curtis

Sooke was well represented at the Cobble Hill 10K race on January 28th.  Cobble Hill is the second race of the Island Race series, which has 8 races in total running from January to April.  The course was beautiful and foggy and it looked like everyone had an amazing time.  

Top finisher overall was Andrew Davies of Vancouver, with a time of 29:32.The top finisher of the women’s race was Glynis Sim of Vancouver, with a time of 33:23. A record was broken again by Roz Smith for her age group of 75-79, with a time of 49:11.  For two races in a row, Roz has crushed it.

The route is fairly flat with a few  hills around 4 and 8 kms. Although it is mostly a circle route, there is an out and back early in the race so it was neat to see the fast runners whizzing by while I was puffing away and getting my race legs on.  Congratulations to all the STARRs who participated!  The next race is the Cedar 12K on Sunday, February 11. 

STARR – January Blues – Week 4 Recap

Portsalon Beach

By Leslie Ann Bent

This has been such a motivating event for our 19 STARR participants. With five teams taking on the challenge, four teams have finished the January Blues and one team is 99% complete.  What an amazing feat. With 3 more days to go, together we’ve done almost 3,500km! I’m expecting all teams will be finished by tomorrow.  So, pat yourselves on the back and give a rah, rah to your teammates.  The draws for race entries to the Run Sayshutsun and CFB Esquimalt Runs will take place at the February monthly STARR meeting.

Giant’s Causeway Challenge, Coastal Ireland

This was a great week for both teams. 

As each member of Into the Mystic sent in their weekly mileage, it looked like the team was going to be 1km shy of their destination. However, Bri must have been out gathering the celebratory drinks and treats. She brought the team to finish line with a few minutes to spare – carrying treats! The finish line prizes for the team include treat bags with Irish breakfast tea & Emerald Isle treats for Kari, Justin, and Donna and a bag of Bailey’s Irish Cream chocolates for Bri herself. Meanwhile, Maggie decided to explore the nearby Fanad Lighthouse and her finish line prize was a book. The team is hanging out on the beautiful sandy, crescent beach, named the second most beautiful beach in the world by the Observer newspaper. Not a bad place to end.

The Causeway Coasters meanwhile continued along the northerly rugged coast passing by many scenic and dramatic landscapes. Leslie Ann and Ken stopped at Crohy Head for some photo opportunities. Its sea arch is one of the many hidden gems dotting this spectacular coastline.  Joldine and Sue spotted Nanda’s Home Cooking coffee shop in Lettermacaward. They sampled Irish breakfast tea and Irish cream (chocolates) and will bring some home as souvenirs. Leslie Ann and Ken will be surprised to see what treats await them back in Otter Point and Shirley when the team reaches home soil. For now, they will spend the night in this small village overlooking the coast. Sue’s GPS system was failing  - no signal I guess in this remote spot.  Once she’s reconnected, we’ll get her mileage for the week.


The Gold Rush Challenge (724km) + add-on coastal route to Ballysadare = 717km

Lots of excitement has happened in the Yukon this past week. Klondicitis easily made it to Dawson City. Did you know that Dawson City is Yukon’s second largest municipality and has only 1,375 residents? In 2023, it became part of a UNESCO world heritage site. In its heyday during the gold rush, it was a city of mud streets, casinos, churches, saloons, and theaters. Today, the local CIBC still weighs and handles gold. Gerites (Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall) is still open for business and that’s where each of our teams have rested and celebrated their Gold Rush Trail completion. Sarah and Dave found some gold nuggets to take home (gold wrapped chocolates). Paul will be taking home some True North Coffee. After resting, they are helping clear the course for the Yukon Arctic Ultra along with Boone’s Crew. They’ve made their way past the Braeburn check point and part way to the Mandanna Lake check point.

Boone’s Crew has had a phenomenal week as well. The ultra race has a number of check points where participants in the race can rest, have something to eat, and treat frost bite. Last week the Boone’s Crew was near the Dog Lake check point. This week they passed several of the checkpoints.  Their last check point of the week was McCabe, an area known for fishing when it’s not in the dead of winter. Perhaps this spot is of interest to Danny? Heavily energized by treats from week 3, the team made great progress and are resting about 25 miles from Pelly’s Crossing. Hot drinks for Danny, Jackie and Robin, while Jill is curled up with a book (The Complete Book of Running for Women).

You may be wondering what’s happened with the Gold Diggers.  They were last seen 231km from the finish line.  Plagued early on by sickness and weather, this team earned the determination badge this week.  Making their way through Summit Roadhouse, Gravel Lake, and the gold fields of Flat Creek and Rock Creek, they can now see Dawson City about 7 or 8km in the distance. They stopped for one last night. Marika and Ian did not find gold at Rock Creek but instead found some interesting books. (House Calls by Dogsled: Six Years in an Arctic Medical Outpost for Ian and At the Mountain’s Edge  - an historical fiction novel about the Yukon Gold Rush for Marika). Andy is enjoying a hot drink before tomorrow’s push to the finish line.

RESULTS WEEK 3

Giant’s Causeway (Goal 500km); add-on to Ballysadare (+217k) = 717km

Causeway Coasters – Ken (42km), Joldine (25.5km), Leslie Ann (32km), Sue (lost cell service!!) = cumulative 608km (complete), Lettermacaward, Ireland

Into the Mystic – Maggie (28km), Justin (16.5km), Donna H (22km), Kari (47.9km), Bri (26km) = 525km (100% Complete) Portsalon Beach!

Gold Rush (Goal 724km) add-on Yukon Arctic Ultra (+483km) = 1,207km

Boone’s Crew – This week’s mileage - Danny (88km), Jackie (54.85km), Robin (87km), Jill (53.71km) – Cumulative 1,094km (Gold Rush complete, Montaine Arctic Ultra about 76%)

Klondicitis – Sarah (106km), David D (67.2km), Paul (39.37km) – cumulative 917km (Gold Rush complete, Montaine Artic Ultra 40% complete, about 25 miles from the Mandanna check point)

The Gold Diggers – Andy (59.5km), Ian (71km), Marika (92.75km) – 716.2km (99% complete, on the outskirts of Dawson City)