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.