Thanks to Maggie Curtis for the article & Jonathan Behnke for the photos.
As far as weather goes, it was a bleak morning for the second annual Sooke Hills 25 and 50 K race this year. On Saturday, May 31st, after days of sunshine, the skies opened and it was still pretty soggy when the 25km race started at 9. The 50km race started at 8, so I know they faced some good showers early in the race. But people were smiling and we were all certain it would lighten up–and we were correct! By the time I finished (albeit I was closer to the back of 25K-ers), the sun was peeking back out.
The race has a small community feel to it–like a gathering of friends rather than an intense competitive event–and the terrain is truly breathtaking (in all ways). It was amazing to do an organized run in the area that I love so much.
The top three female finishers in the 25K race were Niki Chapman (3:15), Shelley Donovan (3:25) and Kristen Livingstone (3:33) The top three male finishers for 25K route were Christopher Sundby (2:26) from Vancouver, and Glenn Jasechko (2:31) and Jacob Haas (2:32) from Victoria. In the 50K, the top three females were Rianna Burnham (7:08), Sara Hong Li (7:32) from Victoria and Sarah Cousineau (7:37) from Saanichton. The top males the 50K were Charles Perin from Victoria (5:34), Cameron McInnes from Vancouver (5:34) and Cole Hetherington from Victoria (5:41). Sooke Trail and Road Runners had 6 participants and many volunteers.
The 25K race starts with a steady climb from the potholes up to Peden lake, which you then run alongside. After a right turn, you follow a sometimes flat and sometimes rocky climb on the Lakes Connector trail to Sheilds lake. At Sheilds lake (6.7 KM), there is a lovely aid station and our very own Sarah McWhirter was offering up Coca Cola and snacks to the runners along with other friendly volunteers. You then proceed around the Sheilds lake trail until you hit Sooke Mountain Park Road and you follow a wide, flat downhill trail that you can speed along for around 7KM. I got to see my friends Jackie and Danny helping out on their bikes during this stretch. Then you turn onto Charters Trail (which is smaller than an access road, but wider than a single track trail) for a couple of KMs. And then things start to get interesting…
You go up to the summit of Mt. Monument, a long climb with amazing views every time you turn around. After the top of Monument, you take a winding trail down (this stretch caused me to start breaking mentally; I had pumped myself up to get up Monument, but I did not realize how long it would take me to get down) to Grass lake aid station. After this station, (which had two of my colleagues from EMCS and their dog as volunteers) you begin to descend Harrison trail, which is steep and technical and also has some extremely lovely spots–large mossy rocks that rise on either side of a narrow path, a downed tree that makes a skeleton with its branches reaching over you, and a number of gullies covered in ferns. Once done, you get on the galloping goose and eventually move down to the potholes to run a nice little trail to the finish line. For the record, I was feeling finished with running by this point but I still managed a smile for my colleague and friend who was taking photographs a couple of kilometres from the finish line. The 50K route has three summits– Empress, Monument, and Quimper. If you want to know more, the maps are available on the website: https://www.sookehillsrunning.com/
The organizers had beans, tacos, homemade salsa and beverages for refueling afterwards at the finish line. Everyone was very supportive and every single finisher was cheered over the line. I got to see some of the early 50K finishers and they all looked amazing–the second female finisher is in her fifties (like me), so I found that especially inspiring. There was a shuttle to take runners back to their cars every half hour or so (parking was at the park and ride by the soccer field).
I highly recommend this race to anyone who wants an enjoyable challenge. Whether you walk, run, or do a combination, the Sooke Hills is a fantastic way to spend a morning. They have unique shirts that they gather from thrift shops and put their cool logo on for all finishers. The organizers will even put the logo on a shirt of your own if you wish. Two STARRs hiked the whole race and finished well within the cutoff time, so don’t write this one off if you are not a big trail runner. For me, I was proud to finish and I will try it again next year (I am thinking of working up to a 50K at some point). While I enjoyed the route, the food and the T-shirt, the best part for me was all of the people–I saw so many familiar faces and even the unfamiliar people were warm and encouraging.
STARR results:
Scott Renouf Sooke, BC 4 M38 3:53:55
Karla Sache Sooke, BC 203 F38 4:06:50
Brianna Fitzgerald Sooke, BC 171 F33 4:11:56
Maggie Curtis Sooke, BC 133 F53 5:35:25
Kari Toovey Sooke, BC 211 F51 7:03:12
Vanessa White Sooke, BC 213 F51 7:03:12