29.08.06
Posted in Canada, Sport at 11:37 am by AB
A while ago Art had convinced me that I wanted to do a crazy ride with him for some reason i said yes, punished myself over 250 kilometers of hell, swore a lot and told him I’d never let him talk me into anything ever again. A few days past when he reminded me of what i had said and told me to make sure I keep training for the upcoming Hood to Coast Relay.
Yes Art Boileau had talked me into joining his family’s team for the annual 197 mile Mt Hood to Coast mile road running relay in Oregon. The Hood to Coast is the world’s largest Relay. 1000 teams, each with 12 runners per team take on the journey each year. Truth be told Art didn’t really talk me into it, he had hardly finished asking me when I said yes. It meant forgoing a trip to Penticton to watch Ironman Canada, but when you get the chance to be on a team with a two time Olympian and 2:11 marathon runner, you can’t say no. Also joining the team was Nicole Knapp, who represented Canada at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games, and suddenly i was feeling a little underdone.
The Hood to Coast has 36 legs so each runner does three. The shortest leg is 3.3 miles, the longest 7.4 miles, the hardest is leg 1 which drops 2000 feet over 6 miles. We had 11 and one third runners so there were to legs which needed to be covered by people running a fourth leg.
Our team had been alloted a 5:45pm start on the Friday afternoon. The group heading down from Vancouver (Art, Nikki, Joel, Jen and Ian and myself) were on the road at 7am. True to the non-training mentality that i was in at the moment i had been out to 2am for a quick drink with a friend who finished work at 11:30pm. Needless to say it wasn’t the best start to the day and knowing from 24 hour mountain bike races how one feels later in the event i was sure it would come back to haunt me.
After stopping enroute to Oregon for lunch in a safeway carpark…
we rolled into edgefield where we would meet the Oregon crew containing the other 5 1/3 members of the team. After some logistics and planning…
Van 1 containing the first 6 runners headed for Mt Hood. Van 2 containing Art and Paul Boileau, Nikki, Joel and Myself rested up as our van was not due to start until leg 7 at 10:30pm.
Welcome to Boring, Oregon…
I was first up for Van 2 and just after 10:40 headed out with torchlight in hand and reflective vest on for my first leg of 5.4 miles. It took me a while to get into a rhythm a lot of which had to do with being mega tired. Getting my leg in first in the van 2 rotation meant i was able to rest while the others went about there legs and wasn’t forced to wait around waiting. Art, Nikki, Paul and Joel ran there legs, it was time to jump ahead to the end of leg 18 where we would pick up after Van 1 did there second turn.
Art after his first leg at night…
Runners getting it done at night.
Art attempts to look professional.
About half a mile from the end of leg 18 was a St Helen’s School which had opened it’s Gym and laid out the wrestling mats for sleeping and the changerooms for people who wanted to shower. When i have raced 24 hour mountain bike races, i have always debated whether sleeping is beneficial or not, as coming out of the sleep always seems worse than not sleeping at all. For a while it seemed like it wouldn’t matter as some guy in the Gym was snoring like a chainsaw. It was so bad the wrestling mats were shaking. I reckon he was putting out a 5.0 on the Richter Scale, which was rather fitting given we were at St Helen’s High School. Finally with the Help of my iPod i was able to get some sleep.
I awoke at about 5:45 knowing that the next leg at about 7:00 was mine. A 5.9 journey with a killer uphill for the whole last mile. However this leg was my strongest and i was able to settle into a routine pretty quickly and got things ticking over. After this the discussion in Van two turned to who would run leg number 24 to make up for the missing 2/3 of a runner. Art had already been delegated leg 36, this left Nikki and I as the two in contention for the leg. Unfortunately it was me that had to go out for the 4.9 miles.
Joel and Nikki discuss race tactics…
Resting at the last big exchange before the arrival of van 1.
I don’t know whether it was a good thing or not but at this leg was rated as easy and was 4.9 miles pretty much dead flat. However by this time it was really starting to heat up and my 625x was measuring 32C. It felt like a sauna out there and i was grateful to one of the other teams who gave me some water out there on the course.
My final leg, number, 30 was 4.1 miles mostly slight downhill with about a 700m climb right at the end. By this time it was mid afternoon and pushing 35C. All i cared about was that i had 6.5km to run and in 30 minutes i could crack the beers. I went out pretty quickly, well quickly for a forth leg, using the downhill to keep my legs turning over. It was obvious, however, that when i got to that last climb that i hadn’t been running much lately as the last 700m turned into barely a shuffle up the small climb as my quads decided that they had had enough. At the end of the 4 legs i had run 20.45 miles, or just over 32km.
The local boys in blue look for Art after he goes missing.
but we found him in the bushes…
It was a hell of a lot of fun, and reminded me a lot of the Mont 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race, with the exception that this one was a travelling side show rather than the camp site. At the end of the day our team took 25:2x to complete the 197 miles which placed us 154 out of 1052 teams. Maybe one year we’ll have to get 12 members from the triathlon club to go for a winter escape.
Following the even the team headed for Rockaway Beach on the Beautiful Oregon Coast and two nights at a beach house for relaxing and celebrating.
Members of the team enjoy the view from the rooftop patio.
And sitting aroung the Beach Fire: Tyler, Aaron, Joel
As i write this I am on a flight from Vancouver to New York 3 days after we finished and i am still struggling to walk down stairs! I don’t want to see Power Bars, Gu’s or Peanut Butter and Jam sandwiches for a long time!! As i said after RAMROD… Damn you Boileau!!!!
Thanks to the Portland based Boileau’s for putting on one hell of a show.
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23.08.06
Posted in Canada at 6:03 pm by AB
So a while ago i invited myself to a few places. One was Calgary to visit my good friends Laura and Miss Kerry Edgelow in October, and the other was another friend Kelsey in Kelowna. Both of the girls have returned to their respective hometowns in the last little while. Kelsey because she missed small town life in Kelowna, and Laura because she is saving up to come down under in 2007.
So first up was Kelwona. Kelowna is located about 4.5 - 5 hours drive from Vancouver on the shores of Lake Okanagan. Kelowna has a population of about 100,000.
The Hotel Grand on the shores of Lake Okanagan.
Lake Okanagan is home to the lake that Ironman Canada takes place in, but that is in Penticton, about 30k’s down the lake, and also to the famed Ogpogo. Lake Okanagan’s version of the Loch Ness Monster. Despite looking and spending about 90 minutes floating in the lake on an inflateable inner tube, acting as bait, i was unable to find and evidence of the mysterious creature.
Friday night in Kelowna i was lucky enough to join the town’s elite at the opening night gala of the local theatre company’s production of Cats. It was a interesting show, but still a good night out all the same. A very classy production was put on.
Sunday was the Kelowna Triathlon. It’s also a 2nd tier ITU Points Race, so there was a decent elite race on. One Australian was racing Josh Rix. I made sure i had the Australian flag out to cheer him on. Despite my encouragement, and that from what seemed to be his fan club Josh faded a little on the run to finish 6th. However, i was also in town to repay a debt as kelsey had watched the Victoria Half Ironman i raced in June when she happened to be in town the same weekend that was on.
Kelsey runs through her race plan in her head as she awais the start.
Aaron sucks up to the New Balance Technical Rep - Stu, hoping for yet another pair of shoes.
The kelowna triathlon is famous for it’s huge crowds.
The Okanagan is also British Columbia’s premier Wine Region. So no trip would be complete with out some compulsory tastings. Kelsey shouted me lunch at the Quail’s Gate Winery, and i made sure i made the most of it.
We tried to take in the views of lake Okanagan and the vineyards, but unfortunately huge Fires south of the border in Washington State were leaving the Okanagan Valley full of smoke, so the views were less than impressive.
It was an enjoyable week up in kelowna, the weather was awesome, 30+ every day with the exception of the last day, and lots of oppurtunities to take in the sun. I also have to say thankyou to kelsey’s parents, Coleen and Paul for their hospitality. I haven’t eaten that well since i moved out of the Heiden residence when i first arrived here in Canada.
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Posted in Canada at 6:03 pm by AB
So once i got back from Seattle i managed to get away to Vancouver Island for two days. My friend Mel’s parents live on the Island in a place called Campbell River, and she suggested that we head out there. So we loaded up the car and jumped on the ferry and went for a ride.
While i on the ferry i found time to indulge in one of my new favourite drinks. mmmm V8 Juice.
One stop along the way was Cathedral Grove, a section of forest with some trees that as as old as 800 years old. As you can see i was pretty excited.
Anyway it was a relaxing two days, chilling out with Fish and Chips on the wharf and hanging on the coast. That section reminded me of the South Coast of NSW, but with a lot better beaches in NSW.
More photos of me looking at trees are in the gallery.
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Posted in Canada at 11:02 am by AB
Molson Canadian is Canada’s VB. The cheap domestic beer that is sold in bulk and drunk by people who consider boutique beers, well as Detective Sergant Bargarse would say, “That’s strictly for poofs”. Anyway that aside, i did find this billboard advertising the beer very amusing and amazingly accurate!
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22.08.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:17 am by AB
So it turns out a good friend of mine Megan, who i assumed was still living in Melbourne is now living in Darwin and has been for 6 months. You leave the country for a while and you get totally left out of the loop. Well that may explain why she is not replying to my emails.
Megan if you read this send me an email.
Everyone else if you want to read about Megan’s adventures in the Top End, you can do so at Megan’s Darwin Adventure.
I’ll be back in Vancouver tomorrow morning and the website will get some updating.
Cheers
AB
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21.08.06
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:34 pm by AB
Due to the amount of spam i have been recieving i have had to turn of the comments function. Not that many people left comments anyway…
I am currently in Kelowna, British Coulmbia and will update everyone when i am back in vancouver.
Cheers
AB
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10.08.06
Posted in Canada at 4:25 pm by AB
Hello All,
Well the 12 month period has come and gone and i am no longer in Canada on a work permit. I am now simply just a tourist in this great country.
I spent the last few days in Seattle, Washington mainly to do to some more Mariners games (three in three days). I have become quite the baseball fan in the last 12 months and was keen to check out my newly adopted team in action a few more times. I have now seen 4 games at Safeco Field and the Mariners are yet to disappoint me yet. The highlight included Richie Sexon jacking a walk off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th to break a 1-1 tie and win the game for the Mariners. Also I sat in row one for one of the games right near first base which was awesome. No netting to protect yourself so you just have to watch every pitch so do don’t lose a whole row of teeth.
As a bonus while i was there, the spanish powehouse soccer club Real Madrid were in town to play an pre-seaon match against DC United, a team from the US MLS. I’m not much of a soccer fan, but as a sports lover how could you pass up the chance to see one of the world’s biggest clubs. Raul, Beckham, Emerson, Van Nistelrooy, Cannavaro etc… 66,000 people at the game it was pretty good a lot better than i was expecting.
I also took time to check out Seattle a bit, which is a sweet city up in the Pacific North West. Just like Vancouver it rains the hell out of you in winter and then is in near drought for three months in summer! Much to my disappointment i was unable to run into Dr Fraiser Crane, or catch his radio show…
I also got to the Space Needle to check out the view
The Original Starbucks, from where the virus began to spread…
Downtown Seattle as viewed from the water while riding a ferry.
Anyway i am off to catch up on some sleep. Riding the Greyhound that leaves Seattle at 12:45am is not a lot of fun!
Cheers,
AB
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03.08.06
Posted in Canada at 11:40 am by AB
I have finally got around to putting some of the many photos from the Stampede on the Gallery. So you can check them out now. There are also some pics from RAMROD and Mariners Baseball.
Today hit home as to how much time as flown as the company shipping some stuff of mine back to Australia came today and took all my stuff. So it’s back to a backpack, and almost time to start travelling.
I’m days away from the 12 month mark.
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