Megan Eastwood – incoming Party In The Park
Megan started fell running (as trail running is called in the UK) in the 1980’s. Back then there weren’t official fell races. The ‘race’ started at a pub in one village, you ran over the hills to a pub another village, and you needed to run fast, because if you didn’t there wouldn’t be any pies left by the time you got there.
After moving to Vancouver in 2003 and seeing the mountains and outdoor life, Megan realized she was home. She can be found somewhere outdoors each week, skiing, camping, kayaking, climbing and of course running. She calls herself a jack(jill) of all trades master of none.
She joined the trail running scene and has been running and volunteering at races ever since. Over the years she has done every volunteer position from course marshal, sweep, aid station captain to volunteer coordinator. If you’ve run a local race you’ve probably met her, she’s the one with the funny accent.
Megan says the way to meet people is volunteer. After moving from Port Moody to North Vancouver she knew she wanted to meet North Van runners. She was aid station captain at Black Mountain for a few years (if you saw the chicken at the top of Black Mountain? That was her) and was super excited to join the committee in 2024 and be part of the Knee Knacker community.
Enzo Federico – Co-founder & Godfather
Enzo grew up in the Centre of the Universe, aka Toronto, and never saw a mountain until the mid-1970s. While attending University of Toronto, he took a summer job working on a railway gang in Alberta. He was awestruck by the beauty of the Rockies, and enjoyed his first camping and hiking trips that summer. By the early 1980s, he could no longer resist the call of the mountains and he moved to Vancouver. The mountains drew him even closer, and he moved to the North Shore in early 1989. A couple of months later, Enzo met Shane Collins (another transplant from Toronto). In June of that year, Enzo and Shane led the “Original Eight” in a 30-mile jog across the North Shore mountains from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. They affectionately referred to it as the Knee Knacker. Flash forward to 2024, and the little run is back for its 34th edition in July, a healthy and strong staple in the ultrarunning community led by a dedicated team of volunteers. Enzo has continued to be involved throughout the 34 years, and is commonly referred to as the Godfather/Grandfather of the event 🙂
Guiding the Knee Knacker through its early years was a passion for Enzo, but he still found the time to complete the race 4 times over the years. In fact, he is one of only 2 runners to complete the race in each of 4 calendar decades – 1989, 1992, 2006, and 2013! Besides the Knee Knacker, Enzo has also completed 4 100-mile races as part of a total of over 100 marathons and ultramarathons. These days you are most likely to find Enzo riding on 2 wheels through the mountains, especially drawing him to the mountainous regions of his parent’s home country of Italy. But, a new calendar decade began a few years ago…and nobody has run the Knee Knacker in each of 5 calendar decades…just sayin’. For the record, Enzo is looking forward to toeing the starting line on July 13, 2024 with the goal of completing the race for the 5th time, each one in a different calendar decade (and in a different decade of his life).
Scott Galloway – Sponsorship
Scott stumbled upon the Knee Knacker on a sunny Saturday back in the 90’s when he was visiting Deep Cove, and saw these tired, muddy bodies running into Panorama Park. He was mesmerized, and filed it away as a curious event…until he succumbed to his buddy’s peer pressure in 2007, and put his name in for the Knee Knacker…his first stab at an ultra. The lottery was cruel/kind to Scott, and he made it into the event on his first try. Immediately after successfully completing the event, he knew he had found a new passion and decided that he would return year after year.
Despite a string of lottery “failures”, Scott’s enthusiasm for the event never diminished and led him to volunteer on race days, and in 2015 he joined the race committee. Scott brings with him a strong set of skills from his days as a corporate man, and currently he is the committee’s Sponsorship Coordinator.
When not harassing sponsors you’ll find him on race day coordinating runners’ safety with North Shore Rescue.
Ellie Greenwood – Member at Large
Ellie has run the Knee Knacker twice, in 2009 and 2010. In years since has remained an active member of the Knee Knacker community – volunteering at an aid station on race day and a frequent attendee of the Wednesday night training runs – where she has met some of her best friends and friends for life. Whilst Ellie did have a penchant for road running, the fun of the roots and rocks and vert of the Knee Knacker course were hard to resist – her favourite section of the course being the Hollyburn chute (descent, not ascent!). 80 marathons and ultras have meant an accumulation of some lifetime memories and lifetime aches and pains, so you’ll more likely find Ellie in a Cross Fit gym these days, when not working her daytime job as an online running coach.
Mark Grist – Permits
I came for the challenge; I stayed for the community. I’m blessed to have met so many tremendous people on the trails and love how the Wednesday night and Sunday Knee Knacker training runs feel more like a reunion than a workout!
Many folks have said the Knee Knacker has a way of getting in your bones and I agree completely: I’ve now been involved with the Knee Knacker for half my life, including 5 years on the committee looking after the various race permits (16 and increasing every year!).
My favourite part of the Knee Knacker course is the mountain of Honey’s Doughnuts at the finish line.
Owen Hope – Member at Large
Owen grew up on the Baden Powell, as both his parents ran the KneeKnacker in the 1990s, and his mom volunteered on the committee itself!
At 20, he ran his first KneeKnacker, which also happened to be his first Ultra, getting the toughest one out of the way. Now, with three finishes under his belt, he is confident that his best result is still ahead of him. He has now completed multiple 50-mile, 100k, and 100+ mile races, but his hardest days might be on the Baden Powell.
Owen joined the committee in 2024 as a member at large, starting with leading the Sunday training runs, something he has participated in for the last few years. On race day, he will also be assisting with runner safety, ideally getting as many runners to the finish line as possible!
Owen’s favourite part of the KneeKnacker has to be running into Cleveland Dam, where you get to see your family and friends for the first time, and knowing that you’re halfway there!
Patricia Jensen – Aid Stations
I grew up on the North Shore in Deep Cove. The mountains were our playground. We spent the summers hiking and the winters skiing on them. My parents had a cabin on Hollyburn Mountain for years. When I was little, my mom taught me to ski on Mount Seymour. She believed it was important to learn how to hike up on skis just as much as go down. I learned at a very young age how to hike/power up those hills. Ski tickets were a rarity until I was a teenager.
I started running in the North Shore trails in the late 1980’s. There were not a lot of trail runners on the shore at that time! In 1991, I heard of a trail run that went from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. It was called the Knee Knacker Trail Run. This seemed very interesting to me as it looked quite challenging and was in my backyard. That summer, I completed my first KK Trail race and
was hooked from then on.
Since then, I have completed 13 KK races, placed in the top three a number of times and won the race twice, setting the record in the open and master’s field. During all these years, I have volunteered, run, and have been a part of a fabulous KK committee since 2010. It has been an honour to participate in this special event for so many years.
Although I can’t run like I used to, I continue to seek out in the mountains and trails, hiking, running or mountain biking. We are so fortunate to be able to enjoy what nature offers us.
Katie Longworth – Registration & Runner’s Guide
Katie aka teagirl / “the one who runs in a dress” started running in the woods in 2007, looking for strength and solace after the unexpected death of her only sibling. At first she could only run for about 20 minutes… but there was always another trail to explore, and slowly the distances got longer and longer. So far, 100k is the farthest. She’s hit a few podiums along the way, earned some “Ultra-Pedestrian Wilderness Challenge” completion badges and a coveted Queen of Loops magnet. Her goal is usually not to get hurt, so she can keep doing this stuff forever, and she prefers exploring and adventuring to having a time goal (then is pleasantly surprised if she’s quicker than expected!). She ran her first Knee Knacker in 2017 and joined the committee the following year, taking on the challenging “Quarry Rock cheering section”. She loves the history of the trails on the North Shore & is grateful to live in this amazing place.
In her non-running life Katie is a “part-time” mum to 2 kids, plans adventures, sings in choirs, enjoys painting & sewing (eg. running dresses), loves books + British cop shows + science / culture podcasts, is a Girl Guide leader, makes a living as a palliative care doctor, drinks a LOT of tea… and really enjoys sleeping!
Kim Magnus – incoming Race Director
Kim moved to Vancouver from the prairies in 2008 and was instantly drawn to the mountains. She was introduced to trail running in 2012 and signed up for her first race in October of that year. She found an immediate connection with the community and the trails and signed up for her first Knee Knacker (and first ultra) in 2013. Hooked on the feeling, she came back in 2014 and continued to run multiple races of different distances (10 km to 100 miles) on the trails and the road since her KK kickoff. Although she hasn’t run the race since then, she has volunteered every year as a pre-sweep for the first half….which seems to get harder every year. So hard that she has opted to join the crew behind the scenes as a committee member in January 2024.
Kim has a deep love for the sport and the people it brings together. She has a deep belief that the trails are where true friendships are formed, problems are solved, and ideas come to life. While her body says no to ultras for now, her spirit will always say yes to being in the trees.
Kim looks forward to taking on the challenge of RD in 2025 as she learns the ropes from the incredible Kelsy Trigg and the rest of the KK team. It’s a true honour to be a part of keeping the Knee Knacker dream alive and supporting those who have found their home in the trails.
Dennis Marchant – Volunteers
Dennis stumbled across the Knee Knacker race while doing the Grouse Grind in 2008, and has been stumbling through nearly all of the Knee Knacker races since 2009.
What he lacks in speed on the trails, he makes up in the quickness of his email replies as the Volunteer Coordinator since 2010. As a life-long introvert, the chance to interact with the 250+ volunteers each year has been an incredible opportunity to meet some of the most fascinating athletes and characters (often combined as the same individual) our community has to offer.
He has completed trail races of many distances since his first ultra-marathon in 2010, and now is overjoyed to be able to share the sport with his lovely wife and two young boys. He recognizes that he’s a mid-packer at best, but his passion and commitment to the sport are at an elite level. He has no favourite part of the Knee Knacker route, but does have a love/hate relationship with the Seymour Grind.
Bev McKenna – Party in the Park
Bev has been a member of the committee for a few years and in 2025 she will be handing the reins over to the very capable and enthusiastic Megan Eastwood, a trail runner and dedicated trail race volunteer.
Bev has loved being part of the committee but she thinks someone a bit younger should be planning the picnic!
Bev thanks everyone on the committee for their help and support over the years. And yes, she will continue to volunteer for Knee Knacker!
Glenn Pace – Trail, Course & Training Runs, Race Day Race Director
Glenn has been tagged by some as the “Professor”. With ultra-knowledge of all things outdoors and a self-proclaimed “gearhead” he has participated in between 50 – 60 ultras from 50Km to 100 Milers (10 of those including Western States, Tahoe Rim, Cascade Crest, and Wasatch) and a couple of 24 hour events for fun. For first timers to trail running you’ve got to get tips on running downhill from Glenn.
He says he came by it genetically….his mother was a marathoner and he was looking to up the ante…. His sister somehow convinced Glenn (a non-runner at the time) to sign up for KK. He was drawn to the aesthetics of this line weaving over the North Shore Mountains from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove and thought it would be a great challenge. He also figured that the lottery would save him. He obviously had better luck than some as it did not save him, he got in on his first try.
Glenn started training by running with a marathon group, but always felt like a square peg in a round hole. It wasn’t until he started with the KK training group that he realised that he had found his tribe. Glenn joined the committee in 2004, because as Kelsy says “it gets in your blood”.
Glenn’s role on the committee is Trail Coordinator….basically he ensures the trail is still around on race day (watching for changes, erosion, fallen trees, getting chased by falling rocks, snow, bridges, etc…). For race day, he also organises the 30 miles of trail marking, sweeps, and North Shore Search and Rescue. He also co-leads the training runs and serves as the race-day race director.
Jeff Trigg – Graphics & T-shirts
Jeff’s been involved in Knee Knacker since he first ran it in 2000 after hearing about “some run across the north shore”.
A veteran of over 80 ultras including multiple sub 24hr 100mile finishes, 2022 was Jeff’s 21st consecutive Knee Knacker.
Jeff’s been on the Knee Knacker committee since 2003, leads the graphics and design of the t-shirts and behind the scenes is the force that “keeps the RD sane” most days. When Jeff’s not running in the mountains or renovating his home, he makes custom fine furniture.
Kelsy Trigg – Race Director
Kelsy is an ultrarunner, Race Director and in her day job outside of her mountain pursuits, leads a global team at SAP. She’s an eternal optimist, stubborn in her pursuit of excellence, and loves seeing the power of sport.
Kelsy became involved in Knee Knacker in 2000 when she and her husband Jeff heard about Knee Knacker and Jeff signed up. Kelsy was fascinated by the run, and followed co-founder Enzo’s updates closely. Kelsy volunteered as a marshal at Grouse Mountain that year and was inspired and intrigued by the challenge. She signed up for Knee Knacker the following year as her first ever race, and joined the committee in 2003. Since then, Kelsy’s run over 50 ultras in Canada, the US, Europe and Australia.
Even after all these years, Kelsy gets (ridiculously) excited to see people become connected to the Knee Knacker community and do things they thought weren’t possible. At some point, you will likely hear Kelsy say, “Knee Knacker gets in your blood”.
Kelsy’s run Knee Knacker 16 times, now holding the record of most female Knee Knacker finishes, and 2024 marks her 20th year as Race Director which she shares has been an absolute honour and privilege. Kelsy will be passing over the RD reins to Kim Magnus after this year’s race, so this is a particularly special year for her.
In addition to our volunteer committee members, we have over 200 race day volunteers and many people that contribute behind the scenes year after year.
A special mention goes to North Shore Rescue who we also raise funds for, Greg White who is our race day cutoff coordinator extraordinaire, Karen Chow who orchestrates a herculean photography effort, our aid station captains, some of who have been coordinating their team for over a decade, and Ran Katzman who leads the Wednesday night training runs and also redesigned and manages our website.
