Press release for the 2013 Knee Knacker Race

West Vancouver, British Columbia – The annual Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run (the “Knee Knacker”) will be running for the 25th time, and it is expected that over 350 eager entrants will be waiting for the results of the lottery drawing starting at 8:00pm on March 5 to see who will be toeing the start line this year. This milestone Knee Knacker event takes place on Saturday, July 13, 2013 starting at Horseshoe Bay and ending at Panorama Park in Deep Cove.

With only 200 spots available, the Knee Knacker has become a must-do race for many local and international trail runners and has been sold out every year since 1991. To preserve the high quality of the event and to have sufficient volunteers and resources available for all runners, the lottery system was instituted in 1995 to ensure a fair and open process for all potential participants to join. Many of the lottery entrants who are not drawn still attend the race as fans or volunteers.

The roots of the race trace back to an original field of eight participants in 1989, when the sport of ultra-marathoning (races longer than a 26.2 mile marathon) had not yet reached the level of popularity it has now. While there are races over distances longer than the Knee Knacker’s 30 miles, not many are tougher in North America. This year, the Organizing Committee has planned a variety of ways to celebrate the 25th running, bringing together shared memories from multiple generations of ultra-marathoners. The post-race banquet at Parkgate Community Centre will feature photos, shirts, souvenirs, and stories from those who completed the race in its earliest days.

As one of Canada’s premier ultra-marathon races, the Knee Knacker takes participants from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove along the 30-mile (48.6 km) Baden-Powell trail. Runners go up, over, and around the major North Shore mountains – Cypress, Grouse, and Seymour – gaining over 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) in elevation along the way for a total elevation change of over 16,000 feet (4,800 meters). With the North Shore’s unique weather conditions, runners can expect snowpack at the peaks of the mountains they will be climbing, followed by a descent into hot and humid conditions on the lower sections later in the course.

A schedule of race activities is available at www.kneeknacker.com and people wishing to volunteer at this exciting event can browse the opportunities listed on the site. The Knee Knacker is a volunteer-run, non-profit race that has donated over $75,000 to local community organizations since its inception. Proceeds from this year’s race will benefit the North Shore Search and Rescue (NSR) team. To make your own donation to NSR, visit the Knee Knacker site at www.kneeknacker.com/fundraising. For further information, please contact:

Kelsy Trigg,
Race Director