For immediate release
West Vancouver, British Columbia – The Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run (the ‘Knee Knacker’), is at hand once again, and this year the race celebrates its 25th running. The event takes place on Saturday, July 13, 2013, starting near Horseshoe Bay and ending at Panorama Park in Deep Cove. This year’s field is one of the deepest ever, with some of the world’s top ultra-marathoners competing on the 30-mile course.
The contenders for the men’s title promise some spectacular times. With near perfect course conditions, it’s likely that previous winner Adam Campbell (2010) and Gary Robbins, who recently broke the HURT 100, Diez Vista 50, and Chuckanut course records will set the pace early. Accomplished ultra-runners and Knee Knacker first-timers Nick Elson and Mike Murphy could also push the pack and challenge for the overall victory. Previous seven-time overall winner and current Master’s course record holder, Peter Findlay, from Kamloops, will also be back to challenge.
In the women’s field, former course record holder Suzanne Evans is returning, coming off of a strong win at Diez Vista 50 this year. Brooke Spence, Chloe Gendron and Wendy Simms will likely be challenging to round out the top spots.
This year’s lottery was expanded from 200 to 225 spots on the starting line in recognition of the 25th anniversary. Over 400 entrants applied to the lottery which was held in March.
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. Over the years top ultra-marathoners have challenged themselves in what is referred to as the “knarliest” trail race in Canada. However, the great appeal of the race is that it caters to runners of all levels testing the limits of their endurance and not just elite competitors.
As one of Canada’s largest 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).
In addition to the 25th anniversary, this year marks some special milestones. Two competitors, David Brown and Ron Nichol, will be competing in the newly added 70+ category. The only other person to complete the Knee Knacker at 70+ is Harvey Nelsen who was 71 when he celebrated his 2005 finish. Keith Wakelin will be going for his 20th running of the Knee Knacker. If successful, he will be the fifth person to do so. As well, four athletes are registered to run the Knee Knacker for their tenth time: Patricia Jensen, Kyla Adams, Scott Riddell, and Jamie Stirling. This feat has been accomplished by only 43 others to date.
The race starts at 6:00am on Saturday, July 13 just above Horseshoe Bay at Exit #4 off of Westport Road, and all runners must arrive at the Panorama Park beach by the race cut-off time of 4:00pm. The following is an estimated schedule of where and when to catch the runners in action:
| First Runner | 5:45 Runner | 7:30 Runner | 10:00 Runner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cypress Bowl Downhill Ski Area | 7:15am | 7:35am | 8:05am | 8:50am |
| Cleveland Dam parking lot | 8:15am | 8:45am | 9:40am | 10:55am |
| Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve parking lot | 9:20am | 10:10am | 11:25am | 1:20pm |
| Panorama Park, Deep Cove | 10:40am | 11:40am | 1:30pm | 4:00pm |
A schedule of race activities is available at www.kneeknacker.com and members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend any or all of the activities posted. A good opportunity to meet the runners is at the packet pickup and race briefing on Friday, July 12 from 5:30 to 8:00pm at the Parkgate Community Centre, located at 3625 Banff Court in North Vancouver.
The Knee Knacker is a volunteer-run, non-profit race that has donated over $60,000 to local community organizations since its inception. Proceeds from this year’s race will benefit the North Shore Rescue (NSR) team. To make your own donation to NSR, visit the Knee Knacker site at www.kneeknacker.com. For further information, please contact:
Kelsy Trigg, Race Director
(604) 787-8097, rd@kneeknacker.com
