Knee Knacker 2010 Press Release

For Immediate Release

West Vancouver, British Columbia – The second Saturday of July is coming up, and that can only mean one thing for a growing number of enthusiastic long-distance trail runners – time for the Knee Knackering North Shore Trail Run (the “Knee Knacker”). The race traverses the trails of West and North Vancouver, and the twenty-second edition takes place on Saturday, July 10, 2010.

The race started out as a “fun run” with only 8 participants in 1989, when the sport of ultramarathoning (races longer than a 26.2 mile marathon) was in its infancy in Canada. While there are races over distances much longer than the 30 miles covered by the Knee Knacker, not many are tougher in North America. Canada’s largest ultramarathon race 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 m) in elevation along the way for a total elevation change of over 16,000 feet (4,800 m). With recent weather conditions, runners can expect hot and likely humid conditions on the course.

Over the years, top ultramarathoners from around the world have traveled from afar to challenge themselves in what is referred to as the “knarliest” footrace in Canada. However, the great appeal of the race is that it caters to adventure seekers of all levels and not just elite competitors. Confirming the growing popularity of ultrarunning, and the reputation of the race, this year saw over 300 entrants apply to the lottery. Race participants were selected by the luck of the draw in March, and 200 racers will toe the line on race day.

This year’s race will mark the 22nd year of the event, and will see a very competitive field at the starting line. 2009 champion and course record holder, Aaron Heidt of the Okanagan, will be back to defend his title against a deep field including elite athletes Gary Robbins of North Vancouver, Oliver Utting of Burnaby and Peter Findlay of Kamloops. Findlay set the Knee Knacker record in 1991 that stood until 2003 in the same year that he captured the still standing Canadian Record at Western States 100 (17:03). This year, Robbins may well be looking to better Findlay’s combined States/Knee Knacker time, as 2 weeks ago, he placed 6th overall at Western States 100 in a blazing time of 17:06.

In the women’s field, 2009 Champion Ellie Greenwood is back to defend her title, going head-to-head with North Vancouver’s Nicola Gildersleeve. Both Greenwood and Gildersleeve have had outstanding seasons so far with Greenwood winning the Scorched-Sole 50M ultra outright and Gildersleeve having a stellar performance at Western States just 2 weeks ago.

Three additional athletes are expecting to celebrate a significant milestone upon their successful completion of Saturday’s race:  David Brown, Neil Wakelin and Ron Adams are looking to be the first to ever complete the Knee Knacker 20 times!  Five additional athletes are expecting to celebrate the milestone of 10-time finisher: Lori Wong, Patricia Jensen, Darren Lauscher, Judy Kindrachuk and John Hebron. This feat has been accomplished by only 31 athletes to date.

The race itself starts at 6:00am Saturday, July 10th just above Horseshoe Bay, Exit #4, off of Westport Road. Runners must arrive at the Panorama Park beach in Deep Cove 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:

A schedule of race activities is available at www.kneeknacker.com. Members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend any or all of the activities. A good opportunity to meet the runners is at registration & race briefing Friday, July 9th, from 5:30-8:00pm at North Shore Athletics (#101-1200 Lonsdale Ave, N. Vancouver).

The Knee Knacker is a volunteer run, non-profit race that has donated over $49,000 to community organizations. Proceeds from this year’s race will benefit the North Shore Search & Rescue. For further information contact:

Kelsy Trigg, Race Director (604-787-8097, rd@kneeknacker.com)