Race – Whistler 5 Peaks Trail Race

Sarah and I both attended the 2012 5 Peaks race in Whistler this weekend (actually on Blackcomb Mtn. due to snow conditions across the valley). The enduro category is the longer and more competitive distance at 10 km with 750 meters of elevation gain. Even after missing our alarm, we made it up to Whistler Village on time and caught the gondola up.

Not wanting to wear ourselves out too much we opted for a short warmup and some stretching before lining up for the 11:00am start. I picked the first wave and second line and Sarah got in the back of the second wave anticipating a slow race.

There was a fast start and then right on to a long singletrack climb. People were quickly falling off pace and we found ourselves in a group of five. I held on and even made up time climbing but suffered badly on the descents and had to push hard. On the main climb, I made a hard push and moved into third place. Everyone had to walk parts of it but the leaders were still out of touch. Several long descents made me nervous about losing my position but the short climbs breaking it up were enough for me to maintain my position. Four km from the finish, we rejoined the sport category course, making passing more difficult. One kilometer from the finish, we broke onto an open cat track and descended to the finish.

 

After grabbing my jacket and camera, I got to watch Sarah finish strong in 8th place overall. She had seeded herself a little too far back and was held up significantly trying to pass slower racers on the tight course. We’re both excited with our results and looking forward to the next race to see how much we can improve.