Race – 2012 Rubble Creek Classic

Sunday morning I got up exceptionally early and headed off in the dark to the Garibaldi Lake Trailhead North of Squamish. We met our friend Ed there at 6:30 and continued on to the Chekamus Lake Trailhead near Whistler.

The Rubble Creek Classic – organized by the Escape Route – is a 23km point to point trail run with over 1000 meters of elevation gain. Almost all the gain is in one hill from the Chekamus River all the way up to the slopes below Black Tusk in Garibaldi Park. The run is entirely self-supported with no aid stations. After crossing below Black Tusk, the route descends down rubble creek – 8k of fast but bone-jarring downhill running.

The race started at 8:00 and Ed took off fast in the lead. I managed to get firmly into second place by the end of the climb but Nick blew by me with 2.5k to go on the descent. I managed to hold onto third with another skimo racer finishing behind in 4th. Good representation from ski racers in the lead group. Ed set a new course record (1hr 50min).Definitely a fun race on an incredible course. There was just enough competition to keep it interesting. With the $40 entry fee, it does not fall into the “cheap” category of races, especially considering the race-support. The race will certainly improve with more racers and competition. There was a photographer on the course so hopefully I will be able to find some photos to add later on.

Link to results: Escape Route
Pique News Article: here

Gear:

• LaSportiva Raptor Shoes
• Alpina TibetMT Sunglasses
• Patagonia Strider Shorts
• Helly Hansen Longsleeve Shirt
• MEC handheld water bottle (400ml water)
• 2 GU Packets
• Garmin 310XT HRM

Looking back, I should have chosen a much smaller water bottle and left behind the gels for such a short race.