Leg 1: Downtown Jaunt, 19km
Shortest & easiest leg. 6k of pavement, 3.5k of gravel road. Elevation loss over 500ft. Race starts in Grande Cache at the Rec Centre before heading into the wilderness. Rolling hills with flat sections, several creek crossings & one intense downhill. Full aid station and relay exchange at 19k.
Goal time: 2:00 hours Max time 2:30 hours
The start of the race is not as easy as it sounds. There are quite a few technical sections and also lots of wet stuff to avoid. In addition, for those of us that do not have a crew, we will be carrying the weight of most of the supplies that we will need for the first 102 km. Therefore I plan to run this section conservatively and perhaps only half fill the bladder in hydration pack at the starting line. Hopefully I will arrive at the first aid station in around 2 hours and then spend a little time there refilling bottles and getting solid food out of my pack in order to prepare for the big climb up Flood Mountain.
Leg 2: Flood & Grande Slugfest, 27km 2nd hardest, most technical leg.
1k of pavement, some dirt trail, some rocky sections, mossy/swampy in places. Elevation change over 5000 ft! Long, sustained climbing, steep scrambles, and 3k of very rough terrain with 2 creek crossings. Trail from Flood Mtn to Grande Mtn quite treacherous with many steep drop-offs. Emergency aid station at 36k. Full aid station & relay exchange at 46k.
Goal time: 5:00 hours Max time 6:00 hours
This is a long tough section with a mix of running, climbing and bushwhacking. It will be critical for me to begin ingesting some solid food in during the long climbs up Mt Flood. I will also be sure to use my poles on the steep descents and hopefully I won’t wipe out on the Bum Slide like I did during training. The weather forecast is for 21 degrees C and possible showers so it should be quite comfortable conditions during this section. Hopefully there won’t have been much rain which would make the Slugfest quite nasty.
Leg 3: Old Mine Road, 19km 2nd easiest leg, fastest terrain.
5k of pavement, rest is dirt road.“Wet foot” creek crossings at lowest point (25m of knee-deep water). See ‘Ravens’ Haven’! Elevation loss 1000ft. Full aid station & relay exchange at 66k.
Goal time: 2:15 hours Max time 2:45 hours
Supposedly this is the easiest section however my legs will be quite toasted from the steep descent in Leg #2 so it won’t be a picnic. This section has lots of rolling terrain, rocks, roots and a couple of river crossings. After we exit the bush there is a mix if running along logging roads and highways before we get to the Mt Hamel aid station.
Leg 4: Hamel Assault, 38km Longest & hardest leg & fantastically scenic.
Pack pain-killers! All dirt trail, some hard packed, gravel surface. Elevation change over 5000ft. Hamel ascent is two very long, steady climbs. Peer into Hell’s Canyon & fly a prayer flag at the summit. Woe to those without a prayer! Descent strewn with boulders & deep ruts. Emergency aid/equipment pick-up at 87.5 and 92.5k. Full aid station/relay exchange at 102k.
Goal time: 7:00 hours Max time 8:30 hours
This is a tough one. I don’t think I will be running much here because there is 10 km of continuous climbing. The summit is at 7,000 feet so the thin air at that altitude will certainly slow me down. There was also quite a bit of snow to contend with up here during training camp last month. At the top I have to get a flag from the Ranger Station and traverse the the summit ridge with it before beginning the long steep descent off Mt Hamel. Once off the mountain there are some meandering roads through an apocalyptic area scorched by forest fires and a 4 km jaunt through Amblers Loop. After the loop I will access to my one and only gear drop bag so I can do a total change if required. I definitely plan to change my shoes from the La Sportiva Raptors to the Montrail Mashochists which are lighter and better suited to the less technical terrain in the next section of the race. In that next section we have about 10 km of running along logging roads which sounds easy however the roads are quite steep and therefore tend to hammer the quads. I am not sure how I will be feeling at this point however it will be important to run as much of this section as possible in order to make the cutoff times and avoid being picked-up by the Woosie Wagon.
Leg 5: Hell’s Gate & River Crossing, 22km 3rd hardest & 3rd easiest leg!
1.5k of pavement, 2k of gravel road, and the river crossing; the rest is dirt trail, grass, and single track. Elevation gain 800ft. You may be in darkness and under a heavy tree canopy. Head lamps and eye protection required at night. Well marked with reflective tape, flags & signs. Emergency aid station at 110k. Finish at 125k.
Goal time: 3:00 hours Max time 4:15 hours
It will now be totally dark on this section of the race so my strategy will be to focus on safety and survival. The Tunnel section is totally cool to run through with your headlamps on however it also quite tricky with lots of roots, rocks and drop offs. I suspect that if I make it to the river crossing before the cutoff time that I will lucky enough to merely walk (or crawl) the final trails as they climb their way back to Grande Cache.
So that’s the plan anyway. There are lots of variables and challenges to be faced along the way, all of which will keep the DNF rate fairly high. Hopefully I won’t be one of those statistics but you never know how it will end until you put yourself out there.
Good luck to all 1500 participants.
Ps. My bicycles have all been spoken for if I don’t make it back alive from the Death Race, so too bad about that if you were thinking of asking.
That’s gonna be one hell of a race report!
Have fun, Don.