Banff Trail Running

Hi - I'm starting a website with a map of great trail runs in Canada at www.trailrunner.ca - check out the maps section. Email me at ac.ytdimhcs|noj#ac.ytdimhcs|noj if you want a login to the maps section to help at to the site content. I think there's a lot of potential to make trail running bigger in Canada.

Hello, If anyone is wanting of two 22km race spots, I would glady take them off your hands. Please let me know!! Please e-mail me at moc.liamg|lepmer.m.aerdna#moc.liamg|lepmer.m.aerdna.

Thanks!!

Are there any 2007 Winterstart race shirts left? Looking for men's XL or XXL.
-al

My first run in Banff, liked it a lot. Fun, Fun and more Fun.
Super!

Thanks Mike,
Great site. Its a great resource for trail runners in the area, I'm sure it will pick up steam quickly. I would like to join you & your buds on a trail run some time. I'm almost off on vacation so, will send you an email when I get back (toward end of July).
Run on, Brews

Hey Brews,

Thanks for posting. Great selection of trails in your list. I know some of them but there are some new challenges there too.
If you'd like to post more info on any of them just let me know. Right now I'm still getting the site set up but the goal is to get lots of people contributing.
If you're looking to hook up for a run in the area drop me a line at moc.liamg|gninnurliartffnab#moc.liamg|gninnurliartffnab, there's a good bunch of trail runners out here.

Thanks,

zebble

1. Kindersley-Sinclair loop - big up/big down. great views & flowers - off hwy 93 near Radium
2. Iceline trail - Yoho - now actually "where the iceline used to be before global warming trail" - fab waterfalls
3. Mt Kid circumnavigation - watch for bears on the terrace trail
4. Mt Temple circumnavigation - great in the fall when the larchs turn
(2 above can be shortened by leaving a bike at one end and riding on the road back to your car)
5. Healy pass - if you can set up a shuttle - start at Red Earth Creek and go over the pass to the Sunshine parking lot - great flowers in summer
6. Jewel pass- prarrie view loop - start at Barrier Damn - classic loop
7. Powderface loop - up powderface creek and down prarrie creek or the reverse - short and long options
8. Highline trail - Glacier Pk Montana -
9. Corral Creek - Sun Valley Idaho
(for details & pics on above two see : http://www.calgaryroadrunners.com/reports/idaho2003.htm)
10. Eva & Miller Lake trail - Mt Revelstoke Nat park - watchout for marmots!
Happy trails, brews

Just added Rundle Riverside A really fun trail through shaded forest. Lots of roots & rocks with a bit of elevation at the end but generally a nice rolling trail.

Well we had a good crowd from Banff & Canmore for the first race in the 5 race series. Like last year the first race was at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary and like last year it attracted a lot of the top runners from the area.
Standing around before the race I saw a sea of Ski Club & Marathon jackets, as well as a Death Race T-shirt and other "pysche you out" shirts.
It was the same format and course as last year with the Sport racers starting 5 minutes before the Enduro. Once again there was an overlap with the front runners in the Enduro having to pass the tail enders from the Sport but for some reason it didn't seem quite as hectic as last year.
I made sure I was fairly close to the front at the start line but well behind the line of Olympic Skiers and National Mountain Running Team members.
The wind picked up right before the start and the sun stayed behind the overcast clouds for the whole day.
It's an exciting start with an immediate funneling into narrow single/double track. One guy somersaulted but seemed to be fine. Since I remembered the course from last year I was content to wait until the first uphill to start passing anyone.
Living in the mountains pays off on the uphills and it was good to get past a few people and find some open space to run. The trail was in great shape with the only wet spots being the little stream crossings. This year the flats & downhills worked better for me and I actually made up some time on those sections instead of losing.
I stopped for water at teh halfway mark and a couple of people passed me but I got my position back fairly quickly. Pretty uneventful second loop and a finish time almost identical to last year although I felt much better than I did last year so I'll take that as an improvement.
I wasn't really pumped at the start but after the race was over I'm ready and excited again for the season ahead.
I really like the course at this race and it would be fun to go back sometime and run it more casually.
Great race, well organized and good turnout.

Just added Lower Stoney Squaw, a real fun trail that can be a short out & back on it's own or a connector for all kinds of other trails.

Well it looks like the Canmore Springthaw will not be happening this year again. That's too bad as it's a good trail race and for many people it's the first race of the season.
The good news is that after the surprise cancellation of the Banff Citizen's Race last year, it now has a new sponsor and is scheduled for June 17. Check out the website for more details and don't miss this race, it's one of the best and most fun road races in the area.

Well Melissa's sold out in a matter of a couple of hours as usual. The Blackfoot Ultra has also sold out except for the 100km which will probably fill up very quickly too.
Best to plan the races that you want to do and sign up now before it's too late.

Registration for Melissa's Road Race is live.
You can register online at the Running Room (link) and view a list of registered racers.
Please note that this site is not affiliated with the race, simply trying to help anyone looking for information. The official website for Melissa's Road Race is here

The race starts right off Deerfoot Trail at the Bow Waters Canoe Club (1975 26 St. SE). From there it basically follows the irrigation canal all the way to Chestermere Lake. The only weird spot is at the 8km mark where you have to get onto Glenmore Trail and run across at the lights before getting back on again. The whole race is run on a paved trail which this year had about an inch and a half of fresh snow on it for most of the time with the occasional section where it had blown off.
It didn't sound really like a particularly exciting course but I have to say that I really enjoyed seeing Calgary from a new point of view, trying to figure out where the hell I was and recognizing odd landmarks from a new perspective. At one point I saw a herd of deer run across the trail which was kind of cool for the middle Calgary.
I hopped a ride into Calgary with Karine & James, Karine was running and James is a first class support crew dude so I knew things would work out well.
We got to the Canoe Club just in time for a pee and a quick snack before the start. The race is organized by Gord (Gord's Running Store) and as we were getting ready to start he announced "incoming runner". I thought he was joking but sure enough here was a runner finishing the 50km who had started at 3AM. Not sure why, maybe a work schedule thing or maybe someone who enjoys running in the peacefulness of the night. Either way it was a good plan as he got a big cheer from all the runners waiting to go.
Two minutes later and we were off. Karine & I started fairly well back and I chose to quickly move toward the front. After about five minutes we had settled in and I was in third place. Not a big deal when there's another 24km to go but it's good to get a reference point. Pretty soon one of the guy's caught up and we chatted briefly before he cruised on ahead. I knew from his white number that he was running the full 50 so I figured I was still 3rd place at worst.
There was about an inch and a half of fresh snow on the trail and while I had great traction I knew from my runs up Sulphur that it translates into a lot of extra energy during the course of a run. I made a mental note to keep chugging on my supply of Ultima.
By the time we hit the 8km aid station I was in a pretty good groove. James (support crew extrordinaire) was there waiting. I asked him if any of the guys in front of me had a blue number. He said no which meant I must be in first place for the half. I was pumped but then I started to wonder if he understood what I was asking. Anyway, there were two visible people behind me and I was pretty sure I could see a white number on both of them which meant the next 25km runner was a good distance back (lots of room for me to bonk). Crossing Glenmore I almost caught up to the guys in front as they had to wait for the lights. Didn't take them long to pull away again though. I started to get into a groove. "The faster you run, the sooner it's done" was my mantra for the day. Not that I wasn't enjoying myself out there but it really helped to keep a rhythm. James managed to pop up in a couple of really obscure places which was great for the morale. It sounded like Karine was doing great and very close behind so I was pumped for a good finish for both of us.
I was running my first race with the Garmin Forerunner (heart rate & GPS). I had expected to be keeping an eye on the distance but it was most useful for keeping an eye on my pace. I had hoped to maintain a 4:30 min/km pace but I quickly realized that a 4:40 was the order of the day. That put my heartrate as high as it could go and have me maintain the pace.
The second aid station came up pretty quick and after a quick fill of JuJubes I was off on the last section.
The 3 leaders were pretty much out of sight now and one of the two guys behind me seemed to be edging up on me. I still felt good so I made sure I didn't let him catch me. It wasn't long before I saw 2 of the leaders heading towards me which meant I was almost there. I couldn't figure out where the third person was though. I saw a few people in lawn chairs and figured it must be the finish line so I ran through to finish in 1:56. It was then that I noticed the third runner filling up on food at the table and getting ready to turn around and run back. I thought that meant I was the first 25km runner through the line and I just won my first race but I realized when the results were published that she only ran the half and clearly beat me so I actually finished second. Either way I was really happy with the results.
James showed up a few minutes later and said that Karine was having a rough time. That sucked as she had been in second place and was heading for a great finish. We waited as the runners streamed in and saw her coming in. She wasn't feeling good as she was fighting some kind of bug and she was disappointed after being in such a good position. We rested for a while and watched the runners coming in and turning back to finish the second half of the fifty.
Beautiful day, great trail that wound it's way through the city and a great group of volunteers with some awesome food choices to pick from. All in all a really good race and one that I'd recommend to anyone who feels they can run that early in the season.

The online registration is now open for the 2007 5-Peaks Trail Running series. In addition to the Sport (~5-6km) and Enduro (~10-12km) categories they have added a half marathon (21km) course to the final race at Canmore Nordic Centre. The half marathon points are scored at 1.5 times the value so it could all come down to the last race in Canmore. What a great end to the series!
Top 5 finishes count in the points standings and you can combine Southern and Northern series to gain maximum points.

Dates have just been announced for the 2007 5-Peaks series so mark your calendars and get busy training!
They've expanded the Northern Series so maybe some of us can make it up to the Edmonton area for some different scenery.

Central Alberta Trail Running Series

• May 19 2007- Canada Olympic Centre
• June 30 2007- race #2 venue to be confirmed
• July 21 2007- race #3 venue to be confirmed
• August 11 2007- race #4 venue to be confirmed
• September 15 2007- Canmore Nordic Centre

Registration Opens December 15 January 1, 2007

Just got back from Sulphur, it's become a weekly routine which is great for the training.
Trail conditions are excellent, lots of packed snow, absolutely no ice. As long as your trail runners have decent tread then you will have no problems running all the way. Snow is a little deeper at the top but still packed down.
The ticket office is closed so you can get a free ride down without having to show ID. Should stay that way until Spring.

Ran Sulphur again today, the trail is in surprisingly good shape despite the snow & thaw.
No need for spikes right now, the trail is soft enough to just wear regular trail runners.

This was my first time running this race, you have to sign up early as it sells out fast.
Great race package, running glove/mitts PLUS beer tickets, how cool is that??
Walked over to the race start around 6:30 and picked up a glo-stick. Temperature was around +5C with a little light rain and the road looked pretty good considering the recent snow.
Started out close to the front and kept a good pace to the edge of town but quickly realized that today's run up Sulphur and my late afternoon food fest would be catching up on me sooner rather than later. Lot's of runners passed me but it's just one of those races where it really is such a great atmosphere you don't worry so much about times and placing. Anyway, I got into a relative groove and enjoyed the surreal atmosphere, orange lights flag the entire route and once you hit the turnaround point it's basically a mass of bobbing glo-sticks going in both directions with the occasional poor car trying to move in between.
Since the race is 5 miles (8kms) it's over pretty quick and I ran a 34:42 which was quite a bit slower than I'd hoped for but hey it was fun and I still had 2 beer tickets.
Met up with my friend Mark who'd been looking after my camera while I ran and took a bunch of shots of the rest of the crowd finishing.
The post-race party is in the underground parking lot at the Banff Caribou Lodge and it was only then that I realized just how big this race is, there were hundreds and hundreds of people streaming in. Finally ran into Brenda & Marie-Eve who'd run the race and we went back in to check out the draw prizes.
Summary: Great race, obviously very well organized, great swag (running gloves are cool), tons of excellent draw prizes, really fun atmosphere, night race plus glo-sticks = lots of fun.

I was inspired by the fresh snow to go and run Sulphur today. The trail was pretty deep in snow and only a few people had hiked the trail so it was tough going but brought back fond memories of last winter's training runs.
Don't be put off, it's a great trail all year round.