Rainshadow Running Deception Pass 50 km 2022 – Third Time' s A Charm

Deception Pass 50 km is one of my favorite Rainshadow races for three reasons:

1) it keeps me motivated to train through the coldest and darkest time of the year and justify a post race holiday;.

2) it’s a fairly non technical run able course suitable to my strengths; and

3) post race pizza and beer

The Infamous Deception Pass bridge in the background .

Taking place at Deception Pass State Park, which is named for the narrow and dramatic channel of water that separates Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands in the northern Puget Sound. The area is famous for its rugged coastline, steep cliffs, dense forests and great views. The race covers just about every inch of the park, running at times at sea level and other times high above on bluffs and hills and twice crosses the pass itself via the historic Deception Pass Bridge, which sits 180 feet above the water. There are no mountains or long climbs like many of the other Rainshadow Running Races, but make no mistake Deception Pass race is still tough with its technical footing, narrow twisty trails and at times steep grades. It may be one of the faster courses but it's still a good challenge!

I have completed this race twice in 2018 with David Marlor and Kent Ainscought and 2019 with David Marlor and Andrew Barclay, both years finishing in under 6 hours.

After a few travel plans changed, I was offered a ride from Sarah Mitchell and Sheryl Z, local trail runners, both whom I had never met before. Thank you to Gord Stickney for the connection. It was Both Sarah and Sheryl's first time racing this 50 km event.

Boarding the Coho for the adventure !

We caught the 10:30am Coho ferry to Port Angeles on Friday Dec 10th which would allow a leisurely drive to Oak Harbor where we were staying and a side trip to Trader Joe's for some “retail therapy. “

Frosty the snowman !

Sitting in the ferry line up, Sarah uploading our passport information into this new App the Coho was trying out. It seemed to be more hassle than it was worth. Why do USA customs have to make leaving Canada so complicated? We all got on no problem; the Coho was festively decorated.

As we boarded the Coho, the customs officer asked where we were off to. Sarah explained we were running a 50 km trail race, the officer rolled his eyes back to his head lol. He said “go have fun“. I don't even think he looked at my passport as I was in the back seat and flashed it at him. Well that was easy.

We say humpbacked whales breaching on our journey over . I couldn’t get a very good photo, but it was amazing to see their blow : “a cloud or column of moist air being expelled through the blowhole when the whale surfaces to breathe. “ Humpback whales symbolize peace, compassion and love .

Sheryl suggested we have lunch at Port Angles at the Jasmine Bistro for Thai food. I highly recommend it. The food was authentic, portions were generous and reasonably priced . I ordered coconut rice with veggies and chicken. I could only eat half of it, with the intention of saving the rest for my dinner later.

Best Thai food in Port Angeles ! Great recommendation Sheryl Z .

After lunch we continued the journey towards our destination, but decided to take a 40 minute detour to Silverton for a Trader Joe's stop. I always feel overwhelmed by the selection of choices at Trader Joe's and we gave ourselves an hour time limit to shop. We still had a ferry to catch. I definitely spent more money than Sarah and Sheryl on body care products and some of my favorite treats that you can't find in Victoria. Even with the exchange rate, food is so much cheaper in the USA in

comparison to Victoria.

Makes me wonder why we are getting ripped off and paying $7 for a head of romaine lettuce these days.

After our 40 minute power shop we continued towards Port Townsend to catch the ferry to Whitby Island. It had been raining all day and poor Sarah was getting tired of driving in poor visibility on the winding roads. I don't blame her.

Funny book I found on the Coho ! This is why I don’t have a cat .

When we arrived at the ferry terminal, no reservation, the attendant informed us that we will be “Lucky to be on the 6:45 pm ferry.”. It was 4:30 pm and I think we were all tired. I was thinking of going for a shake out run but it was raining hard, opting instead to read a book I'd purchased on the Coho, but not the book I intended to buy. I couldn't get into the murder mystery I mistakenly bought. Suddenly the car in front of us had his lights on. Yes were are moving! I held my breath. We were the second last car to squeeze on the 5pm ferry. YEAH ! OMG so lucky! The water was choppy and felt like a drunken sailor walking onboard to use the restroom. It's a short 30 minute ferry ride to Whitby island. The ferry jolted upon arrival, but we made it in good time.

Driving to our hotel in Oak Harbor, getting a bit disorientated with directions, we finally arrived at our destination. I had my own room with a kitchenette and bathtub and Sarah and Sheryl had their own room. We ran into two guys also from Victoria checking in for the race. None of us knew them. Just goes to show how large the trail running community is in Victoria.

! was feeling antsy and felt the need for a short 20 minute shake out run. I'm happy I remembered to bring my Ultraspire waist belt so I was well lit on the dark roads around the hotel. Post-run I did a little yoga stretch, ate the rest of my Thai lunch plus a salad of roasted veggies Trader Joe's , got my gear ready for the am, had a bath while listening to a podcast before bed.

Race morning

I never sleep well the night before a race. Up at 6am, after coffee and a Super Hero muffin (recipe) Sarah and Sheryl and I left the hotel promptly at 7am and drove the 9 miles to Deception Pass State Park for the 8am start. The weather gods were in our favor as the forecast was 80% chance of rain, and the sky was clear. My warm-up was running back and forth to the washroom multiple times, feeling those pre-race butterflies. I said hello to Elliot Brady and his friends in the starting area for the pre-race meeting and wished them good luck. James Verner warned us “ don't fall off the bridge, don't fall off a cliff and don't get hit by a car“ Twenty-seconds and then we were off . The start feels like a road race, a long stretch of pavement with a long gradual uphill.. My heart rate felt high and my breathing was rapid and my stomach felt nauseated with race anxiety. I chose to wear my favorite Fat Dog Merino wool shirt with arm warmers, my usual race apparel, but today I was feeling overheated and wondering if I had made a poor apparel choice.

As the race went on and got more exposed crossing the long bridge over the Puget sound, happy now for the Merino wool, the wind was so strong I thought I was going to blow over the side of the bridge it was hard to run a straight line. I looked over the edge, it was a long way down! Once we got into the shelter of a single track, I could see Arianna Rumenovich, who registered a few weeks before the

race, was ahead in the distance. My goal was to catch up to her. We exchanged a few words before coming to a technical descent and then she was gone ahead of me. Downhill and technical is my nemesis. The first 18 km in 2.5 hrs seemed like a slog. We had a section of trail along an embankment, ankle deep in water, no way to avoid getting feet wet here. I remember looking at my watch “feeling bored“ and wondering if I would make the 7 hour cut off at this pace. My nutrition plan was Tailwind nutrition 200 calories per hour and water. I realized I hadn't been drinking or fueling properly and my neck and shoulders were feeling sore and tense – a sign I needed to relax my shoulders.

Coming to another familiar long road section I could see Arianna in the distance. I caught up to her and passed her while saying encouraging words.

Into the first aid station, I had help from a friendly volunteer refilling my flasks with Tailwind and water . No food at the aid station looked appealing, so I stuck with what I know works.

Starting the two loops of about 6 miles I was familiar with from past years. Seeing some of the leaders here and Elliot looking strong as ever. This was my favorite section of the course on undulating runnable single track I recalled from past races . I was feeling strong 30 km into the race. I hiked the hills and enjoyed running the downhill sections.

Coming in for the start of the second lap, I stopped to refill my flasks with an unknown electrotype drink, since I was out of Tailwind. I asked the volunteer what was in the drink, he replied “sodium, potassium, magnesium“ ha ha funny. The unknown sports drink tasted good and I hoped it would agree with my stomach as I still couldn't eat anything solid. My body tends to run better on liquid nutrition for higher intensity races. I topped up my water bladder here too. Onto lap #2 – oh yeah we get to do this again! I caught up to Elliot's two friends who told me their names but I soon forgot, “race brain“ is real, and passed them going up the start of the climb.

This is a nice section as you can see the frontrunners and runners finishing their first lap. As I was starting the climb I saw Arianna, then Sarah and Sheryl close behind her running towards me. We high fived each other and exchanged words of encouragement. It gave me a boost to see them. They were looking good and strong! As I continued I started to catch and pass a few people who were struggling. I don't run with music, but I had the lyrics of a favorite song by Taylor Swift on repeat in my head. I passed two guys and a woman who mumbled out loud “this is so hard.” I thought to myself . “You think this is hard, try a 100 miler.”.

I noticed a woman wearing pink in the distance and made her my carrot. Eventually I passed her and we came into the aid station for the final time, only 5 km to go. My left IT band was feeling tight, I didn't think to bring salt tabs for a winter race. They offered E-caps at the aid station and I chased it down with fizzy Coke I was saving for the end of the race. The volunteer suggested chewing the E caps and combined with the fizzy coke I let out a loud belch. My stomach did not appreciate that combination.

On the last section of road, a long uphill section, I was tempted to walk. In past years I would not allow myself to walk, but today I did. I tried to stay with the two guys ahead of me untll we hit the last

insult section of single track. I could see the finish line, feeling like I was in Amazing Race Canada, this was the last leg of the race to the mat. I pretended to be racing for a million dollars. How fast could I go in this technical section without falling off the steep cliff? Finally rounding the corner I could see James Verner and the finish clock at 6:24 hrs. It was a bit deflating, but I was happy to be finished! I saw Elliot at the finish looking all warm in his puffy jacket. He said I didn't look happy. Even though this was my third time racing here it felt very different than in previous years. I missed having David Marlor at the race with me. I always enjoyed travelling to and racing together and I couldn't help but feel sad he wasn't here with me this year. <I was thinking about you Charlene, so I was there in spirit>.

I went back to find the car to change out of my wet clothes before going back to the finish line to see Sarah and Sheryl finish. After putting on as many dry layers as I had, I walked back to the finish, wondering where the girls were. The cut off was 7 hours and James extended it. As long as the runners come in before dark he said he will keep the finish line open. Moments later I saw Sarah and Sheryl running down the beach to the finish! They look elated! I was so happy to see them. Yeah we all made it!!

Hobbling back to the car the girls changed into dry clothes and we opted to drive back to the hotel rather than stay for pizza and beer. I had already eaten a piece. A warm shower and bath were a higher priority for us.

After getting cleaned-up we decided to go for dinner at The Mill Pub within a stone’s throw away from the hotel. The food was pretty good and the service was amazing. I had a Margarita with my fish tacos. As a light weight, post-race, one drink was more than enough for me.

Post race yummy dinner at the Mill pub .

We all had an early night as we needed to leave the hotel at 7am to catch the ferry back to Port Townsend and drive to catch the Coho back to Victoria. I noticed many tiny homes on our drive home; my dream is to buy a tiny home and to eventually transition my massage practice into my tiny home. Tiny home massage therapy clinic. As the housing market in Victoria is almost impossible to buy solo, this is the only alternative option I can think of. All I need is the financing and find the land to put the tiny home on. A work in progress.

All in all it was such a great weekend with Sarah and Sheryl. Time sure flies when you're having fun!

My race schedule for 2023 thus far is Gorge Waterfalls 100 km April 1st ( not an April fools joke), Kusam Climb June 24, and Fat Dog 120 miler Aug 11-13.

Taking one for the Badass Chicks Run trails team !

Thank you to all race director and owner of Rainshadow running races James Varner, all the volunteers out on the course all day. Special thanks to my amazing coach and photographer Matt Cecil, Holly Dickinson – Accel strength and conditioning, Jaymie McGowan – Fix Healthcare, my co- workers at Absolute Therapy for all the massage trades, “Bad ass Chicks Run Trails“ and West Coast Trail Running Group, November Project Victoria and Ma Yoga and Wellness.

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy Holiday season in 2023 filled with new goals and dreams!