Gord Kurenoff: February run lineup sprinkled with love, barking, brunches, Fort races – Vancouver Sun
OPINION: This will be a fun month for adorable mutts — RunGo’s Dash for Dogs — and for making more history at Fort Langley — LHS Fort Langley Half and Fort-2-Fort 5- &10-Miler. We will celebrate tradition — the First Half Half — and wonder what Mother Nature has in store for us — Vancouver Hypothermic Half
Kulninder Munday of Surrey, right, leads this group through the Aldergrove Regional Park trails in last Sunday’s Aldergrove Ramble. The Fraser Valley Trail Race Series wraps up on Feb. 23 with the Fort-2-Fort races in Fort Langley. KATIA STANO / iPOLPO
They say February is the month of much love, one that includes Valentine’s Day and Random Act of Kindness Day. Sadly, it’s also the shortest month on our calendar.
But, because the B.C. Lower Mainland road racing calendar is so busy next month, they decided to make 2020 a leap year and add a 29th day — fittingly it falls on a Saturday!
This will be a fun month for adorable mutts — RunGo’s Dash for Dogs — and for making more history at Fort Langley — LHS Fort Langley Half and Fort-2-Fort 5- &10-Miler. We will celebrate tradition — the First Half Half — and wonder what Mother Nature has in store for us — Vancouver Hypothermic Half.
Some will travel — Extra Day 5K and Love’ Em or Leave’ Em Valentine’s Day Dash, both in Seattle, or Rock ‘N’ Roll New Orleans or Freeze Your Gizzard in Montague, PEI! Some will stay planted on the couch, doing Netflix marathons or Selfie shoots!
It’s also a great month to reboot the January fitness resolution thing (smile) and to remember: Getting in shape is a slow process, but quitting won’t speed it up!
So, while you prepare for Cupid and chocolates, or groundhog sightings, we offer you some events to look forward to in February. And happy training:
The last time Gord Kurenoff entered the Hypo Half, women at the Running Room store in Abbotsford sent him a personalized Christmas card and “reminder” to actually train! (Sarah Wieler photo)
Hypothermic Half
Vancouver
Saturday, Feb. 1, 21.1K, 16K
If you didn’t get into the sold-out First Half Half, or just need a long-distance workout/training run, the Running Room’s Hypothermic Half is the ideal event to lace up for to satisfy your LSD craving.
The annual Vancouver Hypo includes the half and 16K, fun finisher’s medals and a healthy post-race brunch. It starts at 9 a.m. at Mahoney and Sons Restaurant (601 Stamps Landing).
The new course follows the False Creek Seawall to Stanley Park with a loop of Lost Lagoon, Devonian Harbour Park and then returning on the seawall the same way back to the finish.
For more information and to enter, click HERE.
Steve Mattina, the busy B.C. Regional Manager for Running Room Canada, had me at “delicious brunch” on this one!
Mattina, who plays a major role in pumping the tires for such epic events as the St. Patrick’s Day 5K in Stanley Park (this year on Saturday, March 14) and the Run for Women at UBC (this year on Saturday, May 9), asked if I wanted a neat medal and tasty meal to begin the month of February.
The catch? This scribe just had to enter the 16K event or the half. So, a sucker for punishment I agreed to the 16K before my Saturday work shift! Did I mention the delicious post-race brunch?
The Victoria Hypo Half is Feb. 16, and the Kelowna Hypo Half is Feb. 22.
Competitors in the annual First Half Half — now part of the RUNVAN Grand Slam Series — race along the seawall. (Clarence Chan photo/RUNVAN)
First Half Half
Vancouver
Sunday, Feb. 9, 21.1K
Blogger Gord Kurenoff, trying to stay warm at the 2019 First Half Half, cuddles with coach and former Olympian Lynn Kanuka. (Mary Hinze photo)
This will be the 31st year for the First Half Half, and the second straight with RUNVAN running it since taking the event over from the Pacific Road Runners, who in 1988 approached RUNVAN to get the event going!
The race starts at 8:30 a.m. on Pacific Boulevard at Davie Street in the eastbound lanes. The scenic route goes out on the seawall, to English Bay, through Stanley Park and back again.
Cash prizes are awarded to the top men and women overall ($800, $500, $300, $200, $100). A $1,500 bonus prize is available to any man or woman who sets a new course record. And the big winner every year is Variety — The Children’s Charity.
Dylan Wykes of Ottawa won the half in 1:05:41 last year, with Rob Watson of Vancouver finishing second in 1:06:21. The top woman was Robyn Mildren of Vancouver in 1:17:43.
I took part in last year’s First Half Half, breaking a 35-year “slump” of running anything past 12K! And yes, it was held on the coldest day of the year, two weeks after this scribe returned from a two-week vacation in 42C temps. So, sure, it was memorable! As was the Weeknd song Can’t Feel My Face!
This year I’m lacing up for the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans 5K and half marathon, Feb. 8 and 9 and sadly won’t be able to improve my time in Vancouver. Next year for sure!
Other great races in RUNVAN’s 2020 Grand Slam series are: BMO Vancouver Marathon (May 3), Granville Island Turkey Trot (Oct. 12) and Fall Classic Run (Oct. 2020).
Fun On the Run blogger Gord Kurenoff and Sandra Jongs Sayer show off their medals inside snowy Fort Langley. Both ran in RUNVAN’s First Half Half last year and then did the 5K in Fort Langley’s Historic Half. (Fort Langley photo)
Langley Historic Half
Fort Langley
Sunday, Feb. 16, 21.1K, 10K, 5K, Kids’ Run
One of the cool things about this TRY EVENTS/Langley Hospice Society race is you actually get to run in and out of Fort Langley, and tour the amazing facility before and after the race.
This is the second leg of the 10-event TRY EVENTS series, following the LS Chilly Chase held on Jan. 26.
The race includes a neat finisher’s medal and a long-sleeve running shirt.
The half starts at 9 a.m., the 10K at 9:10 a.m., and 5K at 9:15 a.m. The kids race at noon.
For more information, to enter or read about other events in the TRY EVENTS series, click HERE.
More than 120 runners laced up for the Aldergrove 4.8K and 8K trail races on Jan. 26 in undulating Aldergrove Regional Park. (Katia Stano photo/iPOLPO)
Fort-2-Fort 5- & 10-Milers
Fort Langley
Sunday, Feb. 23, 16K, 8K
The good folks at PEN RUN wrap up their winter Fraser Valley Trail Run Series in style with two distances in the scenic Fort-2-Fort race.
Coming off the superb Resolution Race on New Year’s Day at “gentle” Crescent Park in Surrey, and the Aldergrove Ramble on Jan. 26 in “hilly” Aldergrove Regional Park, the Fort-2-Fort is the best leg of them all in this writer’s opinion.
The race starts at the Edgewater Bar at Derby Reach Park off of Allard Crescent (8:30 a.m. for the 10-Miler, 9 a.m. for the 5 Miler). There are scenic rolling courses that run near the Fraser River for most of the route and up the huge hill in Houston Trail!
And organizers, feeling sorry that I missed out on the Aldergrove Ramble post-race food — because I was so slow getting to the freakin’ finish line on that freakin’ hilly course (not bitter) — have promised to save an extra-large piece of banana bread and hot chocolate for me! Should mention that results of the Ramble are now posted — they had to wait for me to finish before doing it — and can be viewed by clicking HERE.
For more information on the Fort-2-Fort and to enter, click HERE.
RunGo’s Dash for Dogs will be held Feb. 23 at Stanley Park. As illustrated by this runner’s reaction at the Aldergrove Ramble last weekend, who doesn’t love dogs? (Katia Stano photo/iPOLPO)
RunGo Dash For Dogs
Sunday, Feb. 23, 10K, 5K, 2K
Stanley Park
Prepare to fall in love with a puppy or two as these guided runs or walks through Stanley Park help raise funds for B.C. and Alberta Guide Dogs.
These fun and non-competitive races take you through the beautiful trails in Stanley Park. After the runs there will be a social event with pancakes, prizes, and good tunes! This is an event for people to support dogs — you don’t need a dog to run.
RunGo organizers say guide dogs and “good dogs” are welcome, albeit they must be on a leash and under control at all times for the safety of the working guide dogs.
The event starts at Brockton Pavilion in Stanley Park, with the 10K rolling at 9:45 a.m., followed by the 5K at 10 a.m. and 2K at 10:15 a.m.
For more information and to enter, click HERE.
Liam Watson and Courtney McEwen competed in the Chilly Chase 5K last Sunday at Stanley Park, with Watson finishing first in his age group (20:07) and McEwen was second in her age group (20:13). (Debra Kato photo)
Kato focuses in on Chilly Chase
West Van Run fun runner Debra Kato took 600-plus photos of last weekend’s successful Lookout Society Chilly Chase in Vancouver, where TRY EVENTS launched its 10-event, 2020 road race series.
Distances in the annual event included the half, 15K, 10K and 5K.
To see Kato’s great photo recap, click HERE.
Katia Stano of iPOLPO covered the 2020 Aldergrove Ramble for her Fort Langley-based photo firm. (Katia Stano photo)
Zooming in on the Ramble
Katia Stano will downplay her natural running ability — “can ONLY do a 10K in an hour,” but she loves taking photos of race-day action.
The upbeat Fort Langley woman, who runs iPOLPO photos and the App where you can download photos by time and location searches on the App, loved the Aldergrove Ramble and is considering entering next year.
In the meantime, she sent me a sampling of the superb shots she captured and you can see them by clicking HERE.
Gotta run …