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Hurricane Hatley ‘24: a race recap

By Ambassador Holly Pinto

When I first read Hatley Castle 8K, I immediately thought like anyone would; of magic and folklore. And while indeed it’s a beautiful architecture; magic quickly transformed into adventure. With a 95 per cent chance of precipitation, I anticipated a wet, west coast running race.

Like any quest, Hatley promised an “over the hill and around the bend” course. I started the course with a gentle decline slope leading to ocean views. Headwinds on that moody February morning combined with rainfall set the scene for a J.R.R. Tolkien quest more than a Disney fairytale. Then suddenly at 2K the course took a rolling incline; with a baby hill and then a mama hill. In my peripheral I viewed stone walls with vines as the castle awaits at the bottom, connecting one hill to another. Perfect placement to occupy my thoughts as I climbed and climbed. If magic was really here, there would have been a unicorn ride with a catchy soundtrack. Yet, this is a running race and I kept perspective and pulled one foot up after the other. Trumpets sound triumph as raindrops trample trees; the beast of a hill has been slayed. And soon the summit brought me into the forest.

By this point, I am drenched from torrential rainfall. Washing away all that sparkly sweat. And the only twinkle was that of a wiggle in my toes to keep warm. ‘Are we having fun yet?’

Well, this was Hatley Castle and I was on an adventure.

I sloshed through muddy puddles which I didn’t care to miss because Hurricane Hatley had left me already soaked. Around 6K the wind picked back up like a big ugly monster. As the fauna ahead led to the end of this quest, I took time to enjoy the eye of the storm. As the path was smirking with pools of rainfall and paces were withheld by potentially slippery corners there is something. Something in lieu of a rainbow and sunshine. And it’s you, my running friend. Sometimes, the prize is within the adventure.

You see, I set to make my best 8K time on this day. But fate had otherwise. I knew that morning weather would withhold my goals. Like any true adventurer, I adapted… Close to me from the starting line was a team of runners. Their goal: to finish. More than that. To finish happily. While I was caught up on the weather and the letdown by the downpour they offered an opportunity. And that is the heart of VIRS. The eye of the storm; the beauty within. Showing up and completing the adventure with your team. Coming together to cheer each other on despite coastal conditions and soggy socks. Chasing personal best times is rewarding. Seeing the race through with the team is the trophy.

Now I’m left wondering, will the next race recap be named “Soggy Sooke 10K” from winter weather on Vancouver Island. Or perhaps “Sunny Sooke 10K”?

See you there!

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Ambassador media: Cedar 12k recap – AKA what to do, and what not to do

So the third race of the 2024 Vancouver Island Series, the Cedar 12k, fell on the day after another event in my calendar, a retirement party for local sporting legend and SMUS teacher Ian Hyde Lay. Let’s just say that a good time was had by all. Those who visited the Bard and Banker that evening, and let’s also say that when my Sunday morning alarm went off, racing 12k was far, far from my mind. 

But, mainly because I volunteered to drive the carpool (sucker!), off I went. I said to one of my club mates that I was going to take a wait-and-see approach. And after a cup or two of black coffee, a bite to eat and some last-minute hydration on the drive up, I was feeling good enough to toe the line. Not good enough to challenge my PB, mind you, but still OK. In the back of my mind, I thought “Well, let’s start at a minimal effort pace (5:00/km for me), and see how we do.” And then the horn went on the start line, and away we went…

Sean Mitchell finishing the Cedar 12K. Photo credit: Christopher Kelsall

And of course, all those good and sensible ideas got thrown out the window. Truth be told, I got into a comfortable rhythm and managed a respectable 4:30/km for the first 5k. After getting to the one standout ‘hill’ at that point (and waving at Brandon and Dusty already headed back…), I took a bit of stock of my condition and felt pretty good, truth be told.

I decided on the way back to see if I couldn’t get progressively faster on the return. And I ended up doing just that, negative splitting by almost two minutes (26:53/25:07) to finish right around 52:00, which would have been just 5 seconds off my PB. If it hadn’t been determined later that the course was approximately 90m short. Ah well. That time was still good enough for 10th place in the horrendously competitive M50-54 age group. So I was pretty pleased overall. And the warm hospitality and snacks from our friends at Bastion Run Club made it a great day. 

Sean’s Strava race stats: https://www.strava.com/activities/10743274292

Cedar tips: What to do

  • Have fun
  • Run the rolling road to your advantage
  • Run the tangents – every little bit helps!
  • Hang around and socialize afterwards, and cheer on the award winners 

What NOT to do

  • Neglect your hydration and race prep as I did
  • Get too excited with the first 1k downhill – hope you didn’t go out too fast!

This coming Sunday, Feb 25th is the unique Hatley 8k, put on by Frontrunners Athletic Club on the grounds of Royal Roads University in Colwood. I say unique because it’s part road, part trail with a sizeable hill in between. This is a race to focus on effort, not pace or time, but don’t let that scare you – it’s a great course and a lot of fun. Hope to see you there! 

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Ambassador media: Hatley’s thrilling hills

By Sander Nederveen

The next race in the series is Hatley Castle 8K, and you’re in for an absolute rollercoaster of a course. The rollercoaster includes an interesting collection of hills, variations in terrain, and a fast finish.

This course is not your typical PB course. Unless you’re faster uphill than downhill, you likely won’t pull off your best-ever time in the 8K. But that is the trade-off for all the fantastic things this course has to offer.

In the first half kilometre, you will go towards the lagoon on a gentle downhill. With fair weather, you will forget to look at your watch and will simply be amazed by the gorgeous views of the Olympic Mountains. While you’re still processing that you’re in one of the most beautiful spots on the island, you head uphill and will soon be surrounded by trees before your watch beeps that you finished your first klick.

Sander Nederveen finishing 2024 Cedar 12K. Photo credit: Christopher Kelsall

That’s when you’re in for a treat: the uphill gets a bit steeper, and the course will turn right. More uphill you go. You may wonder: what’s the point of this hill? The answer is exactly what you would expect: there is no point. We are Vancouver Islanders; we just love hills for the sake of them.

You will go up until you hit kilometre 2, and then you turn right around and go back down. Once you’re back down and you are still wondering what it is all for, your thoughts will get interrupted by yet another hill. Did I tell you yet that this course is an absolute rollercoaster? Well, you will have found out by now. After you climb this hill at kilometre 3, things slow down for a bit. Some rolling up and down, and you might almost start thinking that it’s a normal course.

The joke’s on you! Just after the 5th kilometre, you suddenly take a sharp turn into the woods, and you will be dodging roots and trail running pretty much until the finish line. A big downhill will be waiting for you in the last kilometre, and you will fly to the finish line.

I look forward to toeing the line and having an absolute blast out at Hatley Castle, taking on the challenging hills and the beautiful trails. I hope to see you there!

One of two major hills at 1K. Photo credit: Joseph Camilleri