Karen McCullough: “The post-race food was ‘next level'”

McCullough’s Westcoast Sooke 10k re-cap

I had intended to run the Hatley Castle 8K but we were travelling home that morning after a weeklong family Reading Week vacation back east and I got sick on the flight home. I brought along my race bib for nothing. This illness sidelined me for a week and a half and, in the lead-up to the Sooke River 10k, I had only managed a terrible 23k long run last week and no other running all week. So what was the Westcoast Sooke River 10K going to look like for me?

I knew it was a rolling out-and-back course — I quite like the out-and-back courses — but having run so little the previous two weeks, my “B” goal was to try to run under my age. I just turned 56 on Friday, so this was a realistic goal for me. My “A” goal was to beat my Cobble Hill 10K time. My race strategy was going to be to try running while feeling a little uncomfortable, find a runner to keep pace with and then try to pass them in the second half.

So what happened? You may ask.

Approaching the 3k mark, the first of the leaders were already on their way back, but I also made a note that we were going down a hill, meaning we’d be going uphill on the way back. This could be a challenge.

By the 5k turnaround, I still had my pacer in sight ahead of me and another, faster friend who was also ahead of me. I managed to power up the hills and pass my first pacer and, to my surprise, I had reeled in and passed my faster friend too. She’s been faster than me at every Island Race Series race so far, so I knew this meant she was not having a good race.

With two kilometres to go, I managed to push a little harder and sprinted for the finish. I could see the clock and pushed hard to beat the 56:00 gun time. It was not after I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch that I knew I was a few seconds over 55 minutes. I beat my Cobble Hill 10K time —“A” goal success!

One of my best friends, who lives in Langford and knew I’d be doing this race, had decided in the last couple of weeks to sign up for the Sooke 10K too and, though she had done a long trail run the day before, she wasn’t too far behind me. It was really special to be able to celebrate our races together.

The post-race food was next level. Two large, fluffy, fluffy pancakes served with strawberries, whipped cream and two sausages were such an unexpected treat! I knew there were pancakes and sausages, but the strawberries, whipped cream and the sheer size of the pancakes took me totally by surprise. What was even more delightfully surprising was the inclusion of vegan pizza slices and celiac-friendly options as well. The race organizers really went the extra mile to include everyone! Besides the amazing post-race treats and the age group prizes, the best part of the Vancouver Island Road Race Series for me has been the warm and friendly community of runners I’ve met. At each race, I’ve met new people and it’s so much fun to see them along the course and to be able to yell out their name and cheer them on. After each race, I found myself saying, “That was so much fun. I would totally do this race again!”. I love this race series! See you at the Comox Valley RV Half Marathon.