Sander Nederveen Archives - Vancouver Island Race Series

A final word from Ambassador Sander on the 2024 Vancouver Island Race Series

So…that’s it for the race series.

We started the series with below-zero temperatures at the Harriers Pioneer 8K and ended with 17 degrees Celsius at the Bazan Bay 5K. We had cloudy races, one with a massive downpour and puddle jumping (looking at you, Hatley Castle), and beautiful sunny ones like in Comox and this last Sunday.

Sander Nederveen. Photo credit: Christopher Kelsall

This edition of the Island Series once again showed how great of a running community Vancouver Island has. At every race, I saw familiar faces, had nice start and finish line chats, and got to know a couple of new people.

I learned that being an ambassador for the series is the easiest thing ever. It takes absolutely no effort to show enthusiasm for these races when the courses are beautiful, the post-race food plentiful, and the cheer squads louder than you could have imagined.

And in this sense, I wasn’t that much of an ambassador. The real ambassadors for the Island Race Series are the race directors, volunteers, and folks cheering along the course. I can’t even begin imagining the work that the organizers and volunteers have put into making the series to the success it was.

The post-race experience at the Island Series truly is one of a kind. So much pizza, chilli, chowder, and sometimes even beer. For those who stuck around long enough, there were awesome draw prizes too, powered by some great sponsors. There is too many to name, but you can check them out on the website.

See all series sponsors here.

Finally, I shouldn’t forget to congratulate Speedfarm and the Prairie Inn Harriers Running Club with winning the Island Series and VIRA Cups, respectively. Also a big congratulations to those who managed to run a PB, to those who raced their first race, to those who came back to running after an injury or break, to those who ran their furthest distance ever in the series, to those who broke world records in their age group, and most of all to those who had a ton of fun being part of the series.

Now it’s time to give your carbon-plated shoes some rest and lace up the trail shoes for the summer. I look forward to seeing you all again next year.

April 16, 2024

Ambassador, Ambassador media, Comox Valley RV Half Marathon, Sander

Ambassador Sander: How to run the Comox Valley RV Half Marathon

We’ve had five races to warm up, and now the big guns are coming out: the Comox Valley RV Half Marathon, organized by the Comox Valley Road Runners. It’s only one of two opportunities to run a distance over 10 km in the series and be ranked in the overall Series results.

It’s not only a good race to secure your spot in the overall rankings: it is also a good course to perform well. The race offers an out-and-back course, and while it has a fair bit of uphill, it also has its share of downhill.

Elevation graph of Comox Valley RV Half Marathon course.

Mentally, I like to divide the course up into four parts. Each part has a different profile, so it’s useful for building my race strategy. Breaking the race up into pieces is also quite nice to make it mentally more manageable to get ready for a long, hard-effort run.

The first part is approximately 5 km long. If you have a goal time in mind, figure out what splits you need if you were to run a flat race. This part of the course is relatively flat – give or take a bump or two – so in this part, you can simply hit these splits. There’s genuinely nothing remarkable about this section, so use it to find your groove and settle in.

The second part is where you will have to grit your teeth because it’ll be uphill until you’ve pretty much hit the halfway point. You have two choices: slow down or blow up. I recommend the first option: slow down a bit. Don’t forget it’s an out-and-back course so you’ll get the downhill portion later where you can make up time. Don’t slow down too much either, it’s fine to be a tad uncomfortable, but don’t overdo it.

Part three starts at the turnaround. Now it’s time to turn it up a notch. Go just a bit faster until you get over a bump at KM 12. Once you see the 12KM sign, it’s time to add a little spice to your race. The downhill stretch lasts for about 6KMs, so the course will help you just roll down. If you add a little bit of power, you’ll make up lots of time and you can definitely hit splits you wouldn’t normally expect to see in a half marathon.

Once your watch beeps for KM18, you should quickly check in with yourself. Since it is only three more km to go, there are a couple of different scenarios. Maybe you feel a little winded, in which case it’s too early to keep pushing really, really hard. It would be a shame to blow it in the last KM. While you can’t really win your PB in the final kilometre, you sure can lose it. So maybe settle back into a comfortably uncomfortable pace, and when you have about a mile to go, slowly start turning it up again if you can.
Alternatively, you may still feel grand after all that downhill. If you have more left in the tank for the last three KM, just keep on going. You’ve hit a stellar average for 18 km already, why wouldn’t you be able to do it for just a bit longer? This is where your body will tell you what you can and cannot do. It’s up to you whether you think it’s worth listening. There’s no single right answer it might be too risky, or it might be a risk that will pay off. You’ll only know during the race.

Start of 2023 Comox Valley RV Half Marathon. Photo credit: Joseph Camilleri.

No matter how things unravel, it will be a spectacular race. If you’ve never run a negative split, this is the course to change that. It’s going to be a great adventure, so get ready!

March 15, 2024

Ambassador, Ambassador media, Hatley Castle 8K, Sander

Ambassador Sander Nederveen trials Brooks shoes at Hatley Castle 8K

Sander wearing the Hyperion Elites at Hatley Castle 8K. Photo credit: Joseph Camilleri

With the fourth race just behind us, we’re at the halfway point in the series. This likely is the point in the season where you’ve probably put lots of miles on your trainers, and perhaps also on your race shoes. So you might want to be looking for a fresh pair of shoes for the next phase in your training and for the second half of the race series.

With both Brooks and Frontrunners Footwear, the Island Series has two great sponsors that can help you to the right pair of shoes. Brooks recently launched two updated shoe versions: The first one is the newest version of the Brooks Glycerin, their higher-cushioned daily trainer. The second one is the Hyperion Elite, their carbon-plated race shoe. Island Series Ambassador Sander Nederveen put both shoes on his feet and gave them a spin around town. Read his thoughts below.

Brooks Glycerin 21

The new Glycerin is a super comfortable shoe. I keep reaching for them when I want to go for an easy run, or even just for a walk. The toe box is a bit wider than in other Brooks shoes, which is quite nice for somewhat wider-footed people like me. Aside from a comfortable fit, there’s a lot of cushioning too. It’s the kind of cushion that absorbs a fair bit of the impact when you’re running, but simultaneously gives you a bit of a bounce. On a longer run, the shoe performed well: the shoe didn’t force me to work harder (which heavy cushiony shoes sometimes do), although it also didn’t have the energy return of a tempo/race day shoe.

Essentially, the Brooks Glycerin 21 is a solid and sturdy shoe for your easy recovery run after work or an easier longer run.

Brooks Hyperion Elite V4

It was at Hatley Castle 8K that I christened the Brooks Hyperion Elite v4s. I didn’t know what to expect, because Brooks has been hyping this shoe for some time, but their previous race-day shoe didn’t get very much critical acclaim.

The Elites exceeded my expectations. Even during my warm-up, I had to control of my pace: the shoe wanted me to go faster. During the race, I learned that it’s a solid race-day shoe. The energy return is high, and in some sense, it feels like your shoes are encouraging you to go give ‘er. So I did!

Glycerin GTS (support) in black and Green shoe in front: Brooks Hyperion. Photo credit: Joseph Camilleri

Something I realized after I had worn the shoe for a while, is how normal the shoe felt. Race day shoes can feel very unstable, and sometimes flimsy around your feet. Not the Brooks Hyperion Elite: I felt stable and it’s quite comfortable.

My first impression of this shoe is good. It held up super well on a wet and muddy course. I’m excited to lace it up for the Westcoast Sooke 10K and the Comox Valley RV Half Marathon later this month and try it out on longer courses.

If you’re excited to try out these shoes and/or get yourself a pair, stop by at Frontrunners Victoria. There’s a Brooks shoe for every type of runner and Frontrunners will have them for you. And who knows, maybe I’ll be there to help you out and find the right shoe for you.

February 29, 2024