Race report: The Beav 25k trail race 2019

The 2019 edition of The Beav 25k trail race put on by Happy Trails kicked off a big weekend of racing for me, with a 25-30k adventure race on the schedule for the next day (Don’t Get Lost Raid the Hammer).

To avoid my right knee acting up (which I’ve been doing physio for since the Falling Water marathon), I set a blanket down in the gravel parking lot and rolled my quad out, then used a massage ball on my IT band.

Pre-race with Rebecca.

This race starts and ends at Hilton Falls Conservation Area in Milton. It’s a mixture of Bruce Trail, Bruce Trail side trails, and other trails just outside the conservation area. There is single track trail, double track, mud, and very technical rocky terrain, with potentially lethal drop-offs (not quite as dramatic as that sounds)!

In fact, this year’s race occurred during the legal bow hunt and shotgun hunt, so pre-race we were warned that if we were wearing a hat with antlers on it, we might want to remove it!

Rebecca and I decided to run the race together. Neither of us wanted to go too hard knowing that we had another race the next day!

[Photo by Sue Sitki Photography]

After a bit of a conga line at the start of the race (climbing the biggest hill of the entire course), runners spread out quite quickly, and Rebecca and I were running alone at times. At 4.5k we hit the first aid station, and at 8k the second. There were lots of sweet and salty snacks, water, Skratch, and other drinks. From here we set out on a 9k loop on the Beaver Dam trail.

Such a pretty forest! The fallen leaves made rocks and roots hard to spot, but we managed to stay upright.

Somewhere around 10k, Rebecca began pulling away from me. It was getting harder and harder to keep up. I could see her ahead for quite a while, but eventually, I lost her.

One of my favourite parts of the course is the single track section in this loop, which looks like it would be super fun to ride!

When I returned to the aid station at the end of the 9k loop (and 17k into the race), Rebecca was there waiting for me.

At some point I accidentally kicked a rock and my calf very briefly cramped.

[Photo by Sue Sitki photography]

We ran the rest of the race together. At the final aid station (also the 4.5k aid station), volunteers were making s’mores on a campfire for runners, but at that point I just wanted to keep running. I would have loved one after the race though!

As one runner said near the end of the race, “hardest 3k ever”. It’s amazing how far one kilometre can seem when your legs are tired and you just want to be done! In this section, my right calf started cramping off and on.

In the last 500m of the race, we climbed a stile.

We were so close to the finish line! My left calf decided to start cramping too, but my right calf went crazy in the last 200-300m. I managed to continue running and hit the finish line in 3:13:55, a little more than a minute faster than the 2018 race.

Awesome race hoodie and race medal.

The post-race cup of noodle soup went down nicely!

Race course starting and ending at Hilton Falls Conservation Area.

I was relieved to not have knee issues during the race. I felt it briefly at 14k, and that was pretty much it!

Thank you Happy Trails for another great race!

Race stats:

• Time: 3:13:55
• Placing women 40-59: 17/66
• Placing all women: 26/90
• Placing all runners: 75/162

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Race report: The Beav 25k trail race

As a friend said to me the other day, “Do too many trail and adventure races and you will never go back to the road”. I’m most definitely hooked. I did my very first pure trail race in the spring of 2017, the Sulphur Springs 10k (as opposed to an adventure race with a trail running component, or an orienteering race in the woods). Then this spring I stepped it up and did the 5 Peaks Kelso trail half marathon. So when I searched for a fall trail race, The Beav 25k trail race at Hilton Falls Conservation Area put on by Happy Trails Racing looked enticing! Good thing I registered when I did, because this brand new race sold out long before race day! I hadn’t been to Hilton Falls in years, so I did a couple of my training runs there. The rest were on the Bruce Trail in the Dundas to Burlington area – varied terrain, but lots of hills and challenging rocky uneven ground. I figured it would be great training for Hilton Falls.

Pre-race. First snow this fall. [Photo by Zindine S, who also volunteered at the start/finish]

On race morning there was snow and ice on the ground, and a temperature of -13C with the windchill. I worried that if I had to stop and walk I would freeze dressed as I normally would for running at that temperature, so I added another layer. I knew 5-10 people running the race, so I was pretty sure I would see some friendly faces as I ran. At 9:30 AM the race began. It wasn’t too long before I was on a single track trail, going the pace of the person directly in front of me. It was a slow pace, no faster than a walk at times, and I heard one woman comment, “I could do this pace!” This big pack of runners continued pretty much until we climbed the steepest part of the course, and then things spread out. At this point, I was already overheating so I took my extra layer off. I should have dressed as I always do in that temperature! I ran for a couple of km’s with triathlon friends, then continued on my own. I was careful as I ran over rocks and bridges, because icy conditions had “wipe-out” written all over the place. Amazingly I stayed upright and only kicked one root or rock the entire race!

One of the more rocky sections of the course. [Photo by Sue Sitki]

I hit the first aid station at 4.5k, and the second just before 8k. They were well stocked with cookies and salty goodies of all kinds. I loved the reusable cups for water, which I made use of to wash down my Endurance Tap. I grabbed a small handful of M&Ms and learned the hard way that they are a bit hard to get through without water – I felt like I had chocolate and candy coating stuck in my teeth for a while! At this point, runners headed off for 9k of trails before returning to the same aid station. Photos by Chris L, fan extraordinaire:

During some parts of the race, there was 2-way traffic, so I got to see many of the people I knew in the race, and many other familiar faces that I have seen at other races. I’ve never been in a race where so many people said, “way to go!”, “great job!”, “nice work!” etc. Trail runners are very friendly and encouraging people! I even got a mid-race high five from a random runner. At times I was running completely alone – I couldn’t see a soul ahead of me, or hear anyone behind me. It was very peaceful and pretty in the forest.

One of the easier parts of the course.

Just before I hit the aid station after the 9k loop (and after about 17k of running), I had another Endurance Tap, and washed it down with water. I decided to try my first ever mid-race pickle. I grabbed a few chips, chatted with a volunteer and Jeff one of the race directors, who told us that the “worst was behind us” (except for what was in front of us).  I headed out, running for a few km’s with a man whose name I didn’t get. I liked that the race felt like it was split into different segments. Mentally it was easier to deal with 25k this way. After I left the aid station, I knew I would reach another one in just a few more km’s. At 20k my stomach was very unhappy for a short time, so sadly when I reached the last aid station, I opted out of eating a s’more prepared by the awesome volunteers at a fire near the falls. I continued running after grabbing some water, and it wasn’t long before my stomach was fine again. My hamstrings and calves were starting to feel a little bit tight, but I wasn’t concerned.

Somewhere in the last few km’s of the race – still smiling! [Photo by Sue Sitki]

At around 24k or so, I had to climb a stile (ladder over a fence). I played it safe by descending it backwards on the other side of the fence! Then I ran the final few hundred metres to the finish line, crossing in a time of 3:15:13.

Done!

I had a great first 25k trail race experience. I even ran a little faster than I expected to. The race was super well organized, the course was very well marked, and the volunteers (standing around in the cold for us) were fantastic!

Check out the race hoodie! So comfy!

Thank you Happy Trails Racing. I’ll be back!

Race stats:

• Time: 3:15:13 (7:48 min/km)
• Placing women 40-59: 19/66
• Placing all women: 33/88
• Placing all runners: 85/156
• Elevation gain: 322m

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