This water drop medal was awarded to all of the record 4,254 runners in this charity event- The Run for Water Abbotsford Marathon in British Columbia, Canada. But us 42K runners were given a finisher plaque in addition. Not that it mattered. It was enough that I helped raise funds for providing clean water in Ethiopia!
It amuses me no end how running has driven me do and experience things I had never contemplated of doing before. Like riding a Greyhound bus just to reach a marathon destination! For this one, it had to go through Pacific Central Station, the main Vancouver terminal for Via Rail and Greyhound Canada.
The same can be said of booking hotels. I would have been perfectly content renting a single room in a small inn. But the race had partnered with The Sandman Hotel & Suites. So I ended up staying four days in a one bedroom King suite with washer and dryer, kitchen, gas fireplace and private balcony!
I had registered for the event online from overseas. I was to vacation for a month in Canada and the US and found some difficulty choosing between the Calgary Marathon and this event. A Calgary run would help me get another star in the Marathon Maniacs. But the 'Run for Water' theme won me over.
The Race Expo was held on Saturday at the Bakerview EcoDairy on Sumas Way. The race organizers kindly provided transportation to and from The Sandman for free to runners and guests. It was also the site for claiming the race packet. On-site race registration was also provided for latecomers.
For most of the 33 marathons I had ran before this one, I ran on Brooks- on 3 Glycerins, a Cascadia, recently on a PureFlow, and before on an Adrenaline. I am not a brand endorser and do not have any Brooks contacts. I just like their shoes but the Glycerin 11 to be released in July I like even more!
At the expo were exhibits of upcoming races in BC. One event that is something to look forward to is the inaugural Surrey International World Music Marathon on September 30. Each mile is being sponsored, decorated, and cheered for by a different country. With a little luck, I hope to be able to run this one too!
The Berries
And as the race expo was held at the Bakerview Ecodairy, the first agri-eco-demonstration farm of its kind in Canada, complete with an animal exhibit and a Nutrifoods Market, runners could sample out the various types of berries that make Abbotsford the Berry and Raspberry Capital of Canada.
Come race morning, the clouds had cleared and the silhouette of snow-capped Mt. Baker was clearly visible from my hotel room balcony. We were right in the city center of Abbotsford, in the heart of the Fraser Valley. As the temperature was 12 deg Celsius, the comfortable bed still was beckoning.
Even if Abbotsford, also known as Abby for short, is the fifth largest municipality in BC and the 23rd largest in Canada with 133,000+ people, hardly anybody was in the streets that race Sunday morning. Well, not exactly. I saw this solitary duck walking slowly like a duck while crossing a street.
I also had to walk 15-minutes from my hotel to the race area, passing through beautiful Mill Lake Park. With quite picnic areas, an awesome spray park and play grounds, it is a popular park for walkers and joggers. For the race, the two-kilometer path that circles the lake was closed that morning.
Arriving at the race area for the 6:00 AM early marathon start, a policeman on motorbike welcomed us. The organizers gave runners who expected to finish in more than five hours the option to start early. The normal start time for sub-5 hour runners was at 7:00 AM. I took the early start option.
The runners who took to the roads that morning ran in four different race categories. Most did the 5K while the others ran the 10K, 21K, and 42K race categories. There were just close to 200 of us in the 42K event. Most of the full marathon runners were veterans of BC races and were of the elite variety.
There were about 20 of us in the 6:00 AM early start group. More than a hundred started at 7:00 AM, both groups hoping to reach the finish line before the cut-off time of 1:00 PM. According to my chaperon :) who took this picture, the race start ceremonies were simple with everyone already raring to go.
The first few kilometers took us to the main avenues of Abby and through what our driver the day before described as the steepest climb of the race- of barely a few meters. All roads would be paved- either asphalted or cemented. Turns out this would be a really, really flat marathon race course!
As this was Canada where the metric system rules, markers with many tied with black and yellow balloons- the Run for Water colors- would be found at every kilometer. A few mile distance markers were there alright but these were few and far in between- every 5 miles. Not that we really needed them.
For as we progressed, a race marshal on a bike patrolled the course to make sure runners were fine and running the race route as planned. Distances between the few early group runners would quickly increase and by the fifth kilometer, most of us would be running practically solo.
At key intersections would be yellow shirt-clad volunteers who cheered the runners on and pointed them to the right way. Others would man the water stations or staff the start/finish area. More than 250 from the Abby community volunteered that day in a country that is very volunteering-friendly.
As I looked at the full marathon course prior to the race, I couldn't help but anticipate and be excited about the run on the US-Canada border. For at about the 9K to the 10K, we ran on Boundary Road that separates the two countries. Turns out, there was no fence to climb over, just a high mountain!
Most of the race would be ran outside the city, through the many farms that surrounds Abby. Long considered as Canada's and BC's agricultural jewel, the city is developing an Agriculture Plan to ensure the sustainability and continued long-term growth of its agricultural industry.
We would also run through some of Abby's horse ranch and cattle farms and piggeries- from the modern to the traditional. Some, like the Sumas Mountain Farms, are unique producers of 100% certified organic grass-fed and finished beef, the only one in the heart of Fraser Valley.
So it was a common sight for runners to be met by some surprised but no less interested on-lookers, no doubt wondering what in the world brought these people to their territory on a cold and lazy late May Sunday morning. What is so special about running marathons, they seemed to be asking me.
If Abby produces organic beef, so does it produce organically grown berries. At the Sumas River Farm on Nelles Road, for example, just one of the many specialty farm gate vendors and glorious display gardens in Abby, it was possible to buy a 'u-pick' or 'ready pick' organic raspberries and blueberries daily in July.
Most of the run would be on empty rural roads under controlled traffic with hardly any spectators. The occasional car that would pass by would sometimes slow down with the passengers saying 'hi'. A comfort stop with few ready-to-greet-you people was therefore always a welcome site.
As noontime approached, the sun would begin to bear on us full blast. Again, the weather forecast of cloudy skies was dead off-center. Runners therefore stopped at the hydration stations set up every few kilometers. Aside from water, these stations provided Ironman Perform and PowerBar gels.
There would also be medical volunteers at critical junctures of the race ready to cater to the injured if there ever was any. But with barely less than 200 mostly veteran marathon runners passing their way, I bet they had a very slow day. Nonetheless, they clapped and smiled anyway.
Plus of course, the children! Abby is a fun place for kids with its many amusement venues. From mini-golf courses to rock-wall climbing to mountain biking, there is something to do for each member of family. That morning, many kids, some riding tractor bikes cheered us on.
Bands and other performers were positioned at several points along the course. But too early was my start and slow was my progress that I missed most of them perform! Among the entertainers were Geri and the Atrics, Island 22, The Two Words, Rock Paper Moon and This Side of Town.
Being in the early start group had its perks. For one thing, since I was running ahead of them, I was able to photograph almost all of the winners. It was Ryan Prachnau of Abbotsford who finished first in the men's 42K event (2:42:41) while Rika Hatachi (pic below) of Coquitlam (3:07:54) topped the women's side.
An event record was set in the 21K. Abby’s David Jackson ran the race in 1:09:59 topping the 2010 mark of 1:10:12. Langley’s Kendra Braun (1:30:04) was the top female 21K runner. The 10K was won by Yue-Ching Cheng (34:48) and Carla Sturm (43:45) for the men’s and women’s events, respectively.
This year's race attracted runners from all over Canada, the US, the UK, and a few other countries. Not to be outdone, 10 members of my club, The Marathon Maniacs, also joined the race. Mostly from BC, like me, most of them also ran the Vancouver Marathon three weeks earlier on the 6th of May.
After running 41K, through some of Abby's major roads such as Riverside, Vye, Wells Line, Campbell, and South Fraser Way, it was back to Mill Lake Park on Bevan Avenue for the final push in the last 1K. Having started early, many of the runners who started regularly were still behind me.
The medal was tiny but it came with a finisher plaque, my first in 34 different 42Ks in 21 different countries, US states, or Canadian/ Australian provinces. That I kind of took it easy was excusable I suppose- this was already my 3rd 42K for the month of May, just 7 days after running the Fargo Marathon in North Dakota, USA.
The race also had an ultra category. On Saturday, Ray Zahab,world-famous ultramarathoner, led 12 runners on the first Run for Water Ultra Marathon- a 56 km trek on Discovery Trail, into Arnold and finishing at the Bakerview EcoDairy. All for charity, the ultra runners raised $20K collectively.
Food, drinks, and funfare would be waiting at the finish area post-race. It was a Sunday after all and a day for the family. Prizes and recognitions had to be given to the winners and sponsors. This 5th Run for Water was being deemed a success. Even the event's Friday gala dinner raised a cool $35K.
After all, this run was for a cause. This event was originally conceived to raise awareness for people in developing countries and the $260,000 raised would be used to provide clean water to 7,000 residents in this year’s project village- Koshale, Ethiopia. Indeed another feather in Abby's cap and reputation as being all of Canada's most generous city!
And it pleases me so to have been a part of this generosity. Way to go Abby!
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