Interesting Stuff

2019

Backcountry Horsemen BC rode 4.5 hours to get to Tulameen Camp to host the aid station there! First time we have had horses as volunteers. Thank you BCHBC!
The alternative route for 2019 travelled Whatcom, the first trail in the park. Whatcom Trail is the original route shown by First Nation guides to HBC's AC Anderson in 1846. Edgar Dewdney and the Royal Engineers constructed the trail in 1860. Thanks to Friends of Manning Park's Kelley Cook and Vic Sagorski for installing the historical signs.

_{Tulameen Camp}

_{Historical Whatcom}
First trail in the park!

It was a miracle: when it looked like we could not use a key road for aid stations, the Ashnola River Road washout got repaired in time for race weekend. Thank you Paul and Bill of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations, Wendy Hawkes of Lower Similkameen Indian Band, and Jim of J. Furlong Consulting Ltd.
This was an amazing response! Check out the story. The permanent fix was done in November 2018.

_BEFORE

_AFTER

Mike Sidic won the Fat Dog 40 mile event (7:09:25) AND the new Mountain Madness Brigade 50 mile event (9:12:20) in the same year.
Evgeny Sotnikov proposes after finishing 120 mile (31:07:10). He manages to kneel down!

_{Mike wins both races}
Mike wins the double

_{Evgeny proposes}
He proposes on one knee!

Spectacular Perseid meteor shower on Friday night.
Grainger Creek Trail had so much treefall that the trail was impassable. A team of 2 BC Parks Rangers and 2 volunteers Thomas Pickett and Karl Jensen flew in by helicopter and spent one weekend clearing it; by race day it was perfect.
Jessie Thomson Gladish gives herself a Fat Dog race as a wedding present. Two weeks later she gets married. Check out her belt buckle.

_{Grainger Creek Trail}
Grainger Creek Trail impassable

_{Jessie gets married}
Jessie in wedding dress

During a nasty storm, Nickademus Hollon still managed to set a record time for the 120 mile (25:07:28). Only 48% finished that year. Bethany Lewis also set women's 120 mile record 30:18:49. For the 50 mile, Vincent Bouchard set a record at 8:32:15, and Jenny Hoffman at 9:30:31. All of the racers who complained at the start about mandatory gear, thanked us at the finish because they wore all of it during the worst storm in 30 years.
Baby on a laptop! Andy Healey wins best hallucination award.

_{Worst storm in 30 years}
Records set in storm year

_{Baby on a laptop}
Andy tells hallucination story

Graham Perkins completes an unofficial double (240 miles) for his fundraising project. He started two days before the race at the finish and ran toward the start. Then he did the usual race route from Keremeos to Lightning Lake in 45:09:04 for a total time of 101:52:09. Here he is resting at finish.
Three racers took 8 hours off their previous 120 mile race times: Ken Legg, Chris Cochrane and Grant Maughan.
While climbing Skyline, Rosemarie Sanche fell into the wildflowers. Wonderful.

_{Graham does double}

_Wildflowers
Rosemarie falls in wildflowers

A North Shore riding group just happened to be biking Pasayten area and came upon our racers. At Bonnevier, they provided a blow by blow description of where racers were located! Thanks!

There was so much snow that we had to cancel the race. The following year, we moved the date to August.

Of the 37 racers who signed up for the 120 miler, 15 finished. Hassan Lotfi-Pour sets men's first 120 mile record 27:59:42. Diana Widdowson sets first women's record at 34:18:18.