5 Peaks race #3, Rattlesnake Point

With my Saucony Labyrinth trail shoes too deformed to fit my feet comfortably, I had to tackle this venue with a pair of reasonably grippy trainers that I use on local trails. Not the best pair to go with and lost time over the rocks, they also made it more difficult to run. This course seemed tougher than the last time I did, even accounting for the shoes. The hills seemed to be harder to scale.

I started in the back of wave 1 to avoid getting caught up in slower wave 2 runners. I think I was a bit enthusiastic over the first few k and it made the hills a lot harder to ascend. However I had clear space straight through and no holdups, only a couple of wave 2 runners caught me. Weather was good, warm at 25 or so, but dry, and the course was good and dry despite a rainy Friday. I was about the same time as 2 years ago, in the mid 1:04's. I did get within 30 seconds of the two fastest regulars in this division. However, if they had troubles on the course then my time is a bit misleading. My finish position was 4th for 50-59 and 44th overall.

A lot of runners look like they had problems. One particular downhill section on this course is very nasty and falls off unexpectedly quick. I had to brake hard on it to stay in control, the guy behind me sounded like he was anything but in control on the descent but he didn't go down, at least I didn't hear any 'thud' from behind. The med tent post race had wraps and ice packs and bandages going out, lots of folks with cuts and bruises and twisted ankles. One of my a/g competitors must have had a really bad race as he finished more than 40 minutes behind me despite beating me in race 1 (Dundas).

The next event is Terra Cotta and is supposed to be the most 'technical' of the courses, although a touch shorter in length. I think I'll either have to somehow get my Labyrinths up and running or break down and buy a new pair of trails somewhere. I've been trying to find some Saucony Xodus to try but to no avail in the local stores.