Mad Trapper 2012 Results

December 10, 2011 "Flatter" Course, No Snow Trail Run Results

Male Solefit Orthotics 5k

Male Atlas Snowshoe Company 10k

Solefit Orthotics Female 5k

Atlas Snowshoe Company Female 10k

 
January 7, 2012 "Hilly" Course Results

I went out at 3pm to add a few more flags to the course and trim a few more of the overhanging branches. When I got back from to the Ark there was no sign at all of the outgoing snowshoe tracks that I had left. And the snow was STILL coming down!

The first car arrived and I was told that the snow was so deep on the road that he barely had clearance. He told me he passed one car that couldn't make it up the first hill off of the highway.

James Galipeau arrived early in his Subaru Outback (sporting brand new winter tires). He LOVED the drive here. James is resting and not racing this winter. He is still training though and offered to go pre-run the course and set the tracks for the racers. And lucky he did as he told me that all the signs I had planted in the snow earlier that afternoon were now 3/4 buried. So he dug them out and knocked the snow from even more overhanging weighted down branches.

Then he went out and ran the course again, adding more tracks for the racers to follow.

All the racers arrived here later than they expected. We also received a bunch of phone calls from racers who couldn't make it up that first hill and were going to try the longer way around. A few of the racers gave up at the hill, turned around and went home....

That was unfortunate for them because once here, this race was truly a special event. EVERYTHING was covered in snow. EVERYTHING was white. It was beautiful. Seeing the headlamps as they raced through the woods was nothing short of magical.

The first lap was understandably slow. James certainly helped things out a lot by making first tracks, but the first 10 or 12 racers still had a bunch of fresh snow to make their way through.

The second lap however was an entirely different matter! After 40+ racers ran through, the trail was well packed and FAST!

In past years racers have used a strategy in conditons like this and the lead pack has stayed together and has every person in that group has taken turns breaking trail. The understanding is that they'll work together on the first lap and then it's every man for himself the second time around.

But this is Derrick St. John's first year of snowshoe racing and his strategy is a little different. After the start gun Derrick's plan is to sprint into the lead and redline the entire course until he blasts through the finish line. This strategy means that Derrick will either win the race, or blow an engine. So far this year, Derrick has won every Mad Trapper event completely unchallenged.

In the chase pack, there is Alexander Michel, Rob Lefebvre and Dave McMahon. In this race Alex held second place after the first lap and was working hard to reel Derrick in. Dave was in second with Rob on his tails eating his snow. Christian Belair is usually in this pack, but he got caught early in the race behind some slower runners and had his work cut out for him to catch up.

The race finished in this order: Derrick, Alex, Rob, Dave and Christian. Derrick finished the deep snow, 10km course with 4500 feet of elevation change in 59 minutes and 42 seconds! That is ridiculous!

But who was in sixth???

Natasha Elliot! The first female overall can certainly hold her own with the big boys. And it's good that she has these boys to run with because unfortunately Natasha doesn't have anyone in her category to compete with. None of the other Ottawa female runners have the kahonies to take on a Mad Trapper Atlas 10k!

We do have a bunch of women running the Solefit Orthotics 5k though, but none have been faster than Lise Meloche who took first place in her divisin and second place overall, followed by Trish Liddle (4th overall) and Grace Harju (5th overall).

In the Men's Solefit Orthotics 5k, we saw Liam Ohuiginn in first place followed by Pat Collard and Carl Buchmann.

After Derrick St. John, Rob Lefebvre and Dave McMahon finished breaking trail on their first loop and redlining with speed their second loop, they decided to head out for a full THIRD LOOP to "cool down" and take in the beauty of the snow laden trails. Unfortunately Dave forgot to consider his calorie expenditure or fluid loss during the first two loops and headed out on his third loop without refueling. So, although uncharacteristic of Dave, he bonked during his cool down! So Derrick and Rob just left him out there to die....

Wait a minute, no they didn't. They got him back safe and sound. Upon arrival Lise headed out with a couple of fresh baked brownies and Dave was back to himself in no time.

And then everyone dined on Monique's homemade chili and brownies, we arbitrarily passed out some awards and started up the i2P auction (that story to follow).

I have to say, that with the possible exception of the drive here this was the best Mad Trapper Snowshoe Race EVER! Thanks to everyone who made the trip.

The purpose of this foundation is educate and inspire youth from around the world. This is done primarily by allowing schools to follow i2P ambassadors as they run with Ray through some amazing cross country, cross desert, cross rainforest, cross glacier.... journey.

The proceeds from this fundraiser will go directly towards financing an i2P ambassador on one of these adventures. To learn more about i2P, please visit www.impossible2possible.com

First I would like to thank all of the donors: Auberge du P'tit Paradis, Mike Herzog, Ray Zahab, John Zahab, Solefit Orthotics, Bushutukah Great Outdoor Gear, Eric Collard, 5Peaks Trail Running, The Mad Trapper, Robert Scruton, Team Spider Tech, Mike Abraham and The Bear Run.

Instead of doing a silent auction I thought it would be fun to do it live! Plus, I've always wanted to be an auctioneer!

The first item on the block was a one night stay at a newly opened Bed & Breakfast just down the road from us here. This is a beautiful place and I thought it would serve our out-of-town racers nicely. And sure enough Rob Lefebvre from Cornwall grabbed that right away. If you want to check that out, please visit: http://www.aubergeduptitparadis.ca

From then on I was super happy to see that nearly all the items brought in close to their full value. After Ray personally explained what the foundation was about and how the money would be used, people seemed more than happy to open their wallets and their cheque books for such a worthy cause.

And if ever there was a lull in the action Pat Collard and Eric Collard were ever present to throw in a bid! I don't think they went home with too many items, but they definitely bid on a majority of them, ensuring a decent donation.

I also want to give special mention to Solefit Orthotics and Bushtukah Great Outdoor Gear. These two are already terrific supporters of the Mad Trapper and I really appreciate their willingness to dig into their resources once again to support the Mad Trapper and i2P. Please keep this in mind, next time you want to purchase something online from some unknown retailer who has no floor space or staff expenses. These guys aren't putting anything back into our community. We wouldn't have a community if it wasn't for the people behind places like Solefit Orthotics and Bushtukah.

But I digress.... At the end of the night, thanks to the generosity of our donors and the racers in attendance the Mad Trapper i2P Fundraiser raised $1070 towards supporting an i2P ambassador.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH to all of those involved!