Volleying like a pro....

Most people would think I would go insane having to adopt a policy of total inactivity (ie no swimming, no cycling, no aquajogging, no gym, not even walking far or fast) to give my leg a final chance to actually heal....but I am actually a natural couch potato, and love sitting there watching TV/films and stuffing my face (Ok, so I occasionally feel a twinge of guilt but have been working on suppressing that).

About where we were.....

It did seem a shame to be on holiday in beautiful British Columbia and not be able to run in the amazing countryside, but I still wanted to get involved with the local trail community and so jumped at the chance of helping my friend (and former GB teammate) Ellie man (er...woman...) an aid station for the "Buckin' Hell" races on Mount Seymour (overlooking Deep Cove on Vancouver's North Shore).

We had company in the form of Jim Swadling (a former Kiwi living in Vancouver who is still a competitive runner in his 70s) who kindly picked us up (and had already picked up all the supplies the day before) and drove us up the mountain. We had to make sure we got there in plenty of time to be well ahead of the lead runners, and the aid station (known as "Mushroom Aid Station" though I never found out why) would need to be manned for a long time as runners on both the 30K and 50K routes would pass through on their way out and on their way back.

Ellie setting up the table

"I carried a watermelon"...or two!!

We set up a table and got to work chopping up fruit (watermelons, bananas and oranges), unscrewing jars of pickles, flattening bottles of coke, and setting out trays of choc chip cookies (I "had" to check them to make sure they tasted OK), pretzels, crisps, M&Ms and gels. It was a then an anxious half hour praying that the water would be delivered to us in time to set up taps and funnels, and mix up the electrolyte before the first runners arrived.

Vital components of an aid station -
pickle juice and a cowbell!

I wandered off (with a cowbell in case I spotted a runner) to see a bit of the course, and it appeared that no one would be approaching us for the first time at speed as they had a very steep rough track to climb....but it wasn't long before the first man appeared up it. I gave him a loud cheer (and made lots of noise with the cowbell) to alert the others and then went back to the aid station. I watched what they did for him so I would know for the rest of the runners. This started a pattern of calling to a runner as they approached to ask what they'd like us to do for them. We'd offer water, coke or electrolytes for their bottles and also a cup (makeshift cups from juice cartons with the tops cut off) of something there and then (we recycled said cups or they folded them up and popped them into a pocket for later). Most people stopped and ate some of the food on offer, but as the day progressed our chest full of ice became the thing that was most in demand.

Ellie ad I working hard

Initially the runners were spread out, as we were at a different point on the outward trajectory of the two races (and the 50k also had relay runners) but they'd also started an hour apart. After a short while, people started to bench up and arrived thick and fast. We were run off our feet trying to help them all while keeping the table and barrels well stocked......let's just say that the "service became less personalised". Luckily we got some extra support in the form of three willing helpers (they were out of course supporting the wife of one of them) as otherwise we'd have gone mad. Other people took the cowbells off a bit further down the trail and did some cheering and encouragement as I'm afraid that we didn't have the time to do much of that.

Phil - one of our helper angels - whose
wife was taking part

The mad rush quietened down, our helpers headed off, and we could deal with the more strung out runners who were covering the course at a slightly more leisurely pace. It was still fairly nonstop so I didn't get a chance to go and check out any of the surrounding woods/mountainside. There was an added complication in that the leading runners passed by our aid station for the second time (either 6K or 12k from the finish depending on their course) when the tail end of the main pack of runners were still going up. Without meaning to treat anyone preferentially, they were more keen to get a drink/fuel with the minimum about of time wasted, whereas those going up often wanted to stop and have a chat/breather/some encouragement. We also had to work out who was going in what direction in order to direct them the right way.

The 30K route

The 50K option

Ellie had been on the radio to HQ from time to time to let them know if people were pulling out and how they are going to get back to the start/finish, and to ask if it was possible to get restock a of certain supplies (eg the pickles and pickle juice were fast running out as a lot of people were cramping in the heat.....that was a new lesson for me...pickle juice for cramps - some of them drank it neat!!!!). You can try to encourage people to take certain things, eg we had limited amounts of watermelon as that was going down exceptionally well, but endless oranges, so we cut up more oranges and displayed them more prominently. Our biggest headache (almost literally) was running out of water, so I offered coke as a first option before electrolytes and water. It seemed as if Ellie was never off the radio begging for a water and ice drop (I had had to stoop to using the meltwater from the bottom of the ice chest and we hadn't been able to make up any more electrolyte mix). We were starting to panic as although we were in the shade of the woods (with concomitant mossies), it was a tough course on a hot day....

Luckily, the water and ice arrived before a lot of the field (with our 3 guardian angels again to help us out). It was all hands on deck again and there was little time for chat. We hadn’t stopped since heading up there at 8am and it was now approaching 2pm, so when a few other volunteers arrived to take over from us, it was more than welcome. The outward cutoff was well past and the bulk of the field had already gone through toward the finish so we felt that they would manage with the supplies that were left and so Jim drove us down to Deep Cove so I could see a bit more of the race atmosphere (it was lovely to be able to sit on a seat rather than on 10 watermelons as I had done on the way up!).

Beautiful Deep Cove

With Gary (Race Director)

Deep Cove was beautiful ....the finish was in a park right on the waterfront and Gary Robbins (the race director) was greeting each and every runner with a hug and a medal (his T-shirt must’ve been lovely and smelly from all those sweaty hugs!). It was lovely to meet him, grab a coffee and some pizza, and watch some of those runners I’d remembered passing through our aid station now crossing the line, tired but happy. Everyone appeared to have loved their day.....including me. It showed me what a fabulous running community there is in Vancouver and how you can still be a major part of it, even if you’re not running (through injury....or just by being a volunteer that has never run). Thanks for a wonderful day to one and all.....