Posted by & filed under 2019, Recaps.

On a day when many runners were woken by thunder, we got a little of everything on the track in Waterloo.

Full Stage 6 results including heats | Lap splits available at SpeedRiverTiming.com | Cumulative results after Stage 6

Women
Robyn Collins added a few minutes and sits 26 minutes up on Catherine Desrosiers. Vicki closed 23 seconds on Rebecca, who now leads for 3rd by 58 seconds.

Men
Josh Bolton outkicked Robert Brouillette in the men’s race and now stands 2:15 back. Josh is on track to finish as Sprint King. Both men have won three Stages. Aidan set a PB in 3rd.

Relay
H+P Men’s A picked up time on the record and now sits 1:01 back. Aidan Rutherford is running the marathon tomorrow and would need to beat the 2012 time of 2:52:36 by more than 1:01.

Sprint
Josh 5th fastest all-time, Rob 6th (also 3rd, 7th, 8th and 9th)
Robyn 4th fastest all-time (50s off of the record; also holds 10th fastest); 2nd (and 4th) fastest masters female
Robin set a new masters Sprint record by 1:01.

In the 17 year history of ENDURrun, this was the most substantial change, from a 10k time trial to a 10,000m track event. It was partly serendipity and partly by design. This track event is supposed to add an important running discipline to the ultimate test of running. For many (including Run Waterloo), it was their first track race. We’re excited by the feedback and will consider all options before announcing the format for 2020.

The track was a different mental challenge than the 10k TT. The heats kept things fresh and added a high degree of spectator friendliness to the Stage. Even if it was dark and rainy for the first heat, grey and drizzly for the second, and warm and sunny for the third, the track was a buzzing place and most joined the volunteers back in Conestogo for a swim.

Stay tuned for our Stage 7 primer later this evening. Tomorrow is not just any other Sunday.

Posted by & filed under 2019.

When you have a love/hate relationship with ski hills and associated trails, you need to draw inspiration.

We asked the Ultimates where they got it today.

  • Runner is Ken, he earned it! Volunteer …whoever decided on the pasta , it rocked my world!
  • The Hergott family are DA BOMB when it comes to volunteer stations. Derek just makes my day when I see that guy and his big red beard!
  • Michael Klein inspires me to be more handsome when I have no shirt on and Antoine Gauthier inspires me to look more like a Gazelle when I run. So sleek. I don’t know how he does it.
  • All the volunteers at the water stations were amazing. Offering lots of encouragement and having plenty of cups of water and Gatorade at the ready. Joanne at the top of the big hill with music from the 80’s was great too. And a special shout to my wife Kik and friend Carolyn who volunteered at the top coming out of the trail chute.
  • Hergotts are the best.
  • The girls at the Top of North rocked it for me – they engaged with each runner (well walker at top of that beast) and helped us get over the hill.
  • Val comes out every day, instead of crying at home, which is where I would be.
  • Well, inspired me would not be the best word to describe what I could more accurately call helping me. But, for sure, it is Carmen Bouffard since she agreed to run after my bottle of pre-mixed drink after each loop, and to put it back for me on the table for the next. Thanks.
  • I wanna shout out 2 volunteers – Joanne Bink was a super energetic cheer person (as usual – thanks Joanne) and Sandi Karl was really quick and efficient with refilling my water bottles. All volunteers were assertively helpful but these 2 stood out to me.

Plus a bonus question: what is your favourite part of the Chicopee course?

  • I have a new love relationship with Chicopee – could hardly run at beginning and the challenge of the hill took me a step closer to working through my glitches – running sometimes heals you:) i now think I can finish.
  • Dropping down into the single track sections – they were shaded, cooler, and serene, so beautiful.
  • As strange as it may sound to some people, my favorite part is the long up hill we have to do between 400m and the 1st kilometer of each loop. Why? Because something is happening, it is different from the flat parts we are used to. You really work on this one, but you don’t only try to survive like on the big one in front of the Chalet. And you can let yourself go, not like on the singles track where awareness in mandatory or like on the downhills where you feel your quads hurting while breaking. But as many will say, yes, the favorite part of the loop is near the finish line where we sit, eat and watch!
  • My favourite part of Chicopee today was running with Lumi.
  • My favourite part of the Chicopee loop is the top cause all the ambitious peeps who climbed up there to cheer. I think to myself, “it’s great that you’re up here – but how did you make the climb in those Birkenstocks?!”
  • Favorite part of the loop, the single track after the big climb under the chair lift.
    uphills are the most fun, breathing hard when going up is so fun.

  • I guess my favourite part is the top of the second ski hill heading into the trail. It means that I’ve finished that huuuuge hill and can have fun in the long trail portion.

Posted by & filed under 2019.

For the first time, Stage 6 is a 10,000m track race with heats.

These heats are based on Cumulative Time after Stage 5, with minor adjustments for Relay seed time.

We divided the field in to three heats of 22 runners. The first (fastest) heat starts at 7:00 a.m.; the second starts after the final runner of the first heat, not before 7:45 a.m.; the third starts after the final runner of the third heat, not before 8:45 a.m.

Heat 1

7:00 a.m.
Ultimate PositionRelay PositionnameSexBibCityAgeRelay Team NameAfter Stage 5
1Robert BrouilletteM1Cambridge270.28918981481481
2Josh BoltonM11Paris290.29081018518519
3Aidan RutherfordM2Waterloo220.3069212962963
4Robin Richard-CampeauM36St-leonard-d'aston400.32560185185185
5Christian BelairM3Summerstown440.33439814814815
6Nick BurtM13Kitchener250.33751157407407
7Ian GrzegorczykM52Waterloo270.34803240740741
8Dave RutherfordM38Waterloo550.3487962962963
9Robyn CollinsF129Waterloo420.35741898148148
10Reza SaputraM39Waterloo300.35872685185185
11Thaddeus HomewoodM25Listowel330.37027777777778
12Jack KilislianM31East York490.3740162037037
13Catherine DesrosiersF106Drummondville430.37447916666667
14Antoine GauthierM20Waterloo340.37989583333333
15Stefan GudmundsonM53Guelph490.38528935185185
16Rebecca KruisselbrinkF123Waterloo350.38719907407407
17Vicki ZandbergenF114Kitchener400.38813657407407
1Brendan HancockM205Baden28H+P Men's A0.31820601851852
3Dylan MunroM206Wellesley19H+P Men's B0.35142361111111
4Gillian WillardF211WaterlooH+P Women’s A0.35234953703704
8Josh LucreziM207London20H+P Men's C0.39372685185185
2Merzi DastoorM202Waterloo41H+P Masters Men A0.3422337962963

Heat 2

Not before 7:45 a.m.
Ultimate PositionRelay PositionnameSexBibCityAgeRelay Team NameAfter Stage 5
18Mitch WilsonM42Waterloo540.38917824074074
19Chris MintzM34Kitchener430.3912962962963
20Patrick KellyM30Ottawa560.39633101851852
21Savvas FarassoglouM18Ottawa390.3978587962963
22Caroline Samson-BelairF118Summerstown440.40293981481481
23Mike CoughlinM14Guelph450.40771990740741
24Merlin FreyM19Elmira540.40868055555556
25Denis AllenM4Kitchener570.41075231481481
26Patrick RobitailleM37Rockwood440.41209490740741
27Steven HunterM26Orangeville490.41621527777778
28Costas FarassoglouM17Ottawa390.42340277777778
29Jeanette ThompsonF120Cambridge430.42982638888889
30Tyler DaltonM15Kitchener340.43337962962963
31Andrew MoizerM35Merrickville600.4425
32Trevor BossM12Waterloo340.44650462962963
33Nikkole WelshF121Stratford360.45716435185185
34Andrea IozziF110Ajax580.45833333333333
6Matt HarropM208Kitchener26H+P Men's D0.38988425925926
9Jessica KuepferF212WaterlooH+P Women's B0.39554398148148
5Holger KleinkeM203WaterlooH+P Masters Men B0.38260416666667
7Sarah MillarF216Kitchener40Runners' Choice Ramblers0.39054398148148
15Chantelle ThompsonF210Kitchener36H+P Team Dalton0.50430555555556

Heat 3

Not before 8:45 a.m.
Ultimate PositionRelay PositionnameSexBibCityAgeRelay Team NameAfter Stage 5
35Robert BaxterM43Kitchener590.46366898148148
36Michael KleinM32Waterloo330.46681712962963
37Chris LadubecM44Waterloo390.46755787037037
38Ronald IrwinM27Durham580.48282407407407
39Andrew HeijM48Waterloo380.48577546296296
40William SpaetzelM41Kitchener360.48678240740741
41Susan MoizerF115Merrickville570.48728009259259
42Mark IshikawaM28Burlington550.49262731481481
43Diane LacombeF111Kitchener540.4959375
44Sharon DitnerF108Waterloo410.49983796296296
45Heather J. DewarF107Waterloo450.51640046296296
46Mark McDonaldM33Pickering370.5237037037037
47Maureen PecknoldF116Toronto510.54376157407407
48Sara BlanchettF105Kitchener410.55135416666667
49Ken B AndersonM5Kitchener760.59221064814815
50Deirdre LargeF112Waterloo530.60997685185185
13Melanie LynchF204Kitchener45H+P Masters Women0.46517361111111
12Ryan WongM213Bradford27Lifetime Fitness0.45262731481481
14Jenn TomlinsonF201Waterloo27H+P All Fit No Quit0.48787037037037
11Tracy MannF214Waterloo49Runners By Choice0.44759259259259
10Laura HewitsonF209Waterloo35H+P Team Boss0.43996527777778
16Paula LeeF215Kitchener39The Running Rarebits0.52962962962963

The decimals are percentages of a day. The HH:MM:SS format didn’t copy and it might be updated today.

Posted by & filed under 2019, Recaps.

Last year, Chicopee had heartbreak in store for Robyn Collins.

Crushing the 2018 ENDURrun, even a small setback (+5 min split from fastest to slowest lap) allowed Valery Hobson to drop the hammer and take a lead she would not relinquish. This year, Robyn ran a consistent and controlled race and cleared a major obstacle towards her first Ultimate championship. We are so happy for you Robyn! Catherine Desrosiers took the win today (her first of the week), but not enough to challenge Robyn as Trail Queen. Catherine sits 24:34 back, Rebecca another 18:19 back in 3rd. Vicki is 1:21 back.

On the men’s side, it was Robert Brouillette who won his third consecutive stage to finally pass Josh Bolton into first overall. This is the first time we have awarded a Gold Jersey to Rob other than at Stage 1. Josh Bolton, who also cleared a major hurdle in what he described as his first trail race, sits 2:20 back with 52.2 track and road kilometres to go. Aidan crushes his EB for 3OA. Robin is top Master. Rob will win Trail King.

Today was described as perfect weather, cooler and less humid than any year in recent memory. Trail conditions and shade on the course contributed to some amazing results today. All Ultimates who started Stage 5 finished, within the time limits, for the first time since 2013, and are all eligible to start Stage 6 tomorrow!

Shout out to Catherine D, Mike C, Will S for running their fastest lap last!

Record paces:
Rob and Josh ran the 3rd and 5th fastest times ever by Ultimates on Stage 5
Victoria S and Trish B ran relay records (female and masters female). Amy R ran a masters female guest record. Victoria’s time was the 5th fastest all-time (by any competitor, 3 min off all comers stage record)
Cumulatively, Rob is 22 min off of record pace, but 23s ahead of his personal best from 2017 and 3:25 behind the second fastest Ultimate performance
Robin is 12 min behind the masters male Ultimate record
Relay- H+P Men’s A now just 2:05 behind record pace, H+P Women’s A is 9min ahead of their own women’s relay record from last year, H+P Masters Men A are 13min ahead of their own masters record from last
Ken is the fastest (and first!) 70+ after 5 Stages
Andrea is the second fastest Women 50+, and the fastest 55+ after 5 Stages
Dave Rutherford is the fastest 55+ after 5 Stages
Andrew M. is the fastest 60+ after 5 Stages

Trail King/Queen
Remember: the athletes need to finish the marathon to stay on these rankings!
Rob is 3rd all-time (also 4th, 6th and 9th); Josh is 5th all-time; Aidan is 8th all-time
Robyn is 4th (and 5th) fastest female masters of all-time; Catherine D is 9th (and 8th) all-time female masters
Robin is 5th all-time masters; Christian 9th all-time (also 3rd from 2015)
Josh’s two times are separated by 3 seconds

Battles!
Rob B now has 2:20 lead over Josh B
Ian G passed Dave R today, now ahead by 1:06
Reza S had a great run today, now just 1:53 behind Robyn C
Catherine D just 40s back of Jack K (finished within 2s of each other today)
Vicki Z closed some of the gap on Rebecca K (3rd overall), now just 1:21 back
Mitch W still just 1:30 behind Vicki Z
Mike C had a strong run today, pulling ahead of Merlin F by 1:23
Patrick R just 1:56 behind Denis A
Nikkole W pulls ahead of Andrea I by 1:41
Chris L now just 1:04 behind Michael K
Andrew H pulls ahead of Will S by 1:27, who is 43s ahead of Susan M

Relays– top 3 relay runners finished within 18s of each other today! (Greg D, Jon F, Victoria S)
H+P Women’s A is 1:20 out of 3rd place
Runners’ Choice Ramblers is just 57s behind H+P Men’s D (7th and 8th places)

Personal improvements:
Rob B ran a 3:10 PB, now slightly ahead of his cumulative best after Stage 5
Aidan R was 7:33 faster than last year, now cumulatively 32 min ahead of his previous best
Ian G was 4:33 faster than last year, now cumulatively 20 min ahead of his previous best
Jack K faster today, and cumulatively, than he has been since 2009
Rebecca K ran a PB by 5 min today
Savvas F ran his fastest Stage 5 time since 2009 (out of 5 Ultimates)
Merlin F also ran a PB by 5 min
Denis A ran a PB by 6 min, now less than 2 min off of his ENDURrun best (cumulative time) from 2011
Chris L was 5:41 faster than last year, now cumulatively 23:39 ahead of his previous best
Will S ran a remarkable 40 min PB today, and is now cumulatively over 2 hours ahead of his previous best ENDURrun
Susan M ran a 15 min PB today
Mark I was 9 min faster than 2018, now cumulatively 24 min ahead of his previous best
This is Ken A’s 5th Ultimate attempt and the first time he has completed Stage 5!

Posted by & filed under 2019.

ENDURrun generates tons of media content. Here’s what’s up.

This relies on an a whole system of volunteers to help make your experience as good as possible.

Photos

2019 ENDURrun Stage 4: Sneak Peek

Our team of Julie Schmidt, Jeff Wemp, and Ryan McGovern (among others) is everywhere from capturing the range of emotions to editing and uploading photos. By the end of the week, there will be well over 10,000 photos posted to our Flickr page and tagged with the photographer’s name. Free for you to enjoy!

Video

Finish line video for all Stages is or will be posted to YouTube. 2019 Ultimate Will Spaetzel takes time out of his pre-race routine and recovery to set up cameras, edit and upload.

Check out this cool split screen video from Stage 4!

Online

Tags are automatically generated in the event results in the form of camera and video icons.

For video, it’s simple: video from every event except Stage 2 will be tagged directly to the results for finish time. You can also watch the video and find lap splits manually, where applicable.

For photo, there is more going on. Photos that are tagged (need a free Flickr account to tag) are flagged directly to names in the results. Tagging the photos is a manual process and is left to the crowd – runners, volunteers, and fans – so why not join. Everyone gets value out of the wealth of photo tags. It’s free, and being logged into Flickr is a better experience anyway.

We even found time this week to launch a new feature in beta: photo links on the cumulative standings. Thanks Sam Lalonde for your hard work.

So make sure to follow us on Flickr and YouTube to get the most out of our content, and every once in a while send some love to the volunteers that make this happen.

Posted by & filed under 2019.

Like summer camp or the final season of Game of Thrones, everything has an end to come to.

For ENDURrun, that is three days from now. In this context, we asked the Ultimates how they’re feeling.

Rookies
Mitch – I already feel a sense of accomplishment but still a ways to go. I am taking it one stage at a time. The enjoy part usually comes after I cross the finish line :).
Mikey – It feels really good to be more than halfway through the week. There is a really good vibe with the entire group of runners, feels like we’re all in this together. Like a night at camp, maybe because it was getting dark last night at after the race. To maximize enjoyment of the 2nd half, I’m going to cheer on everybody else. I have the confidence from the 1st half to carry me through. I’m competing against myself more than anything. Sunday is Marathon #2 for me, so it’s time to see what sort of performance I can give with so much energy already used.
Reza – Really enjoying the hills.
Pat R – Was really cool to see the 80km placard last night! Spent some time studying terrain maps for the next 80k 😜

Alumni
Merlin – Ah, yes, this is always a bittersweet situation! – glad that half of the struggle is past, but sad that the “vacation” is half over! I plan to simply make the most of the remaining week, enjoy every moment. Thanks ENDURrun, for a wonderful week!
Rebecca – I am signing up for next year, probably Friday night! Best prophylaxis against post ENDURrun syndrome that I know!
Bob – I didn’t think I’d be hobbling in stage 3 or 4. It is questionable whether this old body will earn “one tough runner” this year. Wake up decision Friday.
Denis – It was a really good first half. I find the second half is the tough one, the alpine and marathon run are the make or break ones for me. Looking forward to the challenge and putting another year in the books.
Nikki – We still have two pretty big runs left, so it still feels a little daunting… Stretch, yoga, stretch, yoga…
Ron – It’s going great, getting stronger every day and plotting my run up to next years race….now back to eating!
Robin – Feel like in the middle of something, not the beginning anymore, neither the end. Times goes by very fast and it comes with the feeling that many miles have been covered, but it also feels like there is still a lot of running to do. That is how both body and mind are feeling right now. So, I don’t know which amount of joy there will be into the second half. There was pleasure with the people in the first half, some crossing of the finish lines with a sense of accomplishment, but also the slow filling of a mental reservoir now loaded with the memories of tough times and painful work during most of the stages. Second half may be quite the same. As always. And that never prevented me from coming back! That said, I don’t know how so many runners do to come be there every year. They either stay a little further from their own true potential, or they feed themselves more with the people’s support. For me, I will live the second half as it will be, hopefully with a lot of satisfaction, but I am prepared to face the stages even if they don’t come with much enjoyment. To stay focus until it’s over, I only let a place for the kind of joy that concerns the people with who I share the experience, and the kind of joy that helps build confidence for the stages to come.

Posted by & filed under 2019.

We took some time on our day off to chat with Joyce.

If you’ve been around ENDURrun for the past five years, you definitely know Joyce. She is the ball of lightning that is doing so many different things, and always with a smile. Here’s our interview:

Who are you?
My name is Joyce and I am the mother of Robert, one of the ultimate runners.

Do you look forward to ENDURrun every year?
YES!!! I work out my work schedule to make sure I can attend and be involved. I love the excitement, visiting with friends & watching all the athletes conquer the stages.

What do you do for Team Brouillette and what are your volunteer roles?
Besides being his #1 fan I drive, I’m at the start and finish line of each stage, take pictures, hand him his water & gels at different points in the race, (I’ve done a lot of running over the years) and of course hoot and holler. As a volunteer I try to help where ever I’m needed. I’ve prepared food, done clean up, water stations, set up/take down of tents, and gather the used cups and sponges.

Is it stressful at all?
There are minor moments of stress, but the whole week is so fun that those tiny moments fade quickly.

How many Stages have you been to / missed over the years?
I think I might have missed a couple the first year, but have been to all 7 stages the past 4 years.

2016 ENDURrun Stage 1: Half Marathon

How do you pronounce Brouillette?
LOL! Brewyet

Any funny or interesting anecdotes?
The race at Bechtel park this year was quite the adventure. (as I said previously, I do a lot of running) I was at the start line to give water/gels to Robert & Josh, running to get the discarded bottles, then running and backtracking to get to the 1st downhill path with sponges.
I’m not sure how many kms I did. It wasn’t til the last time that I figured out to drive over!!!
I also had the privilege of running in with Robert (heading to the finish line) for about 100m twice at Stage 7 (pictured above, from 2018).

What did you think when Rob got into running?
I was glad. High school can be a tough time for teens, but he chose to have a passion for running. He had lots of positive influences around him, the coaches, other athletes & friends.

What do you think about all his accomplishments?
I am proud of him. He has accomplished a lot, and because of that he has had the opportunity to take part in both the Vancouver & Calgary marathons for 2 yrs. Qualified for the Boston marathon 17x. He has worked very hard and stayed true to himself through the challenges of daily routines, workouts and training.

What’s next for you guys?
Fortunately for me, I will be going to Spain with Robert in September. He was awarded the trip from winning a previous race he competed in.

Posted by & filed under 2019, 2020.

From Lloyd Schmidt, Race Director

Already, 2019 has been a truly great year. It looks like a lot of hard work and commitment is showing in the performances this year, with so many PB’s and EB’s.

Lately I’ve been hearing lots of excitement about the track race, the great competition, and the event in general. And don’t those singlets look great?

By now I am seeing more socializing and the new participants already feel like old ones. Volunteers have been excellent, as always. Everyone is well fed, and yet hungry at the same time.

We shattered records for signups and total runners this year, and whether you ran 12.9k or are wearing gold, your participation and performance are valuable.

But despite the numbers, but won’t get as many Ultimates to the finish line as we had hoped. As we open registration for 2020, we welcome you to take the plunge twelve months out. Our time-tested advice: early commitment plus a full year of training blocks is the best recipe for getting you to the finish line, tired, but healthy. You will have the most supportive group to motivate your training. We believe in this formula and have a $100 earlybird promo to incentivize it. Join our facebook group or ask someone who is for the code. Until midnight on September 1.

Posted by & filed under 2019, Recaps.

Hills, check. Sunset, check. Feast, check. Mosquitoes, check.

Extra rest before and after Stage 4 makes it an interesting challenge. Well done participants – we’re halfway there.

Results

Robert Brouillette edged a 47 second victory, but Josh Bolton retains the Gold Jersey by 1:06 heading into the rest day. Aidan Rutherford ran a huge EB and his 3rd place time sits 10th all-time after fours Stages.

Robyn Collins added another few minutes to her overall lead, and Catherine Desrosiers extended her hold on second place.

Here are some interesting battles we’re following:
Rob B. 1:06 back of Josh B.
Robyn C. 1:49 back of Ian G.
Catherine D. 0:38 back of Jack K.
Rebecca K., Stefan G., Vicki Z., Mitch W. and Antoine G. all within 3:50
Caroline S.-B. 0:10 back of Savvas F.
Tyler D. 0:44 back of Costas F.
Will S. 0:06 back of Ronald I.
Sara B. 1:07 back of Maureen P.
Vicki and Rebecca 2:44 apart (3rd and 4th)

An eye on the records:
Josh B. 8:01 behind men’s Ultimate record
Robyn C. 2:32 behind women’s Ultimate record, 6:59 ahead of women’s masters Ultimate record
Robin R.-C. 5:23 behind men’s masters Ultimate record
H+P Men’s A 0:40 ahead of relay record
H+P Women’s A 8:42 behind women’s relay record
H+P Masters Men A 9:13 ahead of masters relay record

Notables:
Amy Robitaille set a female masters record for guest competitors
Rob tied his 2017 time, 2nd fastest by an Ultimate competitor
Robin has run Stage 4 three times, all performances within 38 seconds of each other
Merlin ran a stage-best by 1:26 and is now within 3 minutes of his cumulative best time
Will ran a stage-best by 9:01

We launched registration for 2020 today. Join our facebook group, or ask an ENDURrunner for a $100 promo code to encourage early signups.

Posted by & filed under 2019.

Chris Mintz is fundraising for KidsAbility.

ENDURrun doesn’t have a problem making people sweat, but Mintz has taken it to the next level with this amazing fundraising campaign. You’ve probably seen these challenges all over social media for the past month, and it just keeps getting better.

The stakes get raised

Beyond the campaign, knowing Mintz, he had obviously planned to enjoy a casual rookie year. Then his training partner Trish Benoit – having run the ENDURRun Ultimate in 2017 – challenged him to beat her times. With each stage time he beat, she would donate $20 to KidsAbility. As a bonus. If he could beat her cumulative time, there would be a $50 added donation at the end of the race.

After three stages Mintz has earned $60 for KidsAbility from Trish and has an 15:08 lead on her 2017 time. The stakes got raised for Stage 5 – not only is Chris chasing her 2017 but she is also running the stage for the Running Rarebits relay team – and he is chasing her in real life!

Watch it unfold

Watch for this charity challenge to unfold on Mintz’s social @dieselRuns (twitter / instagram) or on facebook

At the time of writing, Chris is 90% of the way to the goal on his fundraising page, and we suspect this is not done yet!!