There will be plenty of people heading down the highway looking for adventure for the 25th consecutive year this weekend near Longview.
The Kananaskis 100-mile relay is this Saturday and there will be 1,800 participants running legs of a approximately 15km each as the teams make the journey from Longview to the Kananaskis Village.
The community of Okotoks will once again be well represented as there will be one team from the Big Rock Runners and another consisting from the foothills club and other runners from the area.
The runners will have a good time despite the gruelling course. The scenery is beautiful and there is a sense of camaraderie as runners give their all to finish their respective legs for their teams.
I have had the opportunity to participate in two of the K-100s in the 1990s, with mixed results, both times I was with a team from Vulcan.
My team members probably wished they had the U.S.S. Enterprise for a support vehicle and maybe Bones as a runner.
The first year, I was semi-respectable, running the scenic eighth leg — I think, I recall there were plenty mountains and trees and stuff —and I was in reasonably good shape.
The only issue was our support vehicle, which happened to be my ultra-cool Fifth Avenue.
I didn’t die in the race, but my car did.
Yep. My lack-of-support vehicle meant we had to call in someone from Vulcan to come pick us up. The next da, a Sunday, I had to get my car towed and then wait for a mechanic to fix something under the hood.
The next year, in spite of having someone else’s vehicle, was in some ways even more disastrous.
I had spent the night before the run “covering” the Vulcan Kinsmen Club’s year-end party.
I did what all running experts recommend — drink plenty of liquids the day before the race.
I knew I was in trouble the next day, when I woke up and my mouth was so dry, I thought I had already ran my leg.
I was in big trouble. Not only did I feel like I spent the night partying with Keith Richards, it suddenly dawned on me I had gained some weight.
It turns out being a Kinsmen and playing golf followed by the required stop at the 19th hole for a beverage and the Long-Drive burger wasn’t exactly the ideal cross-training for running 10 miles.
Fortunately, I was able rely on my quasi-experience as a runner, and was able to stumble to my teammate after a long 10 miles.
One of my teammates told me he had seen dead people who were in better shape. I had to respect his opinion. He’s a doctor.
Fortunately, the Okotoks contingent won’t have to worry. They are all quality runners and good guys and ladies.
There will be no issues. As Big Rock Runner Wayne Wiebe told me just Monday after I struggled in a race in Winnipeg on the weekend: “They are all good runs when you are done.”
The K-100 is definitely a good run.
It brings plenty of people to Longview and the Kananaskis Country.
You can be guaranteed there will be plenty of runners and their families who will stop into Longview area restaurants and fill up at gas stations going to and from the event.
The proceeds also go towards a worthwhile cause, Hostelling International Canada. The money will help maintain hostels across the country.
It has been close to 20 years since I have taken in the K-100. It’s about time I go back.
So I plan to be there and take pictures of the Okotoks teams when the starting gun goes off in Longview.
I’m 20 years older and no longer a Kinsmen, so waking up and getting to Longview shouldn’t be an issue.
If my car does break down this time, there may not be a better place in Canada than to spend a lazy day in June.
The key word for me is lazy.
Maybe next year I can whip myself into better shape and give the scenic run another try. After all, they are all good runs when you are done. Especially when you are running in the K-Country with friends.
