Shannon MacLeod: "It doesn't have to be fun to be fun"

Nice slogan! Should have backed out once hearing this!

The Rubble Creek Classic climbs from Cheakamus Lake trail up (2915ft) and across Helm Creek flats giving spectacular panoramic views along the way. With the final a knee jarring decent of 4015ft. to finish at the Rubble creek Parking lot.
Approximate distance: 26km.

This race is very casual. No bibs, markers, or aid stations. Oh and they said it was a good idea to time yourself. Ha! No start line, no finish line. "3,2,1, GO!" So I did. Not so fast though. The 2915ft climb stopped me dead in my tracks. Power hiked most of it. Wanted to cry near the top. Just wanted to be done with climbing. Crossing Helm creek was frosty, running on packed ice/snow. So pretty though. You keep running across looking out at Black tusk-cool! Some lakes to run around, and a large stream crossing. Then the decent starts. Along the hillside for the first bit, don't lose your step or you're in for a long fall!

The last 7.7k is a switch back downhill to the Garibaldi parking lot. Bone rattling stomp to the finish. Switch backs actually made me dizzy, and rounding them was sketchy-focus! Then all the yahoos hiking up didn't leave much room. Plus one was smoking! Gross. Anyways running downhill that long made my uterus want to come out, not to mention other things.
The body pounding finally ended at the parking lot where dude says" Hey whats your name?" I say " Shannon MacLeod" he writes it on his clipboard. I say "Am I done? Can I stop?" Then I beeline for the bathroom! Time:3:06 (give or take a minute) I forgot to press STOP. I really wanted 2:45. Drive back up to Cheakamus to retrieve vehicle was also a bone shaker. Something fell off my truck. I didn't retrieve it. Truck still works.