Windy Westcoast Weekend: Part 2

[The first half of this post was written back in May '10 the second half was done from long distant memory]

Another Sunday morning another pre 6am alarm call. This week  was so I could go and cheer on the runners from PRR who were taking part in the BMO Vancouver International Marathon. At 5:45 am the weather looked great, cool and very slightly overcast and it seemed we would be in for a good day. With the race start at 7 am I decided that cycling down would allow me to chase the runners around the course and get to several spectator points to give them a shout and to have a go at practicing race photography.

The ride down was good, it seems that my body has started to accept the idea that I will be cycling and I had no massive problems with comfort which was a nice change. With no traffic on the road I headed straight downtown and got there just in time to park up and make my way to the front of the starting chute and see if I could find everyone. Terry and Dan were easy to find and Susan having been chosen for as an elite got to warm up before being put at the front for the start. I couldn't find Karen and wasn't sure who else was running from the club. I managed to cross the road and get myself a perch right in front of the start line and just before the gun went off, it started to rain.

I hadn't come prepared for the rain but it was a light drizzle and still looked like it would clear up quickly so I wasn't worried too for me but thought it sucked for the runners waiting to head off, the last thing you want is to get wet before you even start.

The gun went and it was a pretty cool sight having 7,000 odd people run past you but also a bit of a pain as I hadn't really thought it through that well. I had crossed the road to get my prime spot for photo taking, leaving my bike on the other side. After a few minutes of taking shots of the start I thought I would head to my first spectator point only to realise I wasn't going to be crossing the road any time soon as people were still pouring across the start line, so I waited, and waited, and waited... It takes a fair old chunk of time to get that many people going especially when the road is only a couple of lanes wide, so I waited, and waited...

After about 10 minutes it started to thin out but at this point I was viewing it like a game of frogger. The last thing I wanted to do was get in the way of anyone crossing the start line, as a runner I know how angry I get having to dodge pedestrians during a race. Every time a space would seem to open up a fast runner would zoom by who had either turned up late or just as likely got stuck in a queue for the porta-potties. As the last few runners came by I managed to get back across, retrieved my bike and set off to catch up with the race leaders. 

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32 Months later....

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As the course winds through East Van, China town and then Gas town, I skipped across the a few blocks to capture them at the 5 km mark. Parking up and sitting myself down on the curb just in time to see the front pack go past. To watch professional runners is amazing, they really do seem to glide effortlessly at such a fast pace. I used these fast guys and girls as practice shots until PRR came by.

The back story to this race is that due to many and various injuries, this was a bit of a comeback race for many of my friends. Susan, Terry, Karen and friend of PRR David Parkin had all decided that as personnel records were probably out of reach for today, they chose to make things more interesting and motivate themselves by placing a beer bet. A beer to the winner from each competitor.

The first person to appear out of the masses was Dan with Susan seconds behind and David right on her shoulder. Terry was past moments later and Karen right after that. They all looked strong and happy to be racing again... the fools :) At this point in the race they even managed a smile and a wave.

Back on the bike and now I was following the parallel to the course so had to get a move on to get ahead of them for more photo opportunities. Cycling into Stanley Park (larger then New York's Central Park) I hit the gravel trails through the middle whilst the runners went round the outside on the seawall.

The bike started rattling a little at this stage and as it was only a few weeks in I was a little concerned but equally committed to getting my shots and cheering everyone on.

Arriving seconds before Dan blew by, I managed to cheer them all through and snap a few shots in the now heavy drizzle. The race order was the same if a tiny bit more spread and those smiles came just a little bit harder this time.

Another quick pedal to get to the top of the only major hill in the race and at this time the rattling was more pronounced and it seemed the brakes had shifted further round on the handlebar. But with no time to spare I grabbed my shots, yelled encouragement as they pushed hard up towards Prospect Point and was back on the bike to try and see them at the start of the down. Due to a wrong turn in the park I missed all but Karen, I grabbed a couple of quick shots and decided to get to the finish to watch them all come in.

From the top of Prospect Point the race takes over the road so the only way down is to follow the trail system down to Second Beach. As soon as I set off I noticed the handlebar was now spinning round more freely so the brakes kept being in the wrong location. As I wasn't carrying tools my options were limited and I was in a rush to try and beat the runners back. Never known for my smart decisions I gripped the brakes and remember thinking that they should see me through.

The trail down is gravel covered and not overly sleep. The bike while not strictly designed for rough trails it does have suspension on the front and should have been more than capable of dealing with this. It was not. To be fair to the bike I was the one who put it together so I accept a certain male deer stops with me but still, as I progressed further down the track the bike began to shake itself apart. The handlebar, not content with rotating around, started sliding from side to side. Frankly it scared the beegeebees out of me. I had picked up speed by this point and the brake levers had moved out of reach. Hammering down the path with limited control and each meter another part of the bike was shaking loose. First the seat joined the party in working loose then the kickstand, it was cartoonish in its timing. 

Two or three pedestrians had to be warned off to the side as I barreled past. Probably thinking I was more rude than a victim of my own transport I shouted apologies and hoped that no pushchairs or elderly would appear which would necessitate a swerve into the bush and trees. This was something I was thinking plenty about. Like a truck whose brakes had gone I was looking for an escape route off to the side that I could roll to a stop. Unfortunately big trees and sharp looking bushes did not appeal.

Thankfully no men carrying a pane of glass or a woman pushing her newborn crossed my path and after a rollercoster ride to the bottom of the hill my many prays to all the deities I could name did there work and I came to a shaky stop. Removing the kickstand was the easiest option for that and tightening the seat was straight forward enough, the handlebar was not having any of it. So rather risk taking out innocent bystanders I made of on foot to the finish. 

Rather unsurprisingly, everyone had finished by the time I got back and meet up with them. All the challengers had done great on the day but the final order of finishers were Susan 1:36:16, David 1:36:39, Terry 1:38:54 and Karen 1:41:10. So Susan drank well and for free for several days after. There were several other PRR members out there and Dan was the fastest on the day in 1:35:30. 

Congrats to all the runners that day. It was wet, windy and generally unpleasant to be out but you all showed what our club is all about... being just a little crazy.

As for me, it was a skytrain home and an hour or so with a toolkit and some stern words to my bike. A side note is that I now check key components before I ride.