From snowshoe first-timers to race regulars, the Off the Edge snowshoe race at Dakota Ridge drew in a competitive and fun-seeking crowd for five- and 10-kilometre races last Saturday.
The race was organized by Gary and Lydia Jackson, owners of Off the Edge Adventure Sports in Sechelt. The Jacksons hiked the various trails on Dakota Ridge while Lydia was seven months pregnant, designing a course that was both beautiful and challenging. Part of the course had not yet had a trail blazed, so the Jacksons have dubbed it "Pregnant Lady."
For Gary, the race wasn't about winners and losers or even about setting personal best times. He just wanted to see people getting out to use Dakota Ridge and encourage a re-introduction of the ancient, yet awkward joy of snowshoeing.
"To give something that old a facelift is very challenging," he said.
With an emphasis on a fun, relaxed event, Gary even recommended racers take a few minutes to drink water and have a granola bar while enjoying the view of Howe Sound from the meadow on the back half of the track.
The race drew in 46 runners and 15 volunteers as well as a host of spectators and supporters.
Temperatures on the Ridge hovered around the freezing mark, and spectators and organizers stayed close to the finish line to cheer on every racer as they made their final sprints.
Shaun Stephens-Whale, a 19-year-old Roberts Creek resident, won the 10-kilometre race with a time of 1:05:03.
He took the title even after a brief detour taking him in the wrong direction. Stephens-Whale realized his mistake and sprinted back to the course, taking him out of the lead for the first and only time in the race.
"I was just zoning out. No one is to blame for that," he said grinning and still reeling from his arduous win. He said the mishap set him back by about one minute.
Sebastian Sleep of Gibsons took second place in the junior men's category.
In the 10-kilometre race, Brian McCurdy of Vancouver won the open men's while Glen Illingsworth of Sechelt placed third in the category. Sasha Brown of Vancouver took first place in the open women's category. The masters men's title went to Bruce Spicer of North Vancouver while the 50+ class was taken by Dan Weinhandl of Gibsons.
In the five-kilometre race, Max Schlickenrider, a German exchange student living in Gibsons, won the junior men's class. Scott Hedlund of North Vancouver won the open men's class while Luke Till and David Till of Sechelt tied for third place. Tanya Staunton of Vancouver won the open women's class. In the masters men's race, Keith Comeau of Sechelt and Sam Adams of Roberts Creek took first and second respectively. Cheryl Webb of North Van won the masters women's category. The top two positions in the men's 50+ class went to Roberts Creek resident Ian Whale and Richard Till of Sechelt.
Deb Manning and Sue Duxbury of Gibsons took first and second place in the 50+ women's class.
Sheane Reid, parks and recreation planner for the Sunshine Coast Regional District, said the event was a great success even before the race began. Reid said he expects next year's Off the Edge race to bring volumes more participants once word about it spreads to Vancouver.
At the end of the race, snowshoers were rewarded with snacks and hot coffee by the event's sponsors, Wilson Creek Marketplace IGA and the Daily Roast in Sechelt.
