Welcome…

We are a BC Athletics affiliated running club located on the Sunshine Coast of BC. We welcome runners of all ages and abilities, from Port Mellon to Lund and everywhere in between. New members welcome: start enjoying the benefits of being part of our club!

Organizing your own event? Equipment rental available.

Club News and Notices

See recent club results/reports/photos — Frank McKenna's racing in Palm Springs, XTerra World Trail Running Champs, Gunner Shaw Memorial XC

SCA Facebook page AVID Facebook page Wordpress AVID Runners' Forum

Upcoming races:

Feb 12: Tour de Trail 5k & 10k, Powell River

Challenging and fun trail run in Powell River. Big climb in the middle of the 10k but well worth the effort for the long decline on the far side of the loop. New course this year! Great post-run breakfast on site. See Avid Fitness website for more info.

Mindful Strides Clinic?

We've posted a poll on our Facebook page asking if you'd be interesting in attending a 1-day Mindful Strides clinic with Masters runner extraordinaire Marilyn Arsenault if we organized one here on the Coast. This would be an incredible opportunity to improve your running efficiency and decrease the chances of injury. Please vote or email if you're interested!

Sunshine Coast Trails website

Check out this awesome website for a guide to all the trails on the Sunshine Coast. Maps, directions, descriptions, and more. www.sunshine-coast-trails.com

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Recent Race Results & Event Reports

Xterra World Trail Running Championship 2011, December 3, Oahu, Hawaii

Roger's race report:

With 687 entries in the 21km championship race I was really happy to receive elite numbering, the top 100 racers were given front-of-the-pack positioning at the start. The skies were overcast at this point which provided a little respite from the full heat of the sun, much appreciated by any non-Hawaiian residents. The pace was super fast at the cannon (yup, cannon, it startled some competitors around me due to its loud blast), people jockeyed aggressively for position as the trail narrowed down to 10 feet wide after a couple of hundred metres. I found myself defending my position using my elbows for the first time in a trail race that I can remember. Things settled down after the first minute and more normal racing ensued. Fortunately the single track didn't commence until about the 4 km mark where the initial climb turned back down the valley onto more technical dirt trails. By that time the field was slightly strung out but I had to make sure that I didn't get trapped behind other runners as we started to descend.

After 8km we had cycled back to the bottom of the valley and the ocean shore where we took a sharp right-hand turn, ran across the bottom of a range of mountains before starting up the next valley. This middle 7km section of the course was the hardest with several steep climbs and descents which was made even harder by the emergence of the full strength of the sun as the early morning overcast cleared. I was shocked by the deadening effect of that sun, my legs immediately became really heavy and sluggish. I really struggled through this part of the race, concentrating on survival more than anything else.

Finally I reached the high point of the race, a ridge between the two valleys, from where the course descended back into the valley that we had started from. Fabulous views were to be had but frankly I barely registered them, it was head-down-and-keep-pushing time. This section was a relief as foliage was abundant and sheltered us from the direct sun. It was very steep and technical to begin with and I found I was able to make up ground and pass other racers when previously I had merely fought to hold on. Nevertheless, these last 7 kms were just as challenging as the climbs, speed had picked up but tired legs were prone to getting tangled in roots and branches. I saw other racers fall and as I neared the last kilometre one racer was completely unconscious sprawled across the middle of the track face as white as a sheet. First aid workers had arrived but they weren't moving him so we detoured into the bush to get around.

At last the finish straight appeared out of the trees and I was truly thankful that only a couple of hundred metres remained. The heat and humidity had completely drained me, it was all I could do to keep upright after crossing the finish line.

Canadians performed very well overall in the championships: a young male Brandon Laan finished 7th overall and Victoria's Lucy Smith was second female overall. Triathlete Melanie McQuaid was 43rd overall (5th female). I finished 88th overall, first in the M55 age group and was the 6th placed Canadian overall. I was really happy with my time of 1:56:47 as my struggles in the middle of the race made me question if I could get under two hours on the day. But I ended up finishing 6 minutes ahead of the second place male in my division, also a Canadian. The age group championship really picked me up when I heard — amazing how quickly the body can turn itself around with a good boost of adrenaline!

21k
1:56:47  Roger Handling  1st M55-59

Gunner Shaw Memorial XC, December 3, Vancouver

As usual a great way to end the XC season. Conditions were quite pleasant with no wind at all and dry both above and (mostly) below. Even the stagnant smelly creek was nearly empty this year. The "puddle from hell" was barely enough to wet the soles of the shoes. We DID get our feet wet in the ocean though, where it was much easier to splash along the waterline than flounder in the soft sand higher up. Mystery object on the course at about the 4k mark: a life-sized teddy bear with clothing on, lying on the ground under a bicycle, with a bunch of bags. Hmm.
The Nightingales came home with a nice tri-colour set of ribbons. Alex placed 14th overall in the 5k, right in there with several 18-20 yr olds. It was also his fastest 5k to date by about 2 minutes — and this is NOT a fast course. He's been training...
Photos by Leo Lam. There's also some video on Facebook!

5k
23:50  Alex Nightingale   3rd M15&U
32:52  David Dick         3rd M60-69

10k
38:01  Larry Nightingale  1st M45-49
43:12  Teresa Nightingale 2nd F45-49

Canadian National XC Championships, November 26, Vancouver

Classic cross country conditions at this one, with rain, wind and LOTS of MUD! Not too cold (about 7 degrees) but with the wind it was definitely chilly in a couple of sections (each loop). In the Masters 8k, the largest women's division was the 45-49 group, with 13! On the men's side, the 45-49 and 50-54 each had 19. Times were ALL slow due to the conditions, plus the course was 150m more than 8k. Photos courtesy of Vid Wadhwani.

Masters 8k
31:16  Larry Nightingale  11th M45-49
33:35  Roger Handling      9th M55-59
35:33  Teresa Nightingale  8th F45-49

Fraser Valley XC Ramble 6.4k, November 20, Abbotsford

It was cold with some snow on the ground, but the sun was peeking out and there was absolutely no wind, so with the right layers, quite comfortable once warmed up! This was supposed to be a spike-friendly course but about 1/4 of each lap was on hard trail or gravel (some paved path)... had to run off to the side a bit. But the spikes were definitely needed for the rest.

23:04  Larry Nightingale  2nd M40-49
25:59  Teresa Nightingale 1st Female & F40-49

Races in Palm Springs

Frank McKenna has been trouncing the competition down south this fall... he reports that the local head geezer is not pleased.

Tram Road Challenge 6k, Oct 29, Palm Springs (500 to 2,643 ft climb)
50:12  Frank McKenna  1st M80-84 

Gay Pride 5k, Palm Springs
29:40  Frank McKenna  1st M80+

La Quinta Park 5k
28:06  Frank McKenna  1st M80+

First Annual Skyborne Half-Marathon
2:13:32 Frank McKenna 1st M80+

Read 2011 archived news here | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007

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Sunshine Coast Athletics

Running Club