Three Races in the Fall
- bradstewart97
- Jan 14
- 12 min read
Everyone likes a comeback story. Why? Because it’s relatable. It’s inspiring. It’s uplifting. It is the reward we get from having gone through something unfortunate and turning it into an opportunity. Some comeback stories end with a victory, a podium finish, or maybe a top 10 placement. Other stories just end with the protagonist having come back to the thing they love to do. While my comeback story is still being written, this past fall I was given several opportunities to write multiple chapters in my book and for that I am eternally grateful.
I’ve learned over the past year that New Brunswick, Canada has an amazing trail running scene that keeps getting larger and more impressive year by year. While new to this scene, I was still lucky enough to be able to participate in a few runs last winter as part of the “Sufferance Series” of races with such welcoming names as Odell Obliteration, Mazerolle Masochism and Odell Onslaught to name but a few. I had hoped to be able to take part in some local trail races during the summer, but life had other plans for me. I honestly didn’t expect to be able to race at all again in 2024 but sometimes the stars align, miracles happen and what was once thought of as highly unlikely comes to fruition.
One of the more popular annual races in the local Fredericton area is the Mactaquac Trail Race in Mactaquac Park, just outside of New Brunswick’s, capital city. There are two different races you can do, a 10km run and a 20 km run. With my rehabilitation finally going well in late summer, I felt confident enough to sign up for the 10km race. The date was Oct 6th, 2024.
Leading up to the race I asked around to see if anyone else was running in it and true enough a few people I knew were. I was happy to see this as it meant I would see some friendly faces in my come back race. As a bonus, one of those runners was my physiotherapist and friend Laura Lee. Should something go wrong during the run or after, I was glad to have her around to ask what the issue might be. Thankfully, I wouldn’t need to.
The 10km race had 147 participants registered, a good turnout. As I recall the weather was cool, a little misty but overall decent for that time of year. While not really a fashion focused runner, I was able to try out my new running clothes (pants and hoodie) and more importantly it would be my first time running with what would become my (and my son’s) favorite accessory piece, the iconic yellow Sally McRae, Choose Strong hat. My intent going into the run was to take it easy, test the ankle and most importantly enjoy it. I’ve historically always tried to enjoy my runs and race with a smile, but after losing half the year, running and the joy I got from it provided me a new perspective, a new appreciation for the gift that it was.
As all the participants lined up at the start, I made sure to be about halfway back in the crowd, not so far that I would never be able to make some ground but also not at the very front where the faster runners would all pass me. The horn went off and there I was, all smiles and back in my element. The first part was double track but still crowded to the point of where you couldn’t pass anyone. I felt good, controlled my enthusiasm and found a steady rhythm. It was probably after about 10mins where things opened a little bit and I was able to start passing people. I felt good, strong and confident. As the race went on, the trail became tighter to the point where it was now single track. We reached one point where I knew I could go a lot faster, but I was slowed down by the runners ahead of me. Thankfully, they knew I was antsy to move past them and allowed me to jump ahead. As always, I showed my gratitude with a thank you.
I must admit that the course was a lot more technical than I thought it would be. With so many quick turns, roots and rocks in the way and occasional wet dirt bordering on mud, it was classical east coast trail. It tested my ankles for sure. We were now about halfway into it, and I felt great. I think I passed nearly everyone that was in front of me that I could see although some people were too far ahead for me to ever pass them. I believe it was at about the 7km mark where we had our first water crossing.
Still feeling good I ran right thru the small stream rather than try and jump from rock to rock to avoid getting wet. I think it was around 8km in when we came to one turnaround point that had three volunteers dressed as witches for some reason. To my pleasant surprise, one of those volunteers was my friend Kelsey, who is one of Canada’s top endurance runners. She was as surprised (and delighted) to see me as I was of her, to which she gave me her signature woohoo call. Turning around at that point and continuing on, whenever I would come across other participants coming my way, I always gave them a high five with a “let’s go”. I ensured to do this with all the volunteers as well, since none of these races can ever happen without their support. At about the 9km mark we came across the second water crossing which was followed immediately by a steep embankment that we had to go up.
Given I now had wet shoes, I unfortunately had a hard slip and fall going up the hill. I was fine though and continued to where I had another fall, this one harder, a few minutes later. This one resulted in my right calf seizing up that thankfully I was able to walk off after about a minute. While I still felt good, I was glad I was getting close to the end. A short while later I made one final turn and saw the finish line ahead. I would like to say I sprinted the last few hundred meters but no, instead I kept my same pace and came across feeling comfortable and smiling. The result was miraculously a 14th place finish and 2nd in my division (male 40-49). While my placing was great, it was the feeling of running again, pain free that was the win for me. I felt like I was on my way back and that I had it in me to attempt more races that fall. Three weeks later, I would be back at it.
My second race during the fall was the Hopewell Rocks Multi-Terrain Race and would take place at the famous Hopewell Cape, one of the top tourist destinations in New Brunswick. The date was Sunday, 27 Oct. While not in the local Fredericton area, the drive to the race location was still only a few hours away. One thing about that area, especially that time of the year, was that it could be very windy and cool. As I often forget about any fueling plans for my races, I didn’t properly pack a pre meal and thus decided to stop at an Atlantic Superstore in Moncton on the way to pick up some healthy snacks for later. In getting out of the car to go into the store my hands started to freeze right away so I made the decision to find some gloves for the race. Thankfully there was some Joe Fresh cheap cotton gloves that I knew would do the trick.
The race, while smaller in participants (69 for the 13km) than my previous race, it made up for that with the runner’s enthusiasm. I didn’t know anyone running but that made no difference as Maritimer’s are a friendly bunch. What made this race exciting was the terrain, which resulted in my first time running a race partly on the beach. With the participants all lined up, and the wind coming in off the ocean we stepped off at the sound of the horn. I was a little more cautious this time and held back a bit. I am a notoriously slow starter in all my races as it usually takes a few km’s of running for my legs to warm up. I had a few people pass me at first and there was also a strong contingent of runners who were ahead of me right from the get-go. The course was fantastic and was the hi-light for this race. It was a mix of single track, double track, beach, path, and road. There was also a few areas that had elevation gains that tested your limits. What I really loved about the course were the switchbacks in a few sections. You could really have a lot of fun on this course and that I did. I was probably in the top ten for much of the race, but I had other goals this time rather than my placing. A few of my friends, and two of the most inspiring runners I knew, were attending the general meeting for Triathlon New Brunswick in Moncton that day and I wanted to make them a video message during the actual race. The location for such would be on the beach near the spot that had the famous Hopewell pot rocks. This resulted in me having to stop in the actual run and make my way down to the edge of the water. I was there to have fun, to make memories and so I did. I figure I lost at least 5 minutes in doing this but reaching out to my friends made it worth it.
After the message was done, I got back into the race and gained ground on one of the many people that passed me as I was filming my message but that was it. As per usual I ensured to thank all the volunteers along the way and hi-five as many as I could. I came across the finish line at 1:09.43, good enough for 17th overall. As I had a two-hour drive ahead of me to get home, I didn’t stick around for long after. The races that are outside central New Brunswick mean I lose time with my kids so once the race is over, I always head back right away. It was a treat running in this race, in one of the iconic spots in all of eastern Canada. I will for sure be back and won’t plan to make any videos next time around. With my legs still feeling healthy I signed up for my last race of the year one week later, Bootstrap Boogie Trail Race in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Bootstrap Boogie is one of, if not the largest trail race in Atlantic Canada by the number of participants. This year there were two race options, a 9km route and a 17km route. Feeling strong and knowing it was my last race of the year, I decided to sign up for the 17km option.
Additionally, participants are welcome to get dressed in a costume for the run should they be so inclined. I felt inclined. While I always like to have fun in my races, even better than that is ensuring others have fun. I remember when I ran my first marathon back in 2005 how tired and beat I was (mainly because I didn’t train for it) but I also remember how whenever I would see a runner doing something unique, like running in a kilt or skipping, how it would hype me up and give me a little extra wind. As such during my second marathon in 2006 (The PEI Marathon) I decided to get dressed up for it. I ran dressed as Superman and while the result was my fastest marathon I ever ran, what made It great was how many people seemed to perk up whenever I ran (or flew) by them.
That was the exact effect I wanted, so since I was allowed to get dressed up for Bootstrap Boogie, I thought why not go ahead and do it.
With Halloween only a few days before and knowing I would be out trick or treating with my kids, I wanted a costume that maybe I could use for both occasions. With the kids’ book “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Can You See” being my son, Samuel’s favorite I though why not get dressed as a bear. I could then run as a bear during the race as well. And to bring humor to it, as trail runs are usually in the middle of the woods with no proper bathrooms anywhere in site, let’s go as the Charmin Bear and for “shits” and giggles let’s also run carrying a package of Charmin’s toilet paper. Let me just say before I carry on, Charmin’s brand is EXPEN$IVE…and durable.
The race, put on by Saint John Trail Running, took place on 2nd November and had a start time of 0800 which meant I had to leave the house around 0600 to be there in enough time to sign in. The location was Irving Nature Park, just on the outskirts of the port city. The route would be a mix of single track, beach with a small section of road and boardwalk. Much like the Mactaquac Trail Race, this one would have a few other runners I knew. All told there were just shy of 400 runners with 218 competing in the 17km run. Upon arrival I checked in and then proceeded to throw on my costume. The weather was cool but not cold. I believe it was a bit cloudy as well. Before we lined up to start, the organizer had all of the costumed runners take a group photo. It was nice to see so many other runners put aside their inhibitions and just have fun.
With the clock about to turn 0800, it was time to begin. Little did I know what I was in for running in a baggy and awkward costume made even more difficult by the fact I was carrying 18 rolls of ultra strong TP. Right away I had to let many people pass me. The race started off with some pretty technical trail (at least technical running in a bear costume) with lots of roots and uneven terrain. The bagginess of the costume meant I had to run much slower than I usually would ensuring to step high enough to not have it get caught or drag along the ground. Likewise, the TP had me switching which arm I was holding it very frequently. Regardless, I had a smile on my face and more importantly, by all the comments I was getting from other runners, it put a smile on their face as well. The real test though came when we got to the beach. Unlike the beach at Hopewell, which was primarily hard sand, this beach was lose rock. It really tested your ankles, and well, my ankles going into it had already been tested.
Finally, after making it past the beach, I was able to increase my pace during the stretch of road leading into some fun single track. I was even able to pass some runners, although there were already so many in front of me. Things were going well overall, even when I passed some brush that had me covered in hitchhikers that left my gloves useless. Fast forward to the 12km mark and I believe we were back on the beach. Similar to my Hopewell Race, I wanted to take a video during this one so down to the water's edge I went. I stop, sit on a rock, get out my phone and what to you know, it seemed fried. Everyone knows the blue screen of death one unfortunately sees on their laptops when it reaches it's lifespan. Well, my phone was showing something similar. Being one not to give up I decided to try and fix it, thereby taking more time during a race of not running. Sooo many runners passed me, probably wondering, what on earth is this bear doing sitting on a rock, looking over the ocean, probably wondering where I went wrong in life.
Well, after realizing I wasn’t going to be able to fix it on the beach I stood up and continued to run. I was feeling pretty demoralized now as I thought not only was my phone fried, but I also lost all my pictures of my kids. Still, I ran and when I finally had the finish line in site, I made a made dash for the last 100m and held my 18 rolls up with pride for having finished what eneded up being a far more difficult race than it was meant to be. I had fun for sure even though my placing and time wasn’t the best, 1:59:07 and 110th place. As I still had a drive ahead of me to get home, I left right away not even sticking around long enough to get my prize for what ended up being best costume. I have still yet to pick up that prize. I should also mention that my phone eventually started working again...and all the kids pics were saved.
So, there you have it. Three races within the span of about one month. Three races I thought I would never have gotten the chance to compete in only a few months earlier. For sure they were all hi-lights of my running year and all for different reasons. I loved the feeling of being back running during the Mactaquac Trail Race, I loved the route and scenery I experienced during the Hopewell Multi Terrain Trail Race, and I loved the atmosphere during Bootstrap Boogie. We have amazing races in New Brunswick, Canada and I was blessed enough to run in three of them during last fall. While I couldn’t wait to race again in 2025, I had one more challenge on my mind for 2024.
Comentários