Transrockies is only a week away! TR-7

So the reason i started this blog was to document some of my photography as well as my participation in the TransRockies 6 Day Trail Running race. Unfortunately i was not able to keep up as much as i would like with blogging but with the Transrockies only a week away i figured i should start up again. So here goes.

First up, there has been a change in plans, unfortunately my partner had to pull out with an injury, so i had to drop down from the 6 day race to the 3 day version. It includes the same route but you only do the first 3 stages, and you can do it solo. I tried looking for another partner at the last minute, but there are not too many crazy people out there willing and able to take a week to run across the rockies.

So now that i am running solo, i figured i might as well make a vacation out of it. I have 2 weeks off work, and always loved the american southwest, so i am currently making my way from Las Vegas through Utah, On my way to Colorado. I plan to visit and shoot in many of the gorgeous national parks along the way, hopefully get some acclimatization runs in, and try out my new motion tripod head to shoot some timelapses.

Iron Knee Race Report

I was reminded of the start of the 2003 Hawaiian Ironman Race as i began the Run the North Shore's Iron Knee trail race last Sunday. Back in 2003, i happened to be in Hawaii the week of the race, so naturally i had to go watch the race live. Just as they started the countdown to the swim start, a pod of dolphins surfaced about 50 meters in front of the athletes. It was almost as if they were there to lead out the triathletes, appearing as if by magic. It could not have been choreographed any better.
Well, this past weekend, as the 500 athletes began the 22km trail run from Grouse mountain to Deep Cove, we were greeted a chorus of wolf howls as we did a lap of the Grouse Mountain parking lot to help spread out the field. The wolf pack live in captivity at the base of the skyride. I had seen them before but never had i heard them all howling together. The race was barely 15 seconds old and already i wanted to stop to enjoy the moment.

Of course there was no stopping, we had about 2 km of wide trail before we reached the single track. Unfortunately my HR monitor was picking up stray signals, as it was reading 230 bpm. So i just had to go on how i felt. Once we trail narrowed, we had some climbing to do. It was hard to pass in this section, so i just focused on trying to maintain my position. The trail was quite wet but my shoes seemed to provide the necessary traction for all of the bridge crossings and stairs we crossed. After about 5.5 km the first descent began, and for the next 8km it was almost all downhill. I had spent some time on the North shore but had never really traveled these trails much, so i was amazed at how much terrain there is here. After about 3.5 km , we eventually came out at Lynn Canyon and i expected the big hill climb of the day was about to begin, but instead it was another 2.8 km of flat running followed by another few km of descent. Finally at 12.3 km the Big climb began. I normally dread the hill climbs and this one was no different except for the fact that a team of volunteers from the Mountain Madness Running group had decorated the entire climb with inspirational signs. Every 10 feet or so they had a sheet of paper on the side of the trail with a racers name and either a joke or comment, or something funny to take your mind of the climb. I must say it sure helped. as we rounded a bend and saw the aid station i asked a fellow runner and we figured we were maybe half way up. but once we hit the aid station we were at the top. And what an aid station. They had everything you could possibly want. including a chocolate cake. and of course they had to carry it all up the same hill we just climbed.

Once at the top it was almost all downhill. I had run this downhill section back to the finish as part of a club fat ass event i did in December, so i knew my way back from here. But when i ran it in december there was snow patching on it. This time with all of the rain, it was like running down a creek bed. The amount of water flowing down the trail was crazy. there was no point trying anymore to step around the puddles as it was everywhere. THis however did not take away from the fun. As we reached deep cove, you could hear the Race announcer in the distance, so you knew you were near. but apparently sound can travel pretty far. we still had 2km to go, and the last 2 km has a whole bunch of up and down over a bunch of stairs.

In the end my time was about 2hr 41 min. not the fastest time, but i was not disappointed with it. It is a good eyeopener for the rest of the season as i have a trail marathon in 3 weeks over much of the same trails, and i know i need to really focus on my hill climbing.

Thanks to all the great volunteers and all the athletes out on the course.

Day 7 - Paparazzi Time

So today presented a new challenge for me. Rather than cover the olympics, i had 2 shoots for different clients. First i had to shoot some video of the olympic line for Bombardier. They had just passed 300,000 passengers on the demo line and wanted to show how crowded it was. Then i had to shoot for another client, Sports Mark, who plans and organizes the hospitality programs for a lot of the major sponsors of the games. In this case Omega had scheduled a photo op of Michael Phelps, and sports mark wanted me to shoot it with both video and photo if possible. It started out ok as i got in the front row of the camera scrum as Phelps and Canadian Mogul Gold medalist Alex Bilodeau posed for the cameras in front of the Omega countdown clock outside the Vancouver Art Gallery. We were then supposed to move into the Hotel Vancouver for a shoot outside the Omega store in the lobby. This was my first experience of what it is like to be a paparazzi photographer. I literally had to fight my way inside, as the crowd was so big they had security linking arms keeping out people. Even though i was one of the invited media, they were not going to let me in until i squeezed past one guard. By the time i got in i was only able to get in about the 3rd row of media, so i had to shoot video holding the camera as high as i could straight armed above my head. I got off a few still shots, but the scene was just too crazy. The challenge of shooting Olympic sports is one thing, but i don't think i ever want to get into the paparazzi thing.

Day 6 - Women's Downhill

So after a week of nasty weather, the sun finally came out and the first ever Spring Olympics began. I made it back up to Whistler to cover the Women's Downhill, where Lindsey Vonn of the USA was favored to win the Gold and followed up in grand style.
Julia Mancuso, also of the USA took the Silver medal. I had actually shot both girls as 13 and 14 year old's when they competed at the Whistler cup Juvenille ski race back in 1998. Newsweek Magazine published one of my Shots of Mancuso back in 1999, pegging her as one to look out for in the future.

Lindsey and Julia Celebrate after the race.
Noelle Barahona of Chile crashes into the air bag in the finish corral and disappears after crossing the finish line at the Woman's Downhill
Anja Paerson of Sweden was 2 gates away from a silver medal before crashing at the bottom of the Woman's Downhill

Day 5 - Victory Ceremony with the Bare Naked Ladies

After Maelle's victory, i wanted to be sure to catch the Medal ceremony at BC place. The Bare Naked Ladies were also scheduled to play that night, so it was gearing up to be another great night. Unfortunately getting to the stadium proved to be more of a challenge than you would think. First off, i had to go through security to get into the media center, then again before boarding the bus that was taking media over to the stadium. While on the bus, we again had to go through security where police officers search under the bus with mirrors to look for bombs or other nasty stuff before they let the bus near the stadium. As we pull up outside, they told everybody to get off the bus, so we did. I followed the directions and entered the building. I took a few minutes before i realized that they sent us into the wrong building. I could hear hockey but i thought they were just playing the hockey game live on the big screen, but then i noticed that the curve of the building as we walked around in the bottom level was too tight to be BC Place. We were at GM place!!! we were already cutting it close for the medal ceremony, and we were not even in the right building. Nobody could tell us how to get next door to BC place. We eventually found our way outside, but still could not find our way, some directed us into the TV broadcast compound, and from there we were able to find our way into the basement of BC place. Even here there was nobody that could tell us who to get upstairs. After walking around the entire bottom level, passing what turned out to be many of the secret props used in the closing ceremonies, we eventually found the ramp onto the field that Rick Hansen had to climb to light pass the torch during the opening ceremonies. It looked steep on TV, and i tell you it was even steeper in person. At last we could see the stage, but security would not let us through, they sent us back down the ramp to continue our quest. We passed 3 more people before somebody finally pointed us in the right direction to the photo desk.

At the desk i ran into an old co worker friend Tyler Garnham who was one of the venue photo managers. He took great care of us and led me to the photo pit. At this point i found out they had postponed Maelle's ceremony to the next day, so i did all of this for nothing. I had no clue who else was getting a medal, but it turned out to be Mike Robertson with the Silver medal in Boardercross. After the ceremony, Tyler lead me to the front of the stage where we got to shot the first 3 songs of the Bare Naked Ladies. I then went up into the upper levels to shoot some overview shots, then i finished the night having a beer with Tyler watching the end of the concert in the press tribune.

It was quite the day. I got to witness my first of many Canadian Gold medal victories, experience my first of many difficulties with the venue transportation system, and watch one of my favorite bands play a concert.

Day 5 - Women's Snow Board Cross

So the olympics are actually over now, but i have not had a chance to update my blog so here we go. Time to catch back up. On Tuesday Feb 16th, Whistler local Maelle Ricker had a chance at redemption after making the final at the last olympics in Torino only to crash and knock herself out. This year she has been one of the top ranked boarders and my pick to win the Gold medal. She almost didn't even make it through qualification as she fell and had a slow time in her first qualifying run, and with the weather rolling in, there was talk of not having a second run. Luckily the weather broke and she was able to post one of the top times in her second run. She then went on to win the Gold medal.

Day 4 - Mens Downhill

Here are a few shots from the Mens Downhill. It was nice to sleep in my own bed and get up 2 hours before the race started. Too bad home course advantage did not extend to our Canadians.

Aksel Lund Svindal at the finish of the Men's Olympic Downhill. Svindal took the Silver medal.

Hans Olsson of Sweden shrugs after finishing 12th in the Men's Olympic Downhill.

Erik Guay of Canada at the finish of the Men's Olympic Downhill. Guay finished in 5th place.

Patrik Jaerbyn of Sweden crashes into the air bag at the finish of the Men's Olympic Downhill.

Didier Defago of Switzerland at the finish of the Men's Olympic Downhill. Defago took the Gold medal.

Didier Defago of Switzerland at the finish of the Men's Olympic Downhill. Defago took the Gold medal.
Swiss supporters cheer at the finish of the Men's Olympic Downhill.
The mens podium at the flower ceremony of the Men's Olympic Downhill.