Loud community spirit didn’t let Sunday’s rainfall dampen the West Coast’s premier running event as Edge to Edge racers had a blast sloshing through Ucluelet.
About 420 runners hit the pavement and trails for a half-marathon and 10K race on Oct. 16 with roughly 100 local volunteers on hand to guide them through the course, hand out water and keep them well taken care of throughout their experience.
“I haven’t been anywhere in North America that has this kind of level of community spirit and cooperation,” race director Josh Jenkins told the Westerly News after the event. “It’s a pretty wonderful thing actually to witness just how much each member of the community cares about the community.”
Jenkins is the Ucluelet Chamber of Commerce’s new executive director and was coordinating Edge to Edge for the first time. He said he was thrilled with the support he received from volunteers, businesses and organizations to make the event a success.
“It’s a real community event…It’s a pretty well oiled machine for the most part,” he said.
“Everything went smoothly and everybody really enjoyed themselves..There’s a lot of work and a lot of moving parts to put it together and I’m glad we were able to pull it off and make it a success.”
Coming in at 1 hour, 25 minutes and 38 seconds, Stephan Smit of Comox took home his third first place finish in the Edge to Edge’s half-marathon, having won the event in 2017 and 2018.
“I’m obviously very grateful. What a great weekend,” Smit told the Westerly.
He said he knew he was in for a tough race from the get go as he saw the other runners get off to a quick start.
“We started the race in the rain and the guys went out really fast. Not being local, I don’t know the runners so you don’t know who you’re up against. They kept on fighting and fighting and within the first 5K I knew I had to race hard if I wanted to win today,” he said.
“Within the first 5K you know who’s in it to win it and there was more than one gentleman who showed they’ve got speed in their legs so I knew it would be a hard race and not an easy win.”
Smit’s said he enjoys the trails involved in the course and that the excitement from local volunteers and spectators offers solid enthusiasm, particularly during uphill climbs.
“This is the most beautiful half-marathon that I’ve ever raced. I know there are many runners that prefer doing a flat road race and, sure, if you want to run your personal best, this is not the course for a personal best, but this beats road running by far. It’s just a beautiful course,” he said.
“The volunteers have a different energy. They are super excited. They’re just so excited and just cheering us on, even standing in the rain…I just think it’s a really great race and I enjoyed it, so going over the finish line I was super grateful for the opportunity.”
Ucluelet local Antoinette Busch was the first female 10K racer to cross the finish line, arriving at a time of 47 minutes and 41 seconds.
“I was just super stoked,” she told the Westerly. “I was trying to keep pace with some very speedy individuals off the get go, but after that I was like, ‘Oh, there’s not too many people around me. I’m probably doing pretty good.”
Busch was one of a group of Ukee Run Club members participating in this year’s race. The club meets every Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. to run along the Wild Pacific Trail.
“Anybody can come,” she said. “It’s a super welcoming crew.”
She added she’s lived in Ucluelet for four years and loves running the local trails.
“I love running in Ukee. I love my rainy run days,” she said, adding Sunday’s wet conditions provided the perfect atmosphere for her first Edge to Edge experience. “I love rainy running days. I know not everybody loves that, but it was nice and cool and it kept me going.”
She shared Smit’s sentiments around the importance of enthusiastic volunteers cheering the runners on.
“Everybody was super stoked. All the volunteers are cheering you as you’re going by and giving you a little pep to keep moving. It was sweet and I really appreciated it,” she said.
She added the event organizers did a fantastic job and she was delighted to share her local running scenery with visitors.
“We have beautiful trails and a beautiful landscape to enjoy,” she said. “It’s a great thing to share. I love sharing the space that I live and showing people how beautiful it is. Why not go for a run with it?”
Joel McSorley and Dale Orchard travelled together from Port Alberni to compete in the men’s 10K race and finished first and second respectively.
McSorley bested his friend by a narrow margin, finishing in 44 minutes and 31 seconds with Orchard hot on his trail with a time of 44 minutes and 48 seconds.
“I wanted to race today just to be part of a community event, run with my pals and to beat Dale Orchard who came in second,” McSorley laughed. “It felt good because this was very unexpected. I didn’t think I was going to be very competitive at all and I ended up being very competitive…I’m proud of myself. That’s the fastest 10K I’ve ever run, but also it was a lot of fun.”
Orchard told the Westerly he recently got into running and Sunday provided his first race experience.
“I figured a good way to stay motivated and push myself would be to enter a race and challenge myself that way, so I decided to enter and see how I could do competitively,” he said. “My original goal was just to beat my friend Joel McSorley and I came up short, but I’m jumping with joy knowing that I got second place overall…I feel really good. It went better than I expected, so I’m very happy with the results.”
Along with creating lasting memories and fun experiences, the October event also serves as a key driver to keep the wheels of Ucluelet’s tourism economy rolling into the shoulder season and race coordinator Jenkins noted how valuable it is to keep the town on the tourism map year-round.
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