It
is almost that time again, time to dust off those shoes and start
thinking about running as the Whistler Half Marathon is just around the
corner! This event has sold out every year well before race day because
it has quickly become one of the” must do” half marathon circuits for
long distance runners across North America. Over 14 states and 7
provinces were represented last year with 21% of the total coming from
our very own Sea to Sky corridor. Last year saw a total of 1,950
participants that laced up their runners; 1200 in the half marathon, 600
in the 10km run and 150 kids took part in the 1km run.
The Crystal Lodge is proud to be the host hotel for this event; our location is perfect when it comes to any last minute race preparation or rituals one may have. After some investigating it seems that runners are no different than hockey, football or any other sport for that matter when it comes to superstitions. Hockey is of course known for their beards during playoff runs but some runners have ones from special dinners:
“The night before a race, I always eat spaghetti. I don't carb load or anything because I haven't done any of the longer races that require doing so. I just like spaghetti just because I think it is a good pre-race meal, and it's worked out for me in the past, so why change anything”
“I always eat margherita pizza and freshly paint my nails”
“Have to have a few pints the night before and egg banjo in the morning”
......to believing there is a stigma attached to wearing the race shirt on the day of the event to “wearing my bib on my upper pant leg rather than on my stomach. That one is just superstition. No benefit to doing it, I just like it more!”
When it comes to hydrating the participates mean business, last year there was over 1000 liters of water drunk during the event which is equivalent to the water required to do 5 loads of laundry and that is only within 1 hour!!!! In 2013, one of the participants ran the race in a suit; imagine how much water he must have needed. In order to pull off an event of this magnitude there is over 100 volunteers needed and 1,300 traffic cones which get placed on the course starting at 3:00am on race day.
The event raises money for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada, this once rare disorder has unfortunately become more common and affects hundreds of thousands of Canadians, it is estimated that over 170,000 people are living with this disease and Canada has one of the highest rates of Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns. In the first 3 years of the Whistler Half Marathon they raised $48,000 for the foundation, every bit counts as there is still no cure for this disease.
If you have ever thought about taking up the sport of running, now is the time, for more information on the Whistler Half Marathon click here for their official website or to make a reservation at the Crystal Lodge click here
Photo credit: Coast Mountain Photography
