The Bow Valley’s cup runneth over with a plentitude of trail shredders.
From the likes of tireless peak-stompers Andy Reed and Phil Villeneuve, to the lightning-powered Adam Campbell and indomitable Nadine Mueller, world-class athletes are constantly drawn to the community to explore endless kilometres of single track, while dominating local racing events – and that’s excluding always-dominant Olympians.
But for mere mortals, the root-strewn backcountry sojourns through Montane Traverse or the Nordic Centre can appear intimidating.
That’s where Alicia Evans and Michael Fitzpatrick come in.
With an eye on demystifying the trail run experience, the duo co-founded Canmore Trail Culture, a free trail running group designed for those of all abilities. After a year of existence, the group has attracted more than two dozen runners for its twice a week runs around Canmore.
“A lot of people can get quite intimidated in Canmore. We just wanted to get people out and enjoying the trails. We started with a lot of beginners walking the hills. As we got bigger, we split into different groups,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick got into trail running after getting his start in road races, and likes to keep the group smiling along the run, listening to stories along the way. The trails he chooses are mellow, which increases the chance of success for everyone in the wide-ranging group. This week, they tackled portions of the Horseshoe Loop and the Canmore Nordic Centre trails, which are drying up nicely.
“We try not to do a lot of big hills. It’s tough to find flat trails in Canmore, but we do our best to find them. We also stay off the closed trails,” Fitzpatrick said.
Running in a group is also safer when it comes to wildlife, and Fitzpatrick said actual running strategies the group uses are straightforward.
“For climbing, we don’t want the heart rate too high, so sometimes walking is as quick as running. We use shorter steps on the descents and watch our footing,” Fitzpatrick said.
The sport’s popularity continues to increase, as is evident on the trails. While no recent local studies have been completed, the American Outdoor Foundation recorded a 13 per cent increase in trail running in 2009, and found nearly five million Americans took part in the sport in 2010 – a three-fold increase since 2000.
At the top end of the sport, ultra-runs are popping up around the world, and many rebellious runners rejecting corporate-style races are taking to the trails with a GPS watch in pursuit of FKTs (fastest known times).
Other formalized running groups exist in the Bow Valley, complete with training plans, but for Canmore Trail Culture, there is no end goal – just an enjoyment of trail running.
“People can set their own goals. We can suggest certain races, and we work with Transrockies and 5 Peaks to find fun beginner races,” Fitzpatrick said. “It appeals to people who want something different. After a few races on the road, you hear more about trail running, and people feel more comfortable in a group than by themselves on a trail.”
The group runs twice every week, Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m., with locations announced on the group’s Facebook page. A pair of running shoes and a water bottle are the only requirements.
