December 14th Medway Forest Run

The day after Friday the 13th at Medway Forest Trails

Champagne and Mars Bar Pix

Thanks to all for making 2019 another great year on the trails.

Just goes to show you, chocolate and booze brings out a crowd.

Leonard Cohen recites “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae | Legion Magazine

Flanders Fields

Westminster Ponds October 26

A great fall morning for a trail  run.

And believe it or not.... No Mud!

Rainbows but no Unicorns

Saturday mornings start of our trail  run at Kains Woods on September 28th  featured a double rainbow.
The trail was in great condition and no real mud considering the earlier rain.
Now with the cooler temperatures we can expect some fall colours in the forests.

Turkey Trot X-Country Races

Tall tales and bad jokes following Westminster Trails

With no mud at the Westminster Trail, the group looked presentable at Farm Boy for coffee following the run.

Damn Kids These Days!!

Whats up with kids these days?
Why are they out on a Saturday morning hosting an end of trail  run refreshment station,when they could be home smoking, watching cartoons and surfing the internet sites they were warned NEVER to go to?
(oh wait....that's what I was doing)

A special thank you to Erika B's kids for coming out and putting together a fantastic aid station at the end of the Meadowlilly Trail run. Fresh fruit and cold drinks were available for the sweaty group.

No Bull, It's a Bison

On a recent trip to Edmonton to meet up with one of the very first of our trail running group, and the guy who introduced me to the Pacers, my best bud, Bill N.
Bill was also the guy who got me into wilderness adventures all over Canada...like the West Coast in BC, Gros Mourne in Nfld and kayaking in the Yukon.
On my visit I had the opportunity to do a trail at Elk Island National Park.
Bill said I would have a good chance of seeing some wildlife, but I figured from a long distance.
Well not even a 1/4 Km in on the muddy trail, there standing off to the side was this mountain of prime burger meat. (sorry vegans)
It was a wet & muddy slog, but was a blast and highly recommend it.

The blog has been updated with trail dates right up to the best attended trail run of the year, our Mars Bar and Champagne Trail  Run at Komoka Trail. Proving that trail runners will show up in numbers when offered chocolate and liquor.

Also, you best get your entry in for the Phoenix Trail Race so you wont be disappointed and have to be put on a waiting list.
Entry info can be found from this link: Phoenix Trail Race Registration

August 10 2019 Trail

Due to technical problems, the blog trail dates uploaded a couple weeks ago did not take, or will it allow for further updates from my remote location.
So please be advised that Saturday's trail location is Meadowlilly Trails in east London off of Commisioners just east of Highbury.
Will attempt to get out updated e- mail

A London Racing Legend dies

June Marie wasn't a trail runner, but she supported the Vulture Bait Trail Races for it's 15 years of existence by volunteering for any position we needed  her in.

She was one of the first ones to arrive and was one of the last to leave after making sure the registration and dining areas were  cleaner than when we arrived. (and made sure all recyclables were sorted correctly)

She is the mother and mother in law of our original trail group, Jennifer D. and her husband 'Uncle' Kenny D.

She passed away on July 12th
The following and more can be seen on the London Sports Hall of Fame Website, a great tribute to London athletes.

• June-Marie Provost - Athlete & Legend: The Provost File
• Born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1933, one of 10 children
• Began race-walking at age 56 in 1990
• Won first race – Ontario Masters 3,000 metre indoor race-walk for women, setting a Canadian record for the 55 to 59 age group
• Has won 18 individual gold medals at world championships, 7 individual silver medals and 2 bronze medals at the world level
• Has raced on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica
• Represented Canada at 11 world championships and is holder of 20 Ontario Masters records
• Inducted into the Canadian Masters and the Ontario Masters Halls of Fame
• Has walked almost 247,000 kilometres in training and racing, using27 pairs of shoes
• Won her final race in 2014, setting a record in 80-85 age category for one mile
• Participated in almost 600 races and won more than 400 medals

Family and friends are invited to share memories of June-Marie's life at Highland Golf and Country Club (1922 Highland Heights, London) on August 2. Open House 3 - 7 pm, Celebration of Life 5 pm.

Being Pro-Canadian

This is not a trail running entry, but more of a history lesson.

We had the pleasure of being at the lake for the Canada Day Weekend, and took in the local Ipperwash Canada Day Parade.

It was a low key event featuring lawn and garden tractors pulling big Canadian flags, farm tractors with wagons with kids waving flags and singing Oh Canada, old cars decked out in flags, and dozens and dozens of kids, teens and adults walking and waving flags.
It was Canada.

 I recently retired from a great local company who represents a number of American machine builders for the Canadian market.
I was always amazed how little my counterparts at these companies knew diddly squat about Canada in general and absolutely nothing of our politics.

Well my recent read was an amazingly interesting book about Canada and the United States leading up to the American Civil War, during the war years and to the assassination of President Lincoln and years following to our confederation that created Canada.

Yes, I knew bits and pieces about British Canada and its difficult relations with the United States pre-confederation.
(next time you are at the downtown YMCA look across the street to the old Armories building that makes up the ground level of the Delta Armouries Hotel, the date it as built was just before the civil war when Britain felt the Americans were looking to invade Canada and annex it into the union and decided to strengthen garrisons and increase troops.)

The book is
Blood and Daring: How Canada Fought the American Civil War and Forged a Nation.

FYI, in the first year of the civil war when it wasn't going so well for the Northern Union troops, and an anti-Canada American government official in the White House Mr. William H. Seward recommended to President Lincoln that Canada could be easily taken because of our limited militia and small numbers of British troops leading them. The President responded he had no problems with the idea of taking Canada by force but he did not want two battle fronts one with the Confederates to the south and Canada and Britain to the north at that time.

If you are interested in Canadian history, or just want to know exactly why we became a nation of provinces and territories with each having unique qualities, you will find this a great summer read.

See you on the trails.

God Save the Queen..... Please, anyone, save the Queen!!

Ipperwash Dunes and Swales

Seek and you will find.
When up at Ipperwash we were told of some trails that were run worthy and as it turn out a side entrance to the trail was very nearby. (as noted by our trail running waitress at a pub in the area)
There are a couple options a 'proposed trail' section that was 5.2 km and would include a section along the beach. The trail was OK but the section coming back into the trail from the beach portion was not well marked or well used, and with recent rains was somewhat flooded.
The 'Boardwalk" trail section was about 4.5 km and was a really nice trail with nice scenery and the trail was perfect.
But the one bug in the ointment, so st speak is the ticks. Not as bad as in more wooded areas around Southern Ontario, but Siri was a magnet for them.
So by combining the two trail sections, it makes for a decent morning trail run before a long day at the beach. (should summer weather ever arrive that is)

Determination

LOCATION CHANGE for MAY 11th

With recent heavy rains and high river levels, the Soiled Sport Trail Safety Committee has asked that this weeks trail run along the Gibbons Park River Trail be moved to a later date.
So this Saturday, May 11th, the location of the trail run is now Komoka Trails.
Please remember that we DO NOT PARK in the pay for parking facility that they have tried to force us to use. We protest with our feet, by parking a short distance from the trail head along the road.
Please park on the south side of Oxford Street just past Woodhull Road.
This is the gem of our trails that we run, so if you have not been out to Komoka Trails, plan to be impressed.
Please do not get suckered into the 'Rookie Hill' by Bill W., unless your idea of fun is puking your guts up after a run. (I am not kidding, as we have seen this happen to a number of newbies who thought the Rookie Hill challenge would be an easy and fun thing to do)

Perfect Spring Weather for a Trail Run

Fanshawe Lake Trail Run April 6th

Eric showing off to Barb

The group after a great morning run

OK...Enough of this winter stuff!!

This was the last of my good friend Monica Scholz's Winter 20K and 40K Fun Runs.

What was supposed to be a sunny day that should have had an afternoon BBQ after the run, turned into just another winter run.

Granted the trails were beautiful, but I am tired of winter and look forward to greenery sprouting up along the trails.

Only a couple decided to do the double loop 40k.

But Filip also drove down from London to try a loop of the Sulfur Springs Trail, and I think he was impressed with the trails and the company. 

Filip, Veronique (holding back Siri), Monica (hiding in the back) and Stephan

Trails were snow covered and it was cold enough to stiffen the mud

The second loopers