2011 Feedback
Feedback about the 2011 Frosty Mountain Trail Race ...
Hi Gottfried,
I would like to add my thanks to those you have already received. The race was the most beautiful trail run I have ever done, and my girlfriend and I are already looking forward to doing it again next year. Thank you so much!
Regards,
Rebecca
Gottfried,
Thank you for organizing such an amazing run! I participated in the 27K endurance race. Although it was the most challenging race in terms of terrain, it was also the most beautiful run I've been on. Unfortunately my race was not totally uneventful, about 16 - 17K in, I had a head on collision with Mt Frosty. I'm doing well and feel fortunate that it wasn't worse. I do want to thank those who stopped to ensure I was okay before moving onward. I'm sure it was not a pretty site! I would especially like to thank the kind woman who stopped and provided some first aid and asked me some very important questions to ensure I was orientated. It meant a lot to know how much people care! And thank you to my friends, Herb and Russ, who showed up shortly after my spill and were able to escort (keep an eye on me) for the remainder of the race; still had 10-11K to finish. Also would like to thank the two women at the last first aid station for their friendly and welcoming assistance and support, and to the helpful paramedic who cleaned me up before I went to the hospital for suturing. I still had a wonderful time, and if asked (call me crazy) yes, I would do the race again :)
Cheers!
Tammy
Hello;
I just wanted to say thank you for a great race Gottfried.
I also wanted to give a big shout out to the great volunteers...they rock!
At the second aid station I misplaced my camera, told the volunteer about it and when I reached the finish line there it was safe and sound in my drop bag. The wonderful volunteer lady had found it and made sure it went back in to my drop bag. So I made a video from the pics. Thanks for a challenging and tough course to spend a day with my sweetheart on.
We will be back in the future, had a relaxing Sunday walking the local trails and soaking in the hot tub at the lodge. Very nice.
See you on the trails....Rory and Suzy
Hi Gottfried,
Thanks again for a fabulous day. It's so nice to be able to run a shorter distance just for the fun of it at the end of the season. By the way, you have the BEST post race food of any run I've ever done!!
hugs from Kathryn O'Grady
Thank you Gottfried for your tireless efforts in organizing this event. This was my first Frosty and I loved it! What an amazing race course...
I'm now looking forward to the Christmas stollen from your bakery!
Pat
Hi Gottfried,
It was my first Frosty this year and loved it. I
did the 13K and next year I'm looking forward to the 27. See you at the
Tenderfoot Boogie!!!
Thanks for all your time and hard work. Much appreciated.
Mike
Thank you Gottfried for a putting on such great race. The pre-race organization must have been huge and I truly appreciate all your time and efforts to make this a wonderful weekend. The volunteers were wonderful.
Helen Brewer,
13km runner.
The Frosty Mountain Trail Run is a 27 kilometer run in Manning Park from Lightning Lakes, up to near the peak of Frosty Mountain (which is the highest peak in the park at 7800' or 2400 M) then down the other side of the hill back to Lightning Lakes. There is an Aid Station at approx. 8 Kilometers. Then you are on your own up to the peak, at approx. 16 K, and down out of the alpine to a Second Aid station at approx. 20 K. The Finish is via a further 6 K of rambling root infested single track down to the lake. The trail in general is as technical as you will find in an organized trail race. I have decided to take part in this annual event as long as I can and use it as a 'state of the nation' assessment of my overall condition.
This year's version took place Saturday Sept
17th and I finished in 4 hours and 43 minutes. I would guess approx. 65
of us took part in the event. The first leg was my worst race start ever
(I was absolutely dead last at the First Aid stn !!! That was SO HARD to
deal with !) Felt stronger as the race progressed and actually passed
say 8 folks tween the First Aid station and the Finish. After that first
leg humiliation every time I passed someone it was a real challenge to
be polite cause I felt so triumphant.
Weather conditions were
cool, overcast and the trail was dry.
Running so far back in the pack involved a lot of solitary trail time ... the reliable trail marking tape was very worthwhile.
I wore:
Garmin 305 ... amazing
new gear, Asics Trail Attacks - the finest shoe for this race, shorts,
long sleeves, windproof vest, clear protective lenses, hat. Twas a good
decision to leave the gators in the car. Should have had gloves for the
leg from 1st Aid to the Summit as I had real issues at the summit
resetting the front of my shoes' laces before tackling the downhill to
the finish.
Consumed enroute;
- 2 1/2 Cliff Bars - a bite every
30 mins,
- 500 ml water to 1st Aid. 1st to 2nd Aid- three bottles
(two laced with hi K juice which was simply p u r f e c t), and one more
for the final leg.
This year I camped and this style of race attendance was fun overall.
Hilites;
- Race nite dinner was; the
best campfire steak ever, a potato baked in the ashes beneath the fire,
a pasta and vegetable dish brought from home, chips, cookies, bagel, V8
juice. Sapporo beer. The definition of ravenous was conceived a few
years ago at Frosty! I ate until it was too dark to see, then slept till
dawn.
- Warm showers.
- The fabulous huddle of runners debriefing
one another in the post race shower lineup.
- Runners' injuries.
-
Superb campsite cleanliness, neatness, trim.
- Car camping alone
sucks.
- Camping was cheaper than the lodge but ... the lodge style
was pretty nice in previous years.
Tail of the tape:
This year my
time to the First Aid Station was 1:18. Summit 3:18. Second Aid Stn
3:48. Finish 4:43. Heartrate max that I set on the Garmin was 135 beats
per minute and was hard to live with but appropriate, I allowed myself
145 for the final 5 K.
In 2010: my time to the First Aid station was 1:05, Summit 2:55 (2:45 in '08), Second Aid 3.25, Fin 4:25 (4:08 in '08).
It can be seen that I actually got down the mountain this year 4 mins faster than in '08, and 6 mins faster than last year. It seems the reason my race times are getting longer is my dimishing leg strength, and the reduced ability to process the lighter oxygen levels in the long, long climb to the summit. ie: last year it took only 10 mins longer to get to the top, and this year it took 33 mins longer than the first time.
Looking forward to next year.
-wae
Gottfried,
Thanks for a great experience at Frosty on the weekend. I enjoyed the course and the trail markings, they were perfect!
George
Hey Gottfried!
Thanks. Who knew you could be 2nd AND Last???? ;-o)
Thanks for all your work. I think you have a new trail running convert. Daughter Janna loved it and says she is looking for her next trail race already.
Anjulie is so pumped she is going to go climb Mt Kilimanjaro next week. Well, maybe that was already planned. Anyway, we had a wonderful time and all thank you for putting on a great event.
I'm not sure trails are for me. Too many residual problems from 20 plus year old back problem and surgery. My left leg just isn't good for getting over the rocks and roots - too much tripping and eventually, throws the other side off too. May have to just stick to the roads. Frosty is one of my favorite places so just had to give it a go, at least a couple of times.
Cheers, Dan
Gottfried,
Just wanted to say that:
a) You marked the Frosty section of the trail well. The only spot that I would have had one more marker was the very same spot that some of the runners went (and Jas wanted to follow) on the day of the orientation run. Otherwise I thought you did a marvelous job. And thanks a million for tying the markers so that they were easy to remove. I can't tell you how much I appreciated that feature.
b) I was totally impressed with how clean the trail was. I didn't find one piece of litter from our runners. Not even a top from a gel package! If you send out an email to the runners you may want to mention that. As I say, I was totally amazed and impressed. What true trail runners!!
c) The aid station volunteers were wonderful. I am sure the runners were treated well. You got a super crew there. I hope they would be willing to come back next year.
d) Lorelei and her friend did a super job at the finish. They had a big job of organizing the results at the end.
e) I hope you solved the mystery of the woman that didn't come in. Perhaps she didn't start. I hope she didn't get lost. If she got off the trail it would be hard for her to continue the race route even when she got back on track as all the markers would be gone. She would have to follow the trail back down, and forget about doing the race route. I hope she would realize that!!
f) The day was perfect, ... a little cool at the top of the mountain, but good for running. The cold and windy top, with a few flakes of snow encouraged one to get back down and not linger.
From what I saw you pulled off another very successful race. Congratulations!
Louisa