If you’re planning a hike in təmtəmíxʷtən/Belcarra Regional Park on Saturday, April 13, expect to get passed.
The Diez Vista trail race is back for its 26th year.
Hundreds of ultra runners will depart White Pine beach at 8 a.m. and bound their way up, over and through the surrounding mountains and forest for 50 km.
The fastest runner is expected to return to the beach just over four hours later. Other runners will be on course for six hours or more. By then they will have climbed and descended more than 2,000 metres, hurdled tree roots and sidestepped rocks.
As Diez Vista means 10 views, they’ll also take in some spectacular viewpoints up Indian Arm and the surrounding mountains and lakes.
Last year’s race attracted 355 entrants. The top male finisher was Simon Widmann, from Surrey, who reached the finish line in 4:11: 26. The fastest female runner was Victoria’s Mercedes Vince with a time of 4:56:24.
The event also raises money; $10 of each registration is donated to Coquitlam Search and Rescue.
That relationship started when a freelance cartographer volunteered to create a route map for the race when he was a member-in-training for the search group.
As well, a tree for every entrant is being planted as part of a reforestration program in the Fraser Valley.
Some runners could also be participating in a study of the effects ultra-endurance exercise has on the brain being conducted the Theoretical and Applied Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Victoria.
“Despite best efforts at fueling, ultra-endurance events like Diez Vista often lead to dehydration and caloric deficit,” a statement reads for volunteers from the research team.
"Our study aims to shed light on how this affects your brain and cognitive abilities, such as decision-making, attention and memory.”
Young, formative ultra runners can also participate in a one km kids race that begins at 11:30 a.m. at White Pine Beach.
