Coast Mountain Trail Running hosts a trail race series that takes place all over the lower mainland directed by Geoff Langford and Gary Robbins. The series features many of the beautiful and technical trails that runners have come to expect in this part of the world. Runners can also expect the courses in the series to challenge them, as the race directors certainly take pleasure in cranking up the pain meter in any distance they offer (those distances range from 13km to 167km). They also crank up the fun. Way up. These races are a blast to be part of, the community is always ready to have fun and celebrate the great trails we all have in our backyards!
Speaking of our own backyards, CMTR also does a lot to support our local communities. They help plant trees, they help fund trail maintenance, they help raise money and awareness for the LGBTQ2+ community. They are also now fully electric and working towards becoming a carbon-positive series. Simply put, they’re kind of awesome.
Thankfully, I don’t have to sell you on their awesomeness alone. I reached out to a few folks to share their experience as well, and they were all happy to share how much they enjoy what CMTR has to offer!
Moh Zarghami has taken part in around a dozen events and he enjoys the races because “organizers are so professional, well organized and the great ambiance.” Jeannine Avelino has taken part in 7 events herself and agrees about the ambiance, adding it’s the kind of place you develop relationships “The series brings together an amazing trail community. You're guaranteed to see familiar faces at each event and eventually they turn into friends”. Making friends at these events is something Anna Razzell, who has taken part in 4 events, also mentioned, “All the runners you meet in the trails or at events are so supportive and kind. They become your biggest cheerleaders. It’s pretty incredible. Some of my closest friends are people I’ve met through trail running”. Anna also summed up what makes the events so attractive to begin with, “I love that they cover different terrains around the lower mainland and have different distances offered. Want to do your first trail race? CMTR has something for you. Want to increase distance after your first ultra? CMTR has some options. It’s pretty awesome to have that span of distances with one race organization. Plus CMTR is the only series that has a famous Gary Robbins hug waiting for you at the finish line!”.
“The community is great. Best among all the sports that I photograph” was the response Scott Robarts gave. He’s a photographer that has shot CMTR events since 2015 and added this about this series in particular, “I am the photographer at a number of other events and sports, but have found that the series has the best community”.
Sandra Louie has participated in 7 CMTR events and will run the Squamish 50 miler in 2022 (her longest effort ever). She sums it up perfectly “So much work is done behind the scene of a race and sometimes we forget about that. The reason why the CMTR series is so fun is because Gary and his team and all the volunteers really are passionate about trail racing and know just how to make every race an enjoyable experience for everyone”. This is the sort of experience that Luciana Ellis echoed, having completed a whole whack of CMTR events previously “(They are the)Most well organized & fun races I ever ran. Love the pink flags, prizes and sense of humor of race directors, especially Gary Robbins”. Luciana loves the events so much she’ll be volunteering in 2022, at her favourite event, WAM, as well as looking to complete her longest run ever, the Squamish 50 miler.
Tianhan Xia, who has volunteered and run multiple events, also mentioned what a great experience it is, “the series is so well run. Yeah, it’s about racing each other and being the best version of yourself but we are all sharing an experience. You will be meeting all the best people”. It’s hard to argue with the common theme that respondents followed, as Chris Shier said nearly the same thing when asked what he enjoys about the series, “The well-chosen and marked trails and the atmosphere of friendly competition that brings out a big smile in everyone”. The series is fun, everyone there seems to be having fun, and it really doesn’t matter where in the pack you finish, whether you’re running or volunteering, the camaraderie is there. You feel it in your bones like you’re a part of something a little bigger for the day (or weekend). It’s a blast.
Registration opens Friday, December 3 @ 7 am PST for the following races:
Run Ridge Run February 26, 2022 (13km, 25km, kids race)
Cap Crusher has been postponed indefinitely
“Cap Crusher 12k is also a favourite way for me to start the trail season as it usually falls on St. Patrick's Day weekend. The race is extra festive and they have sushi at the finish.. yum. And of course, the Gary hugs are worth all the pain (when safe).” - Jeannine Avelino
Survival of the Fittest May 28, 2022 (18km, 35km, kids race)
Buckin Hell July 23, 2022 (35k, 50km, 50km 2 team relay, kids race)
Skypilot is also postponed indefinitely
Registration opens Monday, January 3, 2022 for:
Whistler Alpine Meadows September, exact date TBD (13km, 25km, 60km, Ascent, Triple Wammy!, 90km, 110km, 100 mile, kids race)
“I enjoyed all the races I entered but if I have to pick one (favourite), it would be the 2019 Triple Wammy because being a stage race (3 days), I was challenged and forced to go outside my comfort zone.” - Sandra Louie
EDIT DECEMBER 11, 2021:
Chilliwack is getting a race!!! Details are supposed to come out in the new year for the race that will run sometime in the spring, with CMTR warning “we hope you don’t mind getting wet….”
Registration is currently open for two other races that are produced by the Coast Mountain folks.
Squamish 50 (50km, 50 mile, 50 km and 50 mile, kids race)
50k sold out, 50 mile sold out and a few 50/50 spots remain
“I have a soft spot for the Squamish 50 because it was my first ultra and also because I always feel inspired after volunteering and watching people finish during the weekend”. - Jeannine Avelino
Diez Vista (50km, kids race)
“My most recent and longest, Diez Vista 50k for being exactly what I wanted, which was some (but not too much!) technical fun and a whole bunch of runnable trail with plenty of climbing”. - Chris Shier on his favourite
“Diez Vista 50k. I’m a little biased. It was my first 50km and I ran it pregnant with my daughter so it holds a very special place in my heart. It’s just a really fun, challenging race with a huge local community behind it”. - Anna Razzell commenting on what made DV50 her favourite
A couple of runners had a few other races/series they thought were worthwhile mentioning as well, so make sure to check them out:
“Hopefully the Frosty Mountain races happen in 2022 because that is a beautiful area and the trails are a joy to run. I’ll take the week off and camp out there again to make it work if need be”. - Chris Shier
“For those wanting to start trail running, the 5 Peaks series is a great way to go. I've been a race ambassador for the last few years and we specialize in shorter distances (the longest races are under 15k). We hold the races at 5 very different locations throughout the year so there's something for everyone (Squamish, Golden Ears, Seymour, Cypress and Whistler). Lots of people love our race swag because they're practical. I use all of mine regularly (gloves, toques, buffs, collapsible cups, hats, etc)”. - Jeannine Avelino
Let me know in the comments which races you plan to register for! I’ll be hoping to get into Run Ridge Run and Buckin Hell (relay). Come back Friday and let us all know if you got in :) Also, let me know what you thought about having a playlist to listen to while reading? Did you notice it, did you like it, not like it? Something I’m toying with and would like to know your opinions.
I did in fact register for Run Ridge Run 13k and Buckin Hell relay. Looking forward to those events and happy to have them on the calendar! Did you sign up?