Happy New Year - Fat Ass 50k

Although I try not to over indulge during the festive period, I am guilty of eating far too much chocolate - those Lindt ones are lethal, and I find it extremely difficult to limit myself to just a couple each day. I suppose that's why we don't buy chocolate very often - not only can it be expensive, but it also doesn't last long enough in our house and is usually guzzled within a couple of days.

No doubt you're wondering what the heck this has to do with the price of peas, or indeed an update on my running, but given that I always feel quite chubby after the Christmas break, and given that it was the annual "Fat Ass" run in Edmonton this past weekend, you might just spot some logic in my trail of thought!

Before I start, let's be clear about the term "Fat Ass". I've never really given the term much thought, but when I spotted a comment on this year's event that said they found the choice of words disturbing, I had to try really hard not to roll my eyes and say, "there's always one!" 🙄 You see, a Fat Ass event does not refer to the size of anybody taking part, even if I personally feel chubby after eating all that chocolate every year. No, it's just an informal gathering of folks, getting together for an unofficial race that has no registration costs, no prizes, no official results, no swag, no official start time, no cut offs, no aid stations nor course flagging nor Marshalls - in fact, there is nothing except for a predetermined course that everybody follows, the run based on trust, and a screenshot of the run is submitted if anybody wishes to be included in the unofficial results. It's just a fun event to get folks moving, to have a social, and have some fun.

The Edmonton Fat Ass event has been held annually on the first Sunday of each new year for several years now, and it's that to Gary and Amber who organise the Blackfoot Ultra that the event is still going after all these years. Those wishing to take part can do a single loop of 25km, or double it for a 50km ultra. Being in January in Alberta, Canada, runners are likely to encounter snow, ice and chilly temperatures - it's up to the individual to assess their own abilities and the risks involved as to which distance they wish to do. For the past three years, I've done the 50km, and so it was that I did the 50km again this year, despite extreme cold warnings the day before, and only marginally warming up around -18°c on the morning of the run, or around -26°c when factoring in the windchill.

This year, I ran with my good friend Barb, and we arrived at the Kinsman Centre well before sunrise but ready to start running by 7am. It was still dark and extremely chilly, but we were sure to bundle up to ensure we were nice and snug beneath all of the layers. Both of us carried snacks and drinks, despite being well aware that everything would be frozen solid within an hour, making the drinks more like slush puppies and the food like bricks. I'm not even sure why we bothered carrying that extra weight, but I guess it brings a sense of security, at least for that first lap!

Starting off at 7am :)

The first couple of miles are on pavement although they were snow covered with patchy ice, and we got away with wearing spikes, me relying on my Icebugs for the whole distance and finding them perfect for the conditions. The wind wasn't strong but it was blowing enough to create a chill that caused us to cover our faces, and within half an hour, our hair was already white and frosty from the cold, morning air. At that time, there was nobody else about, and we had the whole pavement to ourselves for a good while, encountering just one other lonesome runner and a fat biker that came riding past, his face and beard far more frosty than us. We all said a cheery hello to each other, and were in great spirits, even in the dark and the cold.

Time and distance was passing quickly, and before we knew it, we'd ascended one of the longest hills on the route, passed the big posh houses overlooking the river, and had now joined the trail system that would take us back down to the river's edge. The sun hadn't yet risen and we'd been concerned as to whether we'd be able to see on the trail sections, opting to leave our headtorches back at the car to avoid carrying even more extra weight. The trees alongside the trail did create shadows and leaving the residential areas meant we no longer had the street lights to rely on. Thankfully though, the snow made things bright enough for us, although we did both almost trip on some of the bumpy sections where we didn't quite spot the small snow mounds in time.

It was so quiet when running through the Buena Vista dog park - it was still too early, too cold and too dark for the dog walkers, and instead of the sounds of barking dogs filling the air, the only found was our feet crunching through the compact snow and ice, combined with our cheerful chatter that had been almost constant from the get-go.

Wish Tree in Buena Vista dog park 

We'd been running around 9 to 10 minute miles and making really good progress. Crossing the Quesnell Bridge to join the trail system on the other side of the river was most welcome as we knew it was only a matter of minutes before we arrived at the unofficial aid station. This marked approximately a quarter of the way and barring a short 2 mile loop, it was also the turnaround point.

It was great to see Gary and Marla at the aid station, but Barb and I didn't need to grab anything, so after paying our $4 entry fee (which goes towards the snacks and any surplus is donated to charity), we continued on our way. I'd taken two soft bottles of Skratch with me and had done well drinking almost a full one already. The other though was now frozen at the top, making it difficult to get a drink without having to remove the lid. It was frustrating as I'd not only had I wrapped both bottles in a woolly sock prior to putting them in my backpack, but I'd also put a couple of hand warmers in there in the hope that the warmth would stop the bottle neck from freezing ... Sigh! I'd also been carrying some jelly sweets, nuts, and a mars bar, all now rock solid and extremely hard to eat. I tucked the mars bar I'd been carrying into the pocket of my running tights, and about an hour later, it had warmed up and slightly melted, making almost perfect for eating.

The small loop around Fort Edmonton went fairly quickly, footing was still good with no ice whatsoever, and before we knew it, we were back at the aid station again, passing through without stopping as we still had supplies that would keep us going for the next 10k or so before arriving back at the Kinsman and the car.

I’m never really a huge fan of running on this side of the river – there’s approximately a mile or so of pavement that goes uphill, and despite the switchbacks that bring you out at what I believe is called “End of the World”, it’s a tedious stretch of paved trail that always seems to be busy with walkers, even on a chilly winter’s day such as today. The only exciting part is seeing the horses part way, and that’s only if they are outside – today though, although we could certainly smell them, they were staying inside where they were much warmer.

Reaching the top of the long, drawn-out climb, we rejoined the trail system again and enjoyed the longer, snowy descent down Murder Mile, before hitting the mildly undulating section into Harawlek Park. It still hadn’t come properly daylight but the snow was bright enough that we could see where we were going, and it was just Barb and I running along the trail with barely anybody else around. Another half hour or so of running, chatting and just being happy brought us back to the Kinsman Centre – 25km done, 25km to go, and both of us still feeling pretty good.

Final stretch of loop 1

Things hadn’t really warmed up a great deal so we didn’t feel the need to change into any other clothing but having had a good drink at the car and had a few nibbles, we did decide to leave our backpacks behind for the next lap. The drinks we were carrying were still frozen solid, and it was guaranteed that taking fresh bottles would result in more frozen drinks so we couldn’t see the point in taking that extra weight. I tucked a bottle in my jacket pocket in the hope that my body heat would keep it warm, but otherwise, we agreed that we would just grab a drink and a snack at the aid station which was only 7 miles away, or around an hour of running time.

The second loop went pretty much the same as the first. It remained chilly and our hair froze, my drink stayed warmish for around about half an hour in my pocket but was icy cold and slushy when I finally succumbed to the thirst that I had, we were still chatty and still having fun. As the sun rose above the horizon, it gave way to a beautiful golden wintry light on the snow – though still early morning, the warmth from the sun was greatly appreciated, but the clouds soon rolled in and we weren’t able to benefit too much from  the sun’s presence. There were now far more people about as we started heading down the trail to the river bottom and back through the Buena Vista dog park, and the dogs that were out on their morning walk all came bounding over to us to say a cheery hello. One or two tried to butt snouts with us before trying to join us on our run, much to the frustration and amusement of their owners.

Beautiful wintry sunrise over the
River valley

Approaching the aid station for our third time, Gary was still there providing support but he now had a new assistant helping out. This time I topped up my drinks bottle in the hope that the water they had was a little warmer, and I also took an Almond Slice to eat which took a while to eat due to the cold but was still delicious and hit the spot perfectly. We’d been told that there were a couple of other Fat Assers and Half Assers out on the course, but as yet, we had only encountered a couple of other runners and some walkers on the trail. Although Barb admitted to having slowed slightly over the past few miles, we were still knocking out sub 10 minute miles and it was highly likely that we would finish the fun in under 5 and a half hours, even with the stoppage time at the aid station and the washrooms.

Half way on loop 2, at around 35k :)

The short loop around Fort Edmonton again passed by very quickly, and before we knew it, we were saying a cheery thank you to the volunteers as we headed back along the southside river trails – just another 8km or so to the Kinsman Centre and the finish. By now, my legs were starting to get a little tired, whether from the cold or the distance I don’t know, but I didn’t mind those short walk breaks, and especially so when going up the hills. Checking my watch, I could see that we were well on course to smash our time from the previous year. We had definitely done far less walking this time, and Barb was still crushing it. I found myself pulling ahead a little bit, but when I waited for Barb, she would tell me to just keep going – so long as she saw me ahead, she would be ok. Heading past the horses again, we saw a couple of other runners ahead of us, and it turned out to be none other that the amazing Laura and friend, organisers of the Survivorfest 24-hour race. We shared hugs, took a couple of pictures, and then continued on our merry way.

Friends along the way!

The sections with the deeper snow were making it tough going in places, especially when passing over roads where cars had made the snow quite powdery, and then the icy sections were pretty bad and we found ourselves tiptoeing over them to be sure we didn’t go slip sliding all over the place. Things had started to warm up ever so slightly, but it was still a chilly day, and even the short glimpses of the sun weren’t making to much of a difference.

One last push through Emily Murphy Park, and we were heading for home, stopping the clock on 5 hours 22 minutes for moving time and a full 40 mins or more ahead of our time from 2023. It was a great run and a great way to start of our running year. It also gave me a good 50km towards the January Battle that I somehow got roped into again.  50km down already for January – only another 350 to go