One of my running goals for 2026 is to compete in at least 3 road races. I'd already completed the Hypothermic Half Marathon back in February, and with the Calgary Marathon coming up, I only needed one more road race to hit my goal. I contemplated doing the St Albert 10 miler which was about a month out from the marathon and would be a great test of what my marathon goal would be, but then I spotted the Jasper Half and being a week later, it still fitted in well with a good marathon buildup, plus we could combine it with a weekend in the mountains.
After registering for the race, we tried to find some pet friendly accommodation in Jasper, but given that the fires destroyed some of the tourist accommodation, there was a lack of availability for the race weekend. We thought we might camp but campgrounds don't open until late May, and whilst there are plenty of hotels in Hinton, few of them would accept three dogs. After a little more searching, Andy was able to secure an Airbnb at a cabin just outside of Valemout in BC - with mountain views and being a little off the beaten track, we figured this would be perfect. The race didn't start until 1pm on the Saturday so the 90 minute drive back to Jasper on race day morning wasn't a concern, and we could still enjoy some fresh mountain air without having to leave at stupid AM for a race.
I booked the Friday off work, and we left home mid morning for the 4 and a half hour drive to Jasper. The weather in the Edmonton region was cold with snow squall warnings, and snow was falling as we made our way north towards the Yellowhead. We were a little concerned that the roads would be messy the closer we got to the mountain park, but within an hour, the snow was left behind and the skies cleared to give us the most gorgeous blue skies and the drive really wasn't too bad at all.
Package pickup was at the Jasper Lodge Hotel on the Friday, so we had it on our itinerary to walk the dogs at the dog park in Jasper and then collect my bib ready for the race. Driving into Jasper was beautiful with blue skies and snow on the mountain peaks. It wasn't cold, and it felt like an early spring day. The Big Horned Sheep were out in abundance and we spotted at least three herds as we drove into the park, along with Elk and the occasional deer - we've always found that spring time is when we spot the most wildlife, and today was no exception.
Having collected my bib, we continued on our way towards Valemount, and after another hour or so of driving, we arrived at the cabin and made ourselves comfortable, watching the sun go down over the mountains before being treated to the most incredible starlit sky.
Due to the later start for the race, we awoke on a beautiful sunny Saturday morning and had a leisurely breakfast before loading up the car. The dogs were having a great time running around offleash and being wild, although I was definitely on my guard just in case of any bears or cougars in the area. I always say that our pups - especially the girls - look like petite deer, and I always worry that they will become prey for some predator out there.
Just as we were about to leave, we bumped into one of the guests from another cabin who asked whether we had heard about the rock slide going in to Jasper. Apparently, there had been a rock slide overnight on the main road heading into Jasper, and they had closed the road to all traffic. Andy and I listened in disbelief - that is the only road back into Jasper from our current location, the only detour being a 1300km trip in to the BC before heading back towards Calgary via Sicamous, Revelstoke, Rogers Pass and back via Banff. Having checked the news, there was no estimated time as to when the road would reopen, and there would be another update at noon on the Saturday.
I wasn't sure how to feel, but I knew for certain that I would not be racing the Jasper Half Marathon which was disappointing. We decided to spend the morning in Valemount to consider our options, grabbing some lunch and giving the dogs plenty of walks. Having accepted that there was no way we would make it back to jasper for the race, the main consideration now was what to do about getting home. Basically there were three options:
* Book another night at the cabin in the hope that the road would reopen by morning, and then drive back home via Jasper.
* Take the long way home through BC - a 1300km drive that would now take us 13+ hours instead of just 5 hours.
* Take the long way home through BC, but split the journey and find a hotel in Revelstoke or somewhere midway to break up the drive.
Having figured that waiting things out might mean we would still need to drive home the long way, we decide to make tracks that afternoon, taking the road towards Kamloops where we would refuel, before heading back towards Revelstoke where we had managed to secure a pet friendly hotel room for a very good price.
Of course, two days of driving now meant I was unlikely to get any of my long training runs completed, and this would impact on how I approach the marathon in a couple of weeks, my confidence in achieving my initial marathon time goal slowly slipping away with each hiccup I've had in recent weeks.
Trying to stay positive about the whole situation, the drive through BC was beautiful. The sky was blue with bright sunshine the whole way, the views were spectacular even through the car window, and we got to stop off for a picnic alongside the river on what felt like a proper spring like day.
We made a good choice with the hotel in Revelstoke - it was a very reasonable price considering we had three dogs with us, and we enjoyed a most splendid meal in the hotel restaurant that night. We had to leave relatively early the next day as we still had another 6 or 7 hours on the road, but I did manage to give the pups a good walk before setting off, and I sneaked in an easy 5km run so I didn't feel quite so grumpy and frumpy.
The second day of driving was pretty much the same, and we stopped off at a few spots to let the pups stretch their legs, have something to eat and have a paddle and a swim in the lakes and rivers. It wasn't exactly what we had planned for the weekend, but sometimes we just have to go with the flow and accept things as they are.
We finally arrived home at about 7pm on the Sunday evening - the road in Jasper was still closed, but was due to reopen to one lane of traffic later in the day with motorists being warned to expect long delays. Although not ideal, we had made the right decision to head home via BC.
Seeing friends posting their pictures of the Jasper race was great, but at the same time I definitely had FOMO. I was so looking forward to running the race, I really wished we had been able to find accommodation in Jasper or Hinton, but much as I hate the phrase, it is what it is. There will be other races, and there is always next year if I really want to do the Jasper Half. For now though, I am focused on the Calgary Marathon on May 24. I know it won't be as quick as I was hoping, but I'll still be there and will hopefully will have lots of fun.
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