Jonathan, Pauline and Greg completed The Cumby.
By Leslie Ann Bent
Greg at The Cumby. Photo courtesy of Rob Haigh
This weekend marked the 4th annual Cumby Trail race organized by the Comox Valley Road Runners. The race takes place in the hills above the historic village of Cumberland. The Cumby has a few unique features. One is that the race course changes each year as new trails are added to the area. The medals are not metal but wood! There are two main options for distance – the Full Cumby at 25km and the Half Cumby at 13km (more than half if anyone is counting). Whether or not you choose the shorter course or the longer course, you have a true trail race ahead of you with roots, rocks, descents and climbs to tire out the best of the trail runners. A third race was added this year called the mini Cumby – 5.5km if the other options scare you. The race day was lovely for walking and idling in the sun, but a hot 25C for the runners. I tried to get a sense of the race course and profile by searching the race website under “course.” The only items listed were the results of prior races. It made me wonder if it was just a case of “better not to know.” Once again, STARR was represented by our three regular trail racers – Jonathan, Pauline and Greg.
I asked Greg how brutal this course was. “Brutal,” was his response. “Pauline killed me again.”
Greg cools down after the race.
In our last few trail race reports we mentioned that trail races are quite different than road races in terms of strategy, footing, navigation, and the terrain. A trail race will always take longer than a road race of the same distance. Greg also provided some trail runner insight into those differences after experiencing The Cumby. “Expect to come in exhausted. After a road race you might say ‘Oh my calf muscles are sore.’ After a trail race you say, ‘I can’t feel my legs!’ I am pretty sure I left one of my lungs at the top of the last peak we climbed.”
The race course followed a mountain bike trail. It was hilly, had roots to watch in some places and rocks in others. The views made up for the inconvenience of nasty hills. The race was well organized with sufficient aid stops (including fruit!) and volunteers checking in with the runners. The course was well marked although Greg did go off course in one spot. I asked Greg if there was a memorable moment in the race. “Just before the downhill run to the finish line, as I came into a tight curve on a root infested track, I stepped over a dead mouse, just lying there. I actually felt jealous. I know how he felt. I just wanted to lie there too but there were three other people behind me and I wasn’t going to let them pass me with only 1km left to the finish line.” Quite an odd story. “We ended the event, sitting on the grass in the sun, beer in hand, theorizing how we could have run this one faster, and how we are going to run the next one.”
The Cumby Start
I also asked Jonathan about his experience and he had these enthusiastic words to say about the race. “It was an excellent race...loved it . Beautiful course. I didn't get lost this time...lol. Actually being honest the best thing that happened to me at the other race was getting lost as it taught me a valuable lesson...pay attention haha!! Totally recommend Cumberland race. The course is beautiful - well marked and fun!!!” I asked him too about memorable moments. “It was my birthday and Greg treated me for lunch after, and Pauline baked me a cake!!! What an amazing group the STARR team is!!!” It was a “perfect birthday.. to run and then socialize with everyone after. They had live music and beer gardens. We danced.” (Leslie Ann’s note: As if they didn’t have enough exercise on the course!)
The first across the long course finish line was Graham Cocksedge with a fast time of 1:54:27. The first female to cross was Nicola Gildersleeve with a time of 2:23:48. STARR runners also did well. Jonathan was our first runner with a time of 2:22:30 and a 3rd place age group finish, snagging a wooden medal. Pauline crossed at 2:55:05. Greg rolled into the finish line with a time of 3:05:36. The volunteers dragged him to the medical tent for a cool down - a water spray and some ice.
The short course top finisher was Graham Forsyth with a time of 1:02:45. Ten minutes behind him the top female runner, Carlene Van Tongeren, who clocked 1:12:56.
Congratulations to all of the STARR runners and to Greg and Jonathan for their colourful commentary. Any takers for 2020? The guys have inspired me to consider it.
Post-race party.