Our photo gallery features our members in action ...
 
Please share your running photos; send them to us as attachments in an e-mail and we'll  put them up on this site!
 
  • The annual Halloween Run was held at Sandy's house; here we are waiting for the photographer to take the shot so we could run and warm up.  Afterwards we had coffee and muffins by the campfire - thankfully the morning warmed up and we had a great visit!

  • A large group of 14 runners traveled to Bragg Creek on August 1 for the last scheduled trail run of the summer.  Here's a shot of Deb D leading the charge through the trails; naturally we have to stop at our customary photo-op location before we hit the tree line.  After we hit the false summit, it's a steep climb to the top where we have a bit of a break - and boy was it windy up there! - before we descend from the tower.  It was really hot that day, and after such a strenuous workout we have to cool down in the creek.  On the drive home, this "God beam" was a harbinger of the nasty weather we would encounter.

  • On June 13 we had the second annual "Railway Run", which consists of running a section of the old rail line between Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg.  The weather was absolutely stellar, and we had a great time running in this area.  Here we are starting out along the pipeline, after about a kilometre we hit the old rail line itself; here are Dennis and Lisa.  Naturally, the trestles were torn out and we had to go into and out of several gorges (again and again).  Luckily there were some creeks where we could cool off.  We stopped for a picnic at an abandoned shack in a meadow, took pictures of some of the wildlife, then headed out of the flats towards the vehicles.  The return journey was even hillier than the way out (imagine that!) but that just made our victory celebration sweeter.
  • The last weekend of May saw Annie, Deb D, and Bill travel to Moose Mountain for a training run on the trails.  In stark contrast to last year's excursion, we had bluebird weather for most of the day.  It was so warm, in fact, that the dogs had to cool off in the water (here are Lucy and Harley enjoying a brief dip).  Annie and Deb, being much younger and far fitter, had to drag yours truly up the trail; not sure how I managed to stage this shot of them climbing the single-track.  Not surprisingly, we had to run through some snow on the way to the summit.  About halfway between the tree line and the summit, we begin the final push to the top (here are Annie and Harley, Deb, and Annie and the dogs).  We had a quick look around the top, then started down when misfortune struck: Harley's pads were shredded, and Deb and Bill wound up taping their socks to his feet so he could limp back to the truck; it turned out to be a slow return trip.   Look for more details of the run in the next Red Deer Runners Gazette. 
  • Our Poker Rally fun run was held on Saturday, April 18.  After hamming it up for the camera, the group went down the trail behind Heritage Ranch, then climbed the stairs at the lookout.  We had to run an out-and-back loop because the ice jam on the Red Deer River blocked off the north trail.  Once on top of the trail, the runners headed out of Heritage Ranch and towards Taylor Bridge; here's a shot of Tina and Janice and Pat, Debbie, Roxene, and Anna returning to the finish. (Anna wound up with the best poker hand, and Debbie had the worst.)  The morning was a bit cool, so we were sunning ourselves on the deck - here's a bunch of runners lined up like birds on a wire.
  • Each year our club members are recognised for their dedication to running and sport in general.  Here are the Runners Den Runners of the Year for 2008 (Ann-Marie and Bill) and the 2008 nominee for the Volunteer of the Year (Olive).
  • The 2009 Predict Your Time fun run was a great event!  Here's the mass start and after a brisk 8K run, the runners started cruising in: Robert, Pat & Dennis, Olive, Claude, Maureen (the winner, only 2 seconds off her predicted time!), and Lisa and Hilda.  Many thanks again to Claude & Olive for hosting the event at their house.
  • We were lucky enough to have lots of snow for the more-or-less-annual snowshoe run.  In this photo, Ron is packing the trail for us as we're heading into the trails.  The group headed out along the river and into the woods, where we sometimes had to stop to get our bearings and decide on the best trail.  Fortunately, Miss March 2009 (Colleen) is there to guide us along.  
  • This year, female runners outnumbered the males for the first time in the annual Nut 'n' Bolt run.  (Way to go, Ladies!)  The first place team was Don and Sandy, and the "turtle" team was Jason and Diane.  Thanks again to the organisers, and thank you to the chefs that prepared three different chili con carne dishes.
  • On August 16, a bunch of us took off for a "Railroad Run" - a tour along some of the abandoned rail line that runs between Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg.  We had a great day as you can see:
    • Here's the gang just as we're starting out; the rail line in the distance looks easy and inviting
    • Wouldn't you know it: the rails and ties are gone--so are the trestles--so we have to go into and out of the gullies (this is a really tame one!) and cross on some old beams just like in a steeplechase
    • What run would be complete without a little bushwhacking and scrambling?
    • Harley needs to cool off part way through (it was a hot day!)
    • In the flats, we decide to have a short picnic by a cabin and then we have a steep climb out of the valley

    • Along the way, we admire the view; here, David is pointing to the juncture of the Ram and North Saskatchewan Rivers

    • As the day wears on, it gets rather warm so David and Harley decide to cool off in a small creek
    • The last climb back to the vehicles is steep!
    • We made it!  We're more or less cleaned up, and Harley discovers that his Mom's Camelbak makes a great mattress.
  • The Sinister 7 was a tough, tough race!  Red Deer was the only community that had all of its competitors--solo and relay runners alike--finish this 135K monster.  [Update: the course was re-measured and is now 146K.]  There were 14 Red Deer Runners in all; 5 soloists and two teams.  Here are some images from the event:
    • The start of the race (Darlene is seen in this photo)
    • Here's a familiar photo: the Three Stooges are last out of the gate (again!)
    • On Leg 1 we went through the Frank Slide
    • It wasn't until  Leg 2 that we hit the trails; it was spectacular!
    • Leg 3 was up, up, up, then down, down, down.  This bridge was a welcome sight!
    • By the time we hit Leg 4 it was starting to get dark; in this photo, Cheryl looks a bit lost
    • Here's Tom leaving a checkpoint (Leg 4?); this was a welcome sight at the Leg 5 aid station!
    • Not sure where Debbie and Cheryl were in this shot
    • At the mid-point of Leg 5, the sun was beginning coming up, much to the relief of all
    • In the mean time, the relay teams were finishing.  Here's Andy ("Mr. Navigator") getting warmed up, and here's Tina crossing the finish line with her teammates
    • Annie crosses the line to become the first woman finisher!
    • Neil, Darlene, and Andy at the finish
    • The Sod Sisters with their medals
    • Bill and Tom, and Ron and Rob cross the finish line
    • Kris (shown with Tom) and Susan were our saviours at the aid station (thanks again, Ladies!)
 
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