• 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.  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!)

• Here are some photos of the Central Alberta Masters team at the 2008 K-100:
  • The mountains at sunset the day before
  • Robert heading out of town on Leg 1
  • Our Leg 2 man was Andy
  • John had an absolutely stellar run on Leg 3; here's the transition (he looks ready to go!)
  • Here's Tom taking off on Leg 4
  • Tony had a great run on Leg 5
  • This is Bill chasing down some scenery - this should be no surprise to anyone.
  • Ron's outta here...
  • Rob has the joy of running in the oppressive heat; here's the Ron/Rob exchange
  • We need this guy for Sinister 7 team!
  • Cam taking off on Leg 9
  • Here's some of the Masters waiting for Bill K on Leg 10 ("Where is that lazy b^st***?!?")
  • Marshals were on hand to make sure that nobody cheated on Leg 10.
  • How are we today, Sir?  Better.  Better, Sir?  Yeah, better get a bucket - I'm gonna puke.

• In mid-June, five intrepid runners made the trek to Bragg Creek, and once we were saddled up we hit the trail.  It wasn't long before we were on the single-track trail; here are Debbie D and Annie, Debbie H, and Peter on some fantastic running terrain.  We had to scramble over a few obstacles along the way to Moose Mountain, but that's okay.

The weather took a bit of a turn, but the scenery and the company were fantastic, so why not enjoy ourselves?  Soon the snow got a bit deeper and a bit later on, we literally ran into a screaming snow squall so we decided to play it safe and abandon our push to the summit.  It was really nasty stuff; here are Annie and Peter, then Debbie H and Annie, descending into the treeline.

Wait a minute - who is that bonehead running over to take a look at the cliff? There always seems to be one in every crowd.

Once we got out of the snow we ran into some rain (and mud) so we had a bath in Bragg Creek, then it was off to town for soup, pizza, and beer!

• Congratulations to all of the Blackfoot Ultra racers.  Here's a shot of Lisa destroying her running partner, one of Cheryl waving to her fans, and one of Diane, Janice, Tina, and Debbie at the finish area.

• The training run at Baseline Mountain was a blast! It was a little bit wet and muddy, but we took off up the hill and away we went. We found some great trails to run on; here are Debbie, Rob, Ron, Sue, Sue and Colleen, and Colleen zooming down the trail. 

Here are some of the pictures that Debbie D took with her camera: there's the long climb up Baseline (Colleen, Rob and Ron, Sue and Bill).  The gang is taking a breather here, waiting for Bill "Tire Fire" Kossmann to struggle up the hill.  Part-way up the hill they tried to convince Bill to jump off the ramp and see if he'd break a leg, but he chickened out.  Once at the summit, we got a spectacular view of the fog and we could almost see the lookout a hundred metres away.

• The Red Deer Advocate has an online story on Bill's 100th marathon finish, complete with video.

• On the Saturday before Woody's Marathon, the Red Deer Runners host a Friendship Run (a short 3 or 4km jog, to familiarise runners with the last couple kilometres of the course).  Here are a series of pictures, taken on Michener Hill (aka "Puke Hill"): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.

That night, the pre-race banquet honoured Bill Nielsen and BJ Billings, and we had Dick Beardsley as our featured speaker.  If you missed out then you missed a great evening!

• The 2008 edition of the Nut 'n' Bolt run was another raging success.  Here are Andy and Donna, Claude and Lois, Diane and Doug, and Marilyn and Ron as they cross the finish line.  The post-run food was terrific, as usual!

• Here we are enjoying another great Saturday morning "Rec" run.  Here (l to r) are Tina, Cheryl, Jeff, and Rob at the start of the run; Mike, Robert and Paul are chugging along the trail; and in this image, Claude and Cheryl are having way too much fun.

• The Frozen Ass is a  52-kilometre ultra, hosted by Gord's Running Store in Calgary (there's a 26K relay version, too).  Held in mid-February, this out-and-back course takes runners from the Bow Waters Canoe Club to Chestermere Lake and back.  Here's a great picture of Peter along the course.

• In late December '07 a bunch of us were wanna-be biathletes, under the watchful eye of Red Deer's Olympic Biathlete, Zina Kocher.  It was Bill's turn to drive the gang to and from Canmore, and when the kids in the back started acting up he had to give them the Evil Eye (thanks to Debbie for the photo and the caption).  Here's a picture of the group in the "ski" portion of the day; in this photo, Zina is giving Ron and Debbie some instructions; and in this photo, Zina is checking a ... um ... malfunction with Rob's rifle.  

• This February gave us some really chilly running weather; for this run it was just above absolute zero with a bazillion-mile-per-hour wind.  The hardy souls in this photo are: Bill, Ann-Marie, Robert, Janice, Sandy, Nira, and Diane.  Missing from this photo (already warming themselves at City Roast) are Andy and Claude. 

• Debbie and Andrew ran the 25-kilometer version of the Blackfoot; they ran together from the start.  Debbie won her category with a time of 2:42 - way to go!  This was Andrew's first introduction to trail racing; that summer he ran Leg One of the Death Race.

• The second annual Trail Run and BBQ from Bill's house was unusual, as usual.  The first year we were sliding in mud (literally!) and this year we had to deal with a bit of water.  The height-challenged folks either swam for it (way to go Debbie!) or took advantage of others' stature.

• Cross-country skiing is great cross training, and we picked a particularly snowy day this time!  Here are Debbie, Lisa, Diane and Colleen, Hilda, Lisa and Colleen, Ron, Tina and Janice, and Tom, Andy, and Debbie. 

• Here are our 2006 Runners of the Year: Lisa Houle and Rob Furness!

• This article appeared in the Lethbridge Herald the weekend of the Lost Soul Ultra.  The Three Stooges seem to be bringing up the rear.

• Not sure why, but Tony supplied the carrots for the first (and possibly only) Carrot Run.

• One year, a bunch of runners went to Mike's cabin at Calling Lake.  Of course, Bill fell into some water while they were running the trails.

• In 2005, Rob, Bill, Neal, Ed, and Tom ran the Lost Soul Ultra.  It's in Lethbridge, and the course is flat and fast.  Try it sometime!

• Woody's RV World Marathon and Half Marathon is well attended by the Red Deer runners, both as runners and volunteers.  Here's a shot of the pre-race "friendship run"; Gary and Mike near the home stretch; Len; and some other runners near Kerry Wood.

• Around Christmas time, we have a scavenger hunt; we pit one team against another for a few laughs.

• We're not all about running.  Here we're at the Corn Maze in Lacombe.

• One year we held a time trial relay in one of the local parks.  Here's a shot of the group before we got started; Annie lays down the law; Rob charges in to complete his lap; and Cindy gets ready to hand off the baton.   It's hard to tell who's pacing who in this photo; Tony and Darlene are in the transition zone; and David gets ready to kick Len in the butt (just kidding).

• In October, we participate in the three-race "Cross Country Series".  Here (I think this is in Lacombe) Debbie and Robert are flying down the trails.

• The Saint Patrick's Day run is always fun.  This time, the weather was agreeable to the group.

• Some days it hardly pays to get out of bed.  In this photo, Rob, Janice and Bill are contemplating the fun they had on one Rec Run.

• Every March, Claude and Olive host the "Predict Your Time" fun run from their home.  Sometimes the weather's a little chilly, but everyone always has a good time; you can see here that it looks like Ron and Don are trying to bribe the timekeeper.  No sprint-to-the-finish runs here, it's all about keeping your pace.  Once we're done running, it's into the house for food, drink, and a few chuckles.

• Every year on the Wednesday night drop-in run starting just after Woody's Marathon, the Runner's Den holds a 6-week 5K series to help with our speed work.  Here's an image of one of the starts, and here's Ron and Theresa crossing the finish line.

• The 2005 Harvest Run was quite a success as usual. Here's Don giving our woman's overall winner Deborah her trophy. Men's overall winner was Ken Meyers. The bike winner was Andrew. Here are the top two girls 3km. The Food Concession area was very busy after the run. The Finish Line was probably the best part of the run for some

• Every year we hold a Halloween Fun Run. These are pictures of the 2005 Run. Here's a group picture who attended  I'm not sure what Rob and Ron are doing. Maybe it's best we leave well enough alone. Don't know who Jeff and Cindy are portraying. I'll leave that up to your imagination.

• The K-100 in Kananaskis is held around the middle of June each year; it's a 100 mile relay and Red Deer is ably represented.  From the 2005 edition of the race: Barrett steaming up the hill, Lise and Lisa at an exchange point, and a very determined-looking Darlene.  Hilda puts on a fine performance, Rob and Bill N are at the exchange point, and Tina is checking her time at the end of her relay.  In addition to running, a certain amount of strategising needs to take place, and we sometimes take a coffee break.  The Red Deer Runners Club fielded a team, as did some of the ladies from Red Deer.

• The Kid's Death Race is a great 5km cross-country race; here's a shot of  Andrew grabbing some water at the top of Toboggan Hill.

• The Cache Test Dummies finished 16th out of 117 teams - way to go team!  Barb (304) ran Leg One, Rob looks real serious on Leg Two, Dawn put on an impressive performance on Leg Three, Don cruised through Leg Four (nice bib, Don), and Bill ran Leg Five.  The team graciously gave Bill a whole 4 minutes of rest before they insisted on a group photo.

• These Death Racers are having way too much fun - and they're on separate teams!
Photo by Rick Bowes, used with permission.

• Doug's Death Race photos:
  • The native drummers at the start were great.
  • Have a rest, Doug - you'll need it!
  • Here's Doug finishing Leg Two.
  • Steve and Doug ham it up for the camera, just in front of the Leg Three / Leg Four transition area.

• This collection of photos was supplied by Doug; they're from the 2003 Death Race training camp:
  • Crossing the mud puddle (Leg One, I believe)
  • Refilling Camelbacks in a creek ... hey, this looks familiar!
  • The Slugfest is aptly named.
  • The assault on Mt. Hamel begins.  Just when you think you're at the top, it's up, up, up some more!  Jenny, the ever-gracious host, welcomes the Death Racers in her lookout at the summit.  If you're able to do so, here's what you see if you look over the edge of the cliff; if you're not inclined to, then here's a shot of Grande Cache.  Here's Doug at the summit.
  • The raft crossing looks fun.  Wave hello to Don, everyone!
  • This sign pretty much says it all.
  • On Leg Five, the view on the Sulphur Trail is spectacular.

• The 2003 Nut 'n' Bolt Run was a lot of fun; the organizers put on a great event!  Wilhelmina gave the run an air of sophistication, as only she (he?) can do.  Here are pictures of the winners, the festivities in general, and a shot of the youngest runners yet.  Some folks, though, were a bit camera shy (some were not).

• The Crimson Lake race, a 10 km trail run held in August, I believe, is a popular run.  This is group shot of the local gang. 

• Bill, Anna, and Don pose at the 2002 Saskatoon Marathon.

• Here's a couple of Janice Dempsey's pictures from Down Under.  Life there looks rough; you can see for yourself.  Here's Janice's camp site (day and night shots), Janice's house, and here she is at the beach.

• Here's the story of a Death Run Camp survivor; there are all kinds of pictures are at the end of the page.

• If you've never run "Bill's Trails" in Lacombe, you don't know what you're missing!  There are pictures of the trail here and here.  In this picture, I'm not sure if Mike tripped or if he's doing his bear imitation.  In these pictures, Bill's pacing the group.

• The 2002 edition of the Nut 'n Bolt Run was a great success again this year!  All of the runners had a great time, and thoroughly enjoyed the meal following the event.  This year's winners were Judy Morrison and Doug Stewart. 

• Check out these hardy souls!  Rumor has it that they braved temperatures of -85 Celsius and winds of Force 10 to complete the first annual Run 'n 2002 (take a peek at the March 2002 newsletter for details).

• The 2001 Eikiden run is a lot of fun, as this keen bunch of runners can attest!  From left to right, they are: Marina Bagnall, Don Lee, Elaine Finlay, Judy Morrison, Marina's sister Nikki, and Paul Holmes.

• Here are some pictures from the 2001 DTHR Fun Run: the start, and bibs 235, 308, and 347.  The weather was a bit gloomy, but the rain held off until the end of the race.

• Don Lee qualified for the Boston Marathon in this warm January race, which was held in Florida.  We're sure not in Red Deer anymore, Toto!