One local runner managed to win in his category last weekend during one of the most punishing races in town.
Mike Murphy made first place at the 50 mile men’s division during the Squamish 50, clocking in a time of eight hours 10 minutes and 10 seconds.
“I’m thrilled and strangely relieved that I won the race this year,” he told The Chief in an email. “The amount of support that I felt from family and friends on Saturday, was off the charts – it made the outcome so much more meaningful.”
It’s not a small feat – the race is widely known for its punishing distances, and it has garnered participants from all over the continent.
Competitors came from as far and wide as Ogden, Utah; Berkeley, Calif.; and Calgary, to give a few examples.
For Murphy, the road to victory wasn’t easy.
The 46-year-old put in training time throughout the winter and spring, building up his foundation bit by bit.
All the while, Murphy also had to take care to hold back on his running whenever necessary – burnout can be a huge obstacle for athletes who are training intensely for big competitions.
When race day hit, he managed to match his personal best through much of the course.
However, once he started descending from the top Climb Trail, things got challenging.
“Crippling leg cramps began coming in waves,” said Murphy. “It took everything I had just to stay relaxed, not panic, and to keep moving forward.”
Clearly, it didn’t stop him from getting the gold.
Murphy said he’ll be eyeing the Whistler Alpine Meadows trail race next. He also expects to be hopping on his bike for some cyclocross racing.
The rest of the winners were from out of town, though not all of them were from afar.
Colin Miller, who won the mens’ 50/50 race – arguably the hardest event – hails from Lions Bay.
The 39-year-old says he plans on tackling the Pine to Palm 100M in Oregon next month.
Lisa Polizzi of Vancouver grabbed gold at the women’s 50 mile race after juggling continuous work along with a regular training regime.
“My kids ask me before they fall asleep, ‘Are you working or running before we wake?’” the 46-year-old told The Chief in an email.
Marcus Ribi of Richmond snagged first in the men’s 50 km. The 22-year-old said he had overcome some injuries he had incurred in the months leading up to the race.
Curtis Jung of Burnaby made first place in the 23-kilometre race. The 25-year-old said that managing his life outside the track was a key factor in his success.
“For me the biggest factor that will affect my race performance is the mental preparation leading up to the race,” he said in an email. “I paid extra attention to managing my work life to try to keep the stress levels down.”
Anne-Marie Madden, 36, of Vancouver took the gold in the women’s 23-kilometre.
“I’m super happy with my race,” she said in an email. “My goal was to beat my previous course record and I managed to do that by three minutes so I felt like I accomplished my goal.”
Not every winner managed to get back before press time, but The Chief compiled the results, which can be found below.
And the winners are...
Running the Squamish 50 can mean many different things. It could be 50 kilometres, 50 miles, 23 kilometres or – for the truly hardcore – a combination of both 50 kilometres and 50 miles.
That last race is known as the 50/50.
The Chief has compiled the results for the race, as well as the records for each event.
Have a look and see if your morning jog can match up.
– Top three results for each category –
50 Mile Men:
Mike Murphy 8:10:10 – Squamish
Colin Miller 8:35:49 – also ran the 50km the next day – Lions Bay
Bret Ferrier 8:50:32 – Ogden
50 Mile Women:
Lisa Polizzi 9:52:54 – Vancouver
Mary Geddes 10:16:22 - also ran the 50km the next day – Seattle
Samantha Drove 10:27:51 – North Vancouver
50 Km Men:
Marcus Ribi 5:02:02 – Richmond
Vincent Pagot 5:12:34 – Whistler
Richard Reid 5:25:35 – Calgary
50 Km Women:
Rachel Jaten 5:36:14 – Spokane
Arden Young 5:43:16 – Calgary
Tamma Carleton 6:05:23 – Berkeley
23 Km Men:
Curtis Jung 1:55:10 – Burnaby
Brendan Urlocker 2:01:30 – Squamish
Julien Lamoureux 2:04:07 – Squamish
23 Km Women:
Anne-Marie Madden 1:55:33 - new course record, six-time defending champion – Vancouver
Eleanor Greenwood 2:05:48 – North Vancouver
Vivian Davidson 2:15:39 – Vancouver
50/50 Men:
Colin Miller 14:25:13 - 4x 50/50 finisher – Lions Bay
Justin Torres 16:08:50 – Los Angeles
Ben Jenkins 16:32:43 – Vancouver
50/50 Women:
Mary Geddes 18:25:37 – Seattle
Kristen Hansen 18:46:00 – Edmonton
Elizabeth Halleran 19:57:01 – Banff
– Course and Event Records –
50 Mile (current course)
Dakota Jones 2016 7:31:09
Cassie Scallon 2015 8:37:31
50 Mile (all-time)
Jason Loutitt 2012 7:25:22
Ellie Greenwood 2012 8:04:36
50 Kilometre
Adam Campbell 2014 4:55:08
Ellie Greenwood 2014 5:20:39
50/50
Michael Wardian 2014 13:45:10
Kaytlyn Gerbin 2016 16:39:41
23 Kilometre
Mario Mendoza 2014 1:45:28
Anne-Marie Madden 2017 1:55:33
