For its inaugural race last year, the Sky Pilot trail run sold out.聽
This year will be no different, organizer Gary Robbins predicts. Having bumped the count to 250 runners, Robbins is expecting to see all the available spots filled.聽
鈥淲e only have eight spots left,鈥� he said late last week.聽
The 14-kilometre and 21-kilometre races are a part of the Coast Mountain Trail Series. While 2015 marks the third season for the series, it is only the second year the Sky Pilot course has been part of the races.聽
The breathtaking views at the top of the Sea to Sky Gondola, where the race starts, are just one reason the Sky Pilot race quickly became a flagship of the series, Robbins said.聽
鈥淭he terrain is second to none, you get these really incredible alpine vistas.鈥�
Many of the paths in the race were constructed by Eric Carter and Will McKechnie specifically for the event.聽
This year, the race course has two small changes. Robbins has added the one-kilometre Panorama Trail to the start of the race to help spread out the field before runners file to single track. Racers will then run clockwise along Al鈥檚 Habrich Ridge Trail. Last year the course went counterclockwise, which led to a bottleneck at a section of rope climbs.聽
鈥淭his way there is more time before that section, and racers are going down it rather than up,鈥� Robbins noted. 鈥淭hat will help speed things up.鈥�
Robbins has been trail running for a decade. Recently the sport has landed in the media鈥檚 spotlight, and hikers and road runners looking for something different are transitioning into the sport.
鈥淧eople are getting sold on the wilderness experience,鈥� said Robbins, who also organizes the 麻豆社国产50.
The trail running community is friendly; by the end of a race, you鈥檒l walk away with friends for life, he said.聽
The race takes place on Sunday (Sept. 20). Besides the two main runs, there is a smaller race around the gondola trails for children. Runners are encouraged to start uploading on the gondola at 9 a.m. The gun fires for the 21-kilometre race at 10 a.m. The 14-kilometre run kicks off at 10:45 a.m. and the children鈥檚 event starts at 10:15 a.m. Awards will be handed out at the lodge at 2 p.m.聽
