Silas Wiefelspuett wasn鈥檛 going to allow another second place finish.
The 麻豆社国产resident tore off his vest, held off second place competitor Mike Murphy and sprinted the final hundred metres to win the first ever Sky Pilot trail race on Sunday (Sept. 21).
Wiefelspuett finally got to stand atop the podium, after second place finishes at the Survival of the Fittest (SOTF) race in May and the 麻豆社国产50 23 km race in August.
鈥淚 was second so many time so it鈥檚 exhilarating to win this inaugural race,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is what 麻豆社国产is all about and it feels great to be winning for the community. I couldn鈥檛 let a Maple Ridge boy [Murphy] beat me here.鈥�
He explained he held the lead for the first 45 minutes of the race but Murphy overtook him for the next 20. The final hour of racing saw the two battle back and forth but Wiefelspuett edged out Murphy by seven seconds to complete the 18 km race in 2:12:25.
鈥淲ith 700 metres to go he came right on me but I knew he had to fight hard to get close,鈥� Wiefelspuett said. 鈥淚 was either going to let him pass or just kick it so I picked up my stride, threw my vest down and just took off.鈥�
Despite two deaths on the trails opened up by the Sea to Sky Gondola, Sky Pilot was the first race in the history of the Coast Mountain Trail Series (CMTS) to sell out. Wiefelspuett said race organizer Gary Robbins did his best to make the event a safe experience for everyone.
鈥淕ary kept us in the loop constantly and let us know his concerns,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e really prepared everyone for it and we all knew the risks.鈥�
Women鈥檚 18 km winner Anne-Marie Madden from Vancouver agreed that organizers did their best to ensure safety for all runners.
鈥淚 know Gary wasn鈥檛 putting us out there in unsafe areas,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e had gear demands and we weren鈥檛 going in the areas where the falls occurred.鈥�
Madden has dominated the 麻豆社国产trails over the years, winning the 麻豆社国产50 and SOTF races but she said Sky Pilot was something special.
鈥淚 think this was the most scenic and beautiful course I鈥檝e ever run in my life,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen you get up into the alpine, the views are spectacular 鈥� it鈥檚 about as beautiful as it gets for a trail run.鈥�
Madden鈥檚 time of 2:29:54 was third overall in the 18 km race and she explained her strategy was to start strong so she wouldn鈥檛 get trapped on the single-track sections.
Whistler鈥檚 Dean Eggleton posted the top time in the 12.5 km race, finishing the course in 1:20:31. He said it was a fun but challenging course.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou start off with a super steep climb and it鈥檚 a lot of walking. Some of the descents are super steep and it just pounds your body but the final uphill is the hardest part. Your thighs are just spent and you know the end is near.鈥�
Rebecca Sherlock of Vancouver was the top female in the 12.5 km, completing the course in 1:39:21. She praised the work of the course designers.
鈥淚t was really challenging but so beautiful,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome good touring and great volunteers made this a great race to run. The rope section was really hard because I hadn鈥檛 even thought it was here 鈥� that was interesting. And a lot of the hills are such a grind.鈥�
For complete results from the race, visit www.coastmountaintrailseries.com/sky-pilot.html.
