Hardcore Whistler Race

Lost Lake was so scenic and peaceful as we watched the racers

I was in Whistler this past weekend to help my cousin with his race, specifically called Otillo Race where competitors have to run along a trail, swim across a lake and repeat until they reached the finish, wearing their wet suit, runners, googles and paddles throughout the entire course.

For the race at Whistler, there were three different categories: 

Whistler Experience is a total of 6.437km, with 1.45km swim and 4.989km run;

Whistler Sprint is a total of 17.059km, with 3.38km swim and 13.679km run;

Whistler World Series is a total of 38.302km, with 5.139km swim and 33.153km run.

Two competitors at the finish in gear

My cousin, attempting this for the first time chose the Whistler World Series and while he has been training in running, he didn't do much training specifically for this race because he was busy with work and looking after two boys.

He attempted swimming with his wet suit in open-water swimming in Vancouver, and tried running with his wet suit on to get used to the conditions. He said wearing light runners with holes made it easier to run.

Last night he tried to do a bit of carbo loading, eating some extra pizza slices.

This morning he started the race at 6am and very chilly -- jumping into the lake immediately woke him up.

A former Olympic swimmer, he was able to power through the swims, though in the trail runs he walked sections of it because he was tired. Nevertheless he seemed to do well time-wise.

We managed to catch him two-thirds of the way at Lost Lake Park. We saw him swim across the lake towards us and then get out of the water, have a quick water break and then continue on his race by foot.

By the end he managed to finish in under six hours, and placed ninth out of 17. The youngest competitor in this division was 21, the oldest 62.

Two competitors emerging from Lost Lake

Some competitors were tethered together, either two men or two women, or one man, and one woman; they have to do everything together tied together, while others, like my cousin, did it solo.

There were two men in their early 40s from Hong Kong who finished last in over seven hours, while the winner completed the course in just over four hours... 

My cousin also trained by running to Grouse Mountain and doing the Grouse Grind! 

Needless to say I think he's definitely caught the bug to do more ultra races. He says in marathons you are competing against everyone else on a paved surface, whereas ultra races are about completing the race, than the time.

He also said the trail was scenic. His first two swims were beautiful on the lake, with the early morning mist rising over the water before dissipating into the atmosphere...