Round the Mountain...twice!

Sunday marked the first annual Round the Mountain event in beautiful Kimberley BC. The organizer's of this event should be extremely proud of themselves! The events went off as scheduled, trails were marked clearly, the finish area was perfect to attract spectators and competitors to hang around, and awards were presented in a very timely fashion!
I had been looking forward to this event, as I enjoy doing races close to home, and I was excited to ride this Round the Mountain route in it's entirety! I was not disappointed, although it was a tough, grueling run, it was beautiful! For some reason I always forget how hard these races are going to be....but I soon remembered after just minutes in to the run, as you start running up and up and up!! You get a reprieve after about 5 km and get to cruise down a bit, after which the singletrack running is always good for taking your mind off the hurt, as you have to be so focused on the trail, to not trip over all the rocks and roots...I still found myself hitting the dirt a few times! The steep ups on Coral were....steep....but after this, was the home stretch...kinda, there was one more evil twist, as you hit the Xcountry ski trails and think (well I thought) was just going to cruise you back to the start/finish, and it did, except, they managed to cram in some switchback climbs.....and some were steep...it hurt at this point!!
Alas they are some smart people, and right after this, it cuts on to some super hard pack, fun singletrack, and that is what takes you to the finish! It was fabulous!
I say fabulous, but I actually still can't walk, as I feel as though someone took a hammer to my quads!
I was sure looking forward to the bike after the run, and it was super fun! I enjoy the climbing more on the bike, and again that last bit of singletrack to finish the race was superb!!
There are some fast riders around here, and I found myself riding alone for a bit after the initial climb...before being pushed a bit with riders closing in on the steeps in Coral and then being passed on Rock Slide trail......sure wish I could still stick a bit closer to those fast guys!!
This was a great event!! I recommend registering early next year, as I think it will sell out FAST!!
Thanks Kimberley Orienteering for an amazing day!