(Trail) Running

I couldn’t sit around any longer while Cath went out and ran her triathlons, so this year I decided to get out of the house from time to time and started running. Now, I’m not as fast as I’d like to be, but I’m a lot faster than I was when I started on the treadmill back in January. Coming from England, I’m not built for running in temperatures that are anywhere near freezing, so it took until May before I ventured out blinking in the sunlight with my compression shorts, thick shirt and fetching hat.

Fernie being Fernie, we do everything with enthusiasm here, whether it’s biking, triathlons, skiing, or fishing, and running is no different. There are many different ways of getting out and about, for example, if you aren’t into running up and down hills there are plenty of trails around town for you. Old Stumpy is one which leads into the town loop. The entire loop is 12km long, but you can easily do portions of it if you would like to run something a little shorter. For example, the loop without the golf course extension is just over 7km long, and the James White Park loop from Cinnamon Bear Lodge is only a 5km loop!

There are the bike trails for those of you who would like to go a little longer or a bit gnarlier! The bikers around here are cool and have no problems sharing the trails with you. The hundreds of kilometres of these trails can be as easy or as difficult as you want them to be. Alternatively, it’s not unknown for people with extreme fitness and a few hours to spare to head on up the Three Sisters just out of town! I have to say I’m not at that level yet!

If you are interested in running while you are here you can grab your information from a few different sources, I have an account on MapMyRun that I’ll be using to create runs that include some that start from Cinnamon Bear Lodge. I’ll also be creating others in and around the area that I have already run or hope to run in the future. There is also the town trail map at fernie.ca, and the bike trail map that you can find at bikefernie.ca. We have copies of the town trail map to give away at the lodge, and the bike trail map can be bought in town with all proceeds going to the upkeep of the trails.

Of course, as always when taking part in outdoor sports, especially in a wilderness setting, let’s be careful out there, and watch out for wildlife!