This past weekend I had the pleasure of participating in the 3-day stage race, Transelkirks. Based in Revelstoke, BC, the terrain we ran through was rugged and wild. We were gifted with the true mountain experience, from +30 to snow, on a variety of flowy singletrack and technical ridge running and scrambling. 

First off, I want to say a huge thank you to the race director, Jacob Puzey, and his entire crew. The amount of work involved in such an event is enormous, and these folks did a top-notch job of putting everything together and keeping everyone safe and happy with the difficult weather we were exposed to. If the Transelkirks stage race, Stoked Scramble, or Stoked Ultra (the two single day races offered this weekend) aren’t on your bucket list yet, be sure to add them soon. The venue, the hosts, the terrain, and the community make this an event you don’t want to miss.

This was my first stage race, so I was heading into a bit of unknown territory this weekend. I wasn’t sure if my body would hold up to the volume, especially because of my injury earlier this year (shin stress reaction). I have run races longer than the 3 days combined, but still this felt foreign because of the short turnaround time in between some fairly intense pushes. The sub-ultra distance is where I feel most comfortable, but I wasn’t sure if I could hold it together for 3 consecutive days of sub-ultra racing!

Packing up for the weekend, I knew I wanted to be extremely diligent with my fueling, both during and after the race. I figured this would give my body the best chance possible to recover for the race the next day. Each day was 3-4 hours of running for me, and I aimed for ~90g of carbohydrates per hour. I don’t think I always achieved this goal, but I was pretty close and I feel proud of how I fueled during the race (this is normally a weak point for me). I consumed Precision Fuel chews, Honey Stinger waffles, Maurten gels, Scratch drink mix, and a couple other random kids snacks from Costco to top things off. Most of these items I had tried multiple times on training runs or other races and they all sat well with me. 

Immediately after each race, I consumed a protein bar (homemade) and tart cherry drink, which is proven to aid in muscle recovery (plus it’s extremely tasty and refreshing!). Then, within a few hours after the race, I tried to have a big meal. On the second day, I ordered a breakfast burger from the cafe at the top of the mountain and it tasted like heaven! 

After hanging out around the finish line for a bit to watch other people come in and chat to friends about their races, I went back to where I was staying in town to shower, eat some more, and focus on recovery. I brought along my Normatec recovery boots, so I did a session in those each afternoon. Not only do they help with recovery, it also feels good to have 45 minutes completely relaxing while in the boots. I love them and I think they help a ton!

Another thing that kept my body moving all weekend was having excellent shoe choices for the terrain we were in. On the first two days, the routes had some technical mountain terrain, so I wore the Salomon Genesis shoes. I’ve been loving these shoes this summer for technical and rocky terrain. They fit me great and my feet feel happy in them all day. The grip on them is also amazing, which was especially helpful when we were navigating the scramble sections in the rain and snow. The last day, I opted for the Salomon Ultra Glides, which offer more cushion and support. It felt nice to have more foam under my feet on my tired legs! Thank you to Salomon for keeping my feet happy all weekend!

All in all, I had an amazing experience and am happy with how everything went. It was also a great weekend to dial in race day routines (before, during, and after), which is something that’s hard to do multiple times in a year, let alone on one weekend. Thanks again to Transelkirks for the next level experience and hospitality this weekend, and thanks to Salomon/Newtown Sales for keeping me geared up with the best shoes I could ask for!