It did not take long after my DNF (did not finish) of the tough 50 kilometer Pick Your Poison Trail Race to check my computer to see what other races are out there. After all, I still had my training base. This time of year, there are a lot of races to be found. Though my travel footprint for races is quite restrictive. As part of my The Green Runner pledge, I won’t drive more than 60 kilometers to run a race. The one race that did meet my travel distance parameters was the Rainbow Run Trail Race, held in Earl Rowe Provincial Park.

I have run this race twice previously. It was directed by husband and wife team Norman Nadon and Jodi McNeill of Gotta Run Racing. In 2022 I DNF’d (did not finish) the 96 kilometer distance. It was a brutally hot day, and I pulled myself off the course after 60 kilometers. Not to give up, in 2023 I made a second attempt on the 96 kilometer distance. This time I finished the 8 x 12 kilometer loops as a 65 year old under the cutoffs.

In 2026 there were a few changes with the race. Aaron and Lisa Miceli are the new directors from OFFBEAT Running and have taken over the Rainbow Trail Run. The date is now in the middle of June, instead of the 1st week of August, when it is often extremely hot. There were also some distances changed. This year there was a 50k distance (4 loops plus some extra added at the beginning) and a 62k distance (5 loops plus the extra). There was also a 6k (half a loop distance). I opted for the 50k. I was really looking forward to the race. The long range weather forecast for June 13th was amazing. I’ve been so fortunate to avoid all the most common running injuries these past few years. Though sometimes all it takes is a split second lapse of concentration and I’ll come crashing down. Unfortunately three days before race day I was running up and down the stairs (which I often do in the winter when it is icy outside) when I slipped. I went backwards striking hard the edge of the stairs with my left, back ribcage. The pain was so intense, I had trouble breathing the 1st few seconds. In 15 minutes I had to be up at the highway for crosswalk duty. So I took some painkillers and fueled with adrenaline got through that shift. Having broken ribs twice in two separate mountain bike crashes 20 and 25 years ago, I pretty much knew I had cracked/broken ribs again. My dear wife offered to take me in to the hospital to be checked out, but I wasn’t looking forward to a 10 hour wait just to be looked at. Like the other two times they would say I have broken ribs and there is nothing that can be done.

The first few nights the only way I could get any sleep was upright in the living room chair. I knew to run 50 kilometers 3 days after my fall would be impossible. Especially when it was way too painful to run. But I really wanted to meet the new directors. I was still able to do a gentle walk. Perhaps I could walk one loop. With ten hours to complete it, one loop should be doable. To make it even easier for me, my dear wife offered to drive me and would wait around until I finished. So that was the plan.

You couldn’t have asked for better weather on race day. It was gorgeous. Sunny, 24C, no humidity and a wonderful breeze. Earl Rowe is a beautiful park. I’ll enjoy myself and take lots of photos. It really is an advantage to have long legs, as I was able to keep pace with those in the back of the pack. I connected with a young runner named Andre. Not only was this his first 50k race, it was his 1st ever race. He was extremely disciplined with following his training plan. During the race he was following his training app, running a certain pace for a certain distance/time, and then walking for a certain amount of time. It was during Andre’s walk times I was able to catch up to him with my long legs. With myself stopping to take more and more course photos, eventually Andre lost me half way through the loop. He was extremely disciplined. I knew he would finish.

One thing I noticed at the start line of the 50k and 62k (we both started at the same time) is that I was by far the oldest runner there. Except for 2 or 3 other runners in their early fifties, it seemed that the majority of runners were much younger. Because I only completed one loop, I wasn’t lapped by any 50 or 62k runners. However, in the 2nd half of my loop, I was passed by a lot of the faster 24k and 12k runners. They started an hour later. Hearing the words “runner on your left” became very familiar. And I’d move a bit to my right to allow them by. Most of the time we would exchange greetings as they raced by. There were a couple of runners that really stood out, and made me very proud to be a part of the running community.

The 1st runner who really stood out was a man in his late 20’s/early thirties named Shane. He was running the 12k distance and was fast, coming up behind me from out of nowhere. When he came alongside me, he abruptly braked his stride to my walking pace. He said he couldn’t help notice that I was hurting and was checking in to see if I was okay. Shane walked alongside me for at least 5 minutes, while repeating how amazing I was to even make it to the start line. As an arborist, climbing up and down trees each day keeps Shane in excellent shape. Running is his mental therapy which keeps him off medications for his mental health. Looking at the 12k stats, Shane came in 9th place out of 34 runners. If he hadn’t slowed for me, I know he would have easily have finished in 8th place. The 8th place runner was only 20 seconds faster. Shane’s priority was my well being, and I wanted to acknowledge and thank him.

By the time I had just over a kilometer left on that initial first loop, hearing the words from behind “runner on your left” had become extremely routine. So when I heard the words behind me “I was talking to your wife”, it definitely got my full attention. An older runner came alongside me and then continued “I was talking to your wife and she mentioned you are injured. Are you doing okay”? I thanked him and said “I was doing well”. After that quick check in, the runner continued ahead. I’m glad my wife had someone to talk to for awhile. Otherwise it would have seemed to be a much longer wait. The runner was a 62 year old who was running the 24k. His start time was an hour later. He saw my wife taking pictures of me at the start line and started talking to her after I left. He told her he was glad to see another “mature runner”, as he was feeling quite out of place with a much younger crowd. In years past he used to run triathlons. His race at Rainbow Run was his 1st race in a long time.

As I was approaching the timing mat for my loop 1 finish, I was running calculations through my head. My extended loop (which according to my Garmin was 15k) took me 2 hours, 30 minutes. That’s including taking two trips around the more challenging top end and taking a massive amount of photos. My “gentle walk” was definitely a power walk. I had been pushing and I was very sore. The thought did cross my mind that if I put my camera away and took a bunch more painkillers, I could pull this 50k off. I had 7 hours, 30 minutes remaining to complete 36 kilometers. It was definitely doable. In the end I decided to tap out after that one loop. I’m not going to risk further injury to try and prove something. I used to do that kind of stuff in my 1st few years of running. Such as my 1st marathon.

I was extremely happy to see in the results that my new friend Andre finished his 50k goal. His pace never wavered from when I was with him the 1st half of the 1st loop. If you are new to trail running and would like to experience it in a race, the Rainbow Run Trail Race is highly recommended. Plus with a generous 10 hour cutoff and very runnable trails, this is a great course to run your 1st ultra.

Disclaimer: All written content is my own original content with no AI assistance. Except for the 1st three cited photos, all photos are my own. My Rainbow Run race course photos were taken with my GoPro Hero 11. No digital editing and definitely nothing AI. Doing what I can in my little corner to not support this technology oligarchy, data centers and environmental destruction.