Following a solid three and a half hours of restless sleep, the morning began at 3:04am, one minute before my preset alarm was to sound off. Tiptoeing from my bed, I prepped for the day with a quick bowl of cereal and toast, and headed out the door by 3:40am to pick up my L2B co-pilot, Kyle, at Waterfront Park, home of the 2025 Lake to Bay finish. Arranging to meet at the finish and carpooling to the start means Kyle won’t have to Uber back to the start to retrieve his car after the event.
En route to Frenchman’s, we stopped at Farwest Steel, site of the first of 14 L2B relay exchanges, to drop off the sandwich board, which signifies an exchange point. Approaching the side door on my enclosed trailer which stores the sandwich boards, I noticed an unlocked padlock resting on the fender. Chalk this moment up as fifty percent luck, and fifty percent smooth driving, as the padlock had been placed on the fender the evening before when accessing the trailer to gather a few supplies to place in the truck - I had forgotten to go back and lock the trailer. Oops and whew! A nervous chuckle, we unloaded the sandwich board, dropped it at the exchange point, and continued to Frenchman’s.
We turned into the park at 4:24am, and both surprisingly and unsurprisingly we were the first ones to arrive. There are always a handful of relay and ultra warriors who are early risers, so being the first afforded Kyle and I to prep the start for incoming teams.
The starting area is always simple - a picnic table used for check-in and last-minute questions, two 10' teardrop flags to mark the starting line, and a clock to keep the waves of runners on task. These things were in place by 4:50am, giving us 20-minutes before the first wave of five runners - four teams and one ultrarunner. The setting is picturesque, with a calm Columbia River in the background with an occasional passing boat.
The first wave of runners began at 5:10am, and by the start of the second wave at 5:30am, I was feeling antsy to hit the road to ensure L2B volunteers had begun arriving at their respective stations. Hillary (coach) and Kaci (wife) remained at Frenchman’s to continue monitoring the start, while Kyle and I begin our journey to ensure the course was as we left it the day before - prepared for the 62.2 mile event with course markings.
The previous four days were spent prepping the course, beginning on Tuesday, by flagging legs nine, 10, 11, and half of 12 - an 18-mile loop on bike from my house in east Vancouver. Wednesday and Thursday included a couple of gracious helpers, who flagged legs eight through one on Wednesday, and 15 through 12 on Thursday. Aside from a couple of areas known for flags walking away (Leverich), the course was fully flagged by Friday, with only the arrows to place at each turn throughout the course. “Only” still takes all day - 10 hours - which included chalking, flag replacement, and arrows, finishing just in time for the 7pm and 7:30pm Zoom calls for participants and volunteers.
Departing Frenchman’s after the second wave of runners began their journey, Kyle and I arrived at Exchange 1, and were greeted by Exchange Monitor, Ron, an early riser whose daughter was running on a middle school Lake to Bay team. So far, Kyle and I were one-for-one with success - everything was in order through Exchange 1, with only 57 miles to go! Next stop, downtown Vancouver to drop off the trailer, which contains all of finish line supplies.
Aside from a small hiccup - forgetting my backpack (with supplies inside) at the start, which support-man Jack graciously brought to my rescue - Kyle and I were on our way to Exchange 2, hosted by Emily and Teddy, a husband and wife duo, who also had a daughter running. Two-for-two, flags looked good, arrows in place, and onto Exchange 3, the Gift Leg. This particular leg is one of my favorites because it includes the Ellen Davis Trail, a side trail off Burnt Bridge Creek. While an adorable trail due to the cute little stream that passes beneath a cute little bridge that sits beside a cute little bench, the 50 meter hill ahead is anything but cute - it’s nasty! Thankfully, Kyle and I don't have to run it, only mark it, and with our Exchange Monitors in place at Exchange 3, we were on to the next stop - Donut Nook! You know what they say, “When in Rome!” And, who doesn’t have time for a maple bar???
From exchange to exchange, Kyle and I were blown away at each of the volunteers punctual and selfless nature. There’s a character trait that volunteers have which makes them pretty darn special. The 2025 Lake to Bay volunteers easily fit in this category, with many arriving earlier than their requested start time, and a handful remaining at their post one to two hours beyond their end time. To the volunteers who I may never meet, yet served in a capacity to the benefit of everyone involved in Lake to Bay, a heartfelt “Thank you for your service!”
We are also grateful to our committed sponsors, Generation Homes NW, Old Trapper Beef Jerky, Dubyne Realty, and Twigs Bistro, each who are gracious supporters of Lake to Bay in their own right. Working with our sponsors throughout the year, sharing the same vision for Lake to Bay, and their unwavering commitment to see this event through is a debt I could never repay. To each of them, a most sincere, “Thank you!” Truly, they are all amazing, and they are the champions of supporting local.
We had 61 teams this year, seven more than 2024, and a new event record in both teams and total participants. There were three 100k Ultra runners, three teams of two runners, two teams of three runners, and a myriad of 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-person teams. Highlights from the event include:
3 for 3! All three 100k ultra runners completed the course!
A new 100k course record was set! Congrats to Osman and Hamish for the 1-2 finish, now owners of the first and second fastest 100k L2B course times!
Another 3 for 3! All three 2-person teams finished the 100k course!
All teams who started the relay, finished the relay! In a day where everyone gets a medal, at Lake to Bay, everyone earns their medal!
Congratulations to all the runners of this years Lake to Bay Relay and Ultramarathon! You demonstrated resilience and perseverance, while ensuring everyone safely completed their ieg(s). A heartfelt “Thank you!” to all the runners, volunteers, sponsors, and spectators, for making this years event the most special Lake to Bay yet!
Circle the date! Saturday, June 27, is the tentative date for the 2025 relay and ultramarathon!