A breath of fresh air: running the Shannon Basin Loop
11 June, 2015
We are excited to offer you the opportunity to race on one of our summit trails. Here is a sneak peak at what to expect from the trail (though nothing beats trying it for yourself beforehand). As a series partner, we can offer you 50% off of your registration for the Shannon Basin Loop. Use the promo code 50SSG2015 when you register on www.runsquamish.com.
The Shannon Basin Loop Trail is a winding loop that follows the terrain around the Shannon Creek watershed and offers views of Goat Ridge, Shannon Creek, Skypilot and the top of the gondola.
The run starts off very fast with a long flowing downhill section where the leaders will have very fast split times, but that's when the work begins. The climb back up towards the Skyline Ridge and back to the Summit Lodge has its steep sections that, if not paced appropriately, can slow down the competitors to a crawl. The run finishes with a fast stretch back to the lodge where, if the racers paced themselves appropriately, can put in that final push to the finish.
Photo by David McColm.
A gentle descent down the Shannon Basin will lead you to a steady uphill, guaranteed to challenge the legs and lungs. Photo by Paul Bride.
End with a few flat kilometres back to the lodge as you cross over the Shannon Basin river. Photo by David McColm.
Level of difficulty: Intermediate
Distance: 10.2 km loop
Elevation Gain: Net gain 474 m, 292 m loss
Some tips from the race organizers:
- Keep your eye out for the bridges over Shannon creek. The creek gets much faster below the second bridge.
- I love the section through the alders, especially when the birds are chirping
- After the long descent to start the event, the climb back up can be a hard one, sometimes it's best to power walk in the descent and save your energy for the final push
Upcoming trail races at the Sea to Sky Gondola
Saturday, June 27 - Sea to Sky Scramble 6k (Sea to Summit Trail vertical challenge)
Sunday, September 20 - Sky Pilot 14k & 22k (Sky Pilot Trail)
Saturday, October 10 - Skyline Ridge 10k & 21k (Skyline Ridge Trail)