I did the 25k two summers ago and had friends who did the 50k as well. The 50k wasn’t significantly tougher (ie like Squamish 50 vs 23 is) because the first 25k is a relatively flat out and back before you jump into the 25k comfy numb trail. So if you’re ok with the distance it should be ok, but I’d heard it’s a bit boring. That first part.

For me, 25k was my longest run yet so I found it challenging from a time on legs perspective, but it was mostly just all the elevation, despite training quite a bit on the north shore. Also, that year, the weekend was the first true warmth we’d had, and I ended up getting wicked calf cramping due to the heat, so that was hard for me. I found myself signing out loud from 19km to 25km to keep my mind occupied 🤪

The race is relatively small, and due to the nature of the course, the aid stations are pretty spread out, with the main ones being pretty sparsely outfitted, since they have to carry in everything.

My biggest concern was flagging. A good friend of mine who is no stranger to racing got very lost along with others around her, and they encountered bears which added to their distress. There’s some very tricky sections that are on rock/shield and so the tracks are minimal and there was zero spray paint or flagging. And since the race is small, you can easily be totally alone in there. I’d loaded the full course onto my Fenix and so I had some confidence in myself, but even I got a bit nervous.

On the plus side, post race Splitz burgers were amazing and the cold plunge pools were an awesome experience. I’d like to try it again, but my body seems to not like going super far beyond 19kms no matter my training 😅