Heidt sets ultramarathon record

Christina Harmeson/Special to The Chief

Johanna Gunn runs the Knee Knacker Trail ultramarathon as one of three locals who completed the 48-km journey from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove Saturday (July 11).

Squamish residents past and present left their tread across 48 km of rugged terrain from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove during the Knee Knacker Trail Run on Saturday (July 11).

While most of the 198 runners set out with a goal to finish the race before the 10-hour cut-off, former Squamish resident Aaron Heidt took the overall title and broke the course record by finishing the race in four hours 39 minutes 52 seconds. Whistler’s Kevin Titus had been tightly holding on to the record since 2003 when he recorded a time of four hours 42 minutes 37 seconds.

Heidt, who recently moved to Vernon, was unavailable for comment. However, race co-founder and local runner Enzo Federico stressed the endurance and conviction needed to complete the ultramarathon while maintaining a high rate of speed.

In the first eight kilometres alone, runners gain 1,200 metres of elevation. Most competitors are forced to hike the steep grade but trail runners like Heidt never stop running.

“It’s pretty unrelenting and the fast guys like Aaron, believe it or not, do it in under an hour,” said Federico, who started the race in 1989 and recently moved to Squamish.

Imre Sorban and Federico’s wife Francine Hong both completed the Knee Knacker for the eighth time. Sorban finished with a time of seven hours 46 minutes 40 seconds and Hong completed with a time of nine hours nine minutes 52 seconds.

For Sorban, whose best Knee Knacker time is six hours 46 minutes, the run meant overcoming an ankle injury. He’s pleased with the result despite recording his slowest time, he said.

“I just love being in the outdoors and I enjoy running so the two go together. And there’s a huge sense of accomplishment afterward,” said Sorban, adding that he is looking forward to competing in his seventh local Stormy Ultramarathon in August.

Hikers taking on the Stawamus Chief on Sunday (July 12) would likely never guess Hong had completed the Knee Knacker the previous day. Hong used the monolith to train leading up to the race and to limit the build up of lactic acid after the race. Hong finished the race in nine hours nine minutes 52 seconds.

The heat of the clear day started to affect her near the end of the race but she was able to conserve enough energy to cross the finish line. She knows the course well enough to pace herself accordingly, she said.

“I’m a downhill girl so as soon as I get to the downhill I know my body can process food and I just go for it,” she said.

Johanna Gunn completed her first ever ultramarathon with a time of eight hours 24 minutes four seconds. The mother of four children grew up on the North Shore and remembers being in Grade 11 during the original Knee Knacker.

“I didn’t realize it would take me 21 years later but it was fun to take part in it because it’s a run I’ve wanted to do for so long,” she said, adding that it’s difficult to find time to train with four “sidekicks.”

“For me to get out running is a treat. I’m totally addicted and can’t wait to do it again next year with a little bit more training.”

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