A Squamish long-distance trail race that has become a fixture on the ultramarathoning circuit since its inception in 2001 won't take place this summer because of permitting issues.
The STORMY (Squamish Test of Running Mettle - Yeah!) event had been scheduled for its 11th running on Aug. 7. But in a posting on the race's website (www.stormytrailrace.ca), race director Ryne Melcher stated, "Due to permitting challenges that have arisen, STORMY will unfortunately be postponed until 2012.
"Without a permit, insurance for the event cannot be obtained and time is running too low for that to happen. I do not want to keep putting it off hoping for a miracle and have everyone's racing plans set on the race."
The STORMY was first conceived in 2001 as a way for trail runners to test themselves and compare their times to those of the bikers who did the famous 67-kilometre Test of Metal mountain bike race. In 2007, under then-race director Wendy Montgomery, the STORMY was extended to make it a more standard 50-mile (80 km) ultra race, giving hard-core ultramarathoners the chance to do two loops for a total of 100 miles.
In 2010, 77 individuals and 26 relay teams entered the three STORMY events.
