Wishing all ORCA members and their families a wonderful Christmas season and a very happy New Year! Happy Winter running! :)

Most Inspirational ORCA Award Recipient 2005:

Congratulations to Theresa Klemm for receiving the very well deserved Most Inspirational ORCA award. Theresa was presented with a trophy as well as a free First Aid course. Theresa - you certainly are an inspiration to us all!
Thank you to the Ken Owen family for joining us for this special presentation. Also a big thank you to Mike Bourcier and Michele Levesque for sponsoring this award in memory of their friend, Ken Owen.

Male and Female Island Race Series winners

Congratulations to Kim Longmuir and Paul Grinder. Good luck to you both at the Island Series this year!

Team Orca Membership Renewal Time!

Please be reminded that your 2006 Team Orca membership fees are due January 1st, 2006. Fees are still $10.00 for individuals and $15.00 for families. It is also important that you enclose a signed waiver form, (on the back of your application) with your fees. This form can be downloaded from our website, or you can pick one up from an executive member, the pool, Outsiders, etc. Please be sure that the information you fill out on the front is current. Membership forms and fees should be sent to Kim Longmuir at 629 Banks Ave. West, Parksville, B.C. V9P 1G2.

2006 NB Island Series Oceanside 10K

Interested in getting involved with the Oceanside 10K next year (May 7, 2005)? Please contact Rhys Harrison at 468-5466 or email rhysharrison@shaw.ca

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PLEASE NOTE: If you would like to continue to receive club news, it is important that you let Kim know if your email address changes. Please call at 248-8515 or send to rjl@island.net Kim keeps the Master list of club members, so in order to keep you informed, you have to keep her informed!

It has been a pleasure sending you the ORCA newsletter every couple of months. I would like to welcome Ann McDonald as your new ORCA Newsletter Editor.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
Melanie Peake
2005 ORCA Newsletter Editor

If you would like to submit a newsletter item or article, please email Ann McDonald.
ORCA Newsletter Editor

UPCOMING RACES:

December 4 at 10am - Frosty Foot Race - Bowen Park, Nanaimo, registration 9:15 10km Run, 5km Run or Walk, 1km Tot Trot. Adult $15.00 / Student $5.00. More Info: www.pacificsport.com.

Contact person: Sherri Wade, PacificSport Vancouver Island swade@pacificsport.com.

Jan 15, 11am: Island Series Race #1: Central Saanich Pioneer 8K, Saanich Fairgrounds. Contact: Sylvan Smyth 480-7869. Email : pioneer@vira.bc.ca More info : vira.bc.ca/.

Jan 29, 11am: Island Series Race #2: Mill Bay 10K, Brentwood College School, 2735 Mount Baker Road, Mill Bay. Contact: Loni Dutton email: millbay@vira.bc.ca. phone: 250-746-6344.

Feb 5: OCEANSIDE CROSS COUNTRY RACE, Qualicum Beach Civic Centre, Registration at 12:00 noon on Sunday behind the Ravensong Aquatic Centre (Preregistration is not required). $5.00 for BC Athletics members, $8.00 for non-members. Contact: Laurie Ritchie @ (250) 248-4455 or by e-mail to: jlamritc@telus.net. Awards: Ribbons for 1st to 6th place in all age categories.

Feb 12, 11am: Island Series Race #3: Cedar 12K, Cedar Junior Secondary School, Gould Road, Nanaimo. Contact: Darrell Orosz. email: cedar@vira.bc.ca phone: 250-754-5139.

Feb 26, 11am: Island Series Race # 4: Hatley Castle 8K, Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Road. Contact: Stephen Cook. email: hatley@vira.bc.ca. phone: 250-474-4863

Mar 12, 11am: Island Series Race #5: Synergy Health Management Ltd. Bazan Bay 5k, Sanscha Hall, 2243 Beacon Ave, Sidney. Contact: Patrick Brown. email: bazanbay@vira.bc.ca. Phone: 250-388-6492

Mar 19, 11am - Island Series Race #6: Comox Valley Half Marathon, Florence Fillberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay. Contact: Jim Smiley. email: comox@vira.bc.ca. phone: 250-338-2402

Apr 2, 11am: Island Series Race #7: Sooke River 10K, Edward Milne Community School, 6218 Sooke Road. Contact: Brent Blackhall. email: sooke@vira.bc.ca. phone: 250-479-5800

Apr 9, 11am: Island Series Race #8: Merville 15K, Merville Community Hall, 7261 Island Hwy, about 15 km north of Courtenay. Contact: Colin Buss. email: merville@vira.bc.ca. phone: 250-923-9171

May 7m 11am: Island Series Race #9:Oceanside 10K & Series Awards, Parksville Community Centre, Jensen Avenue between Craig and McCarter. Contact: Brenda Light. email: oceanside@vira.bc.ca phone: 250-248-0461.

For a full list of Upcoming Races, please visit: Team West Coast

SEATTLE MARATHON – 27 NOV 2005
Submitted by Rhys Harrison

The Seattle Marathon is one of the three well established late marathons easily accessible from W. Canada that I have done many times. The others are California International in Sacramento one week later and Honolulu two weeks later. Seattle used to be unique in that the course followed flat bike paths for almost the entire route – very scenic. However, a few years ago the organizers decided to try to grow the race into a ‘big’ city marathon and moved it downtown. There is a half marathon as well but no 10K and this year there were 2100 marathon finishers – similar to Victoria. I missed Victoria because vacation took priority over training and so decided to do the new Seattle course for the first time.

Online registration was straightforward, pricing comparable with Victoria and the information provided on the web site good. If you are over 60 there is a seniors discount - not that I would be interested, ha ha! The race hotel is expensive but there are lots of alternatives close to the start/finish at Memorial Stadium in the Seattle Center. We chose the Comfort Inn and were very satisfied.

I am not a big fan of Runners Fairs as I don’t like being on my feet too much the day before the race. However, Seattle has a very good one with lots of clothing bargains and free water bottles, energy bars etc. in addition to the regular goody bag. The number pick up was efficient and the technical race shirt worthwhile.
I would advise people to drive the course. Seattle is built on a series of rock outcrops, in valleys and around lakes. It is very hilly and the course certainly reflects this. It is also hard to visualize from a map as the topography is incredibly varied. Allow 2 hours for the drive for traffic and because some backtracking is necessary in a vehicle. There are three separate pathways utilized as part of the course that cannot be accessed. Beware of the course profile provided online. It is at far too small a scale to be meaningful and is wildly inaccurate. There is a long steep hill in the first mile and another very long, less steep one in the second mile. Another hill at 6 miles and then some respite until mile 17. Then look out – very hilly up and down including a short ‘walker’ pretty much for the rest of the race. There is even an underpass with a nasty last hill up into the stadium finish. Interspersed with the hills are 3 scenic parkland pathways, great views of Lake Washington and various cityscapes and beautiful residential areas with stunning real estate including Bill Gates’ house. There are several miles on concrete, including five on the express lane of a freeway. The rest of the course is on blacktop but it is full of potholes and uneven pavement. I will never complain again about Parksville roads! Even if you are fast, I would wear lightweight trainers instead of racing flats to reduce the possibility of foot injuries.

Race morning was cold but sunny and dry. No rain – amazing! The course management was excellent. Well marshalled, safe, lots of water and Gatorade and more Gu than I’ve seen anywhere else. The chip timing was accurate and well handled, the finish area well organized with a very nice food/decompression/changing room area under cover in an exhibition hall. Anyone who has finished Vancouver or Victoria in the rain would appreciate the Seattle accommodations. The results were available here very quickly and awards handed out in the same place. An innovation that I liked was access for everyone to a bank of laptops where you entered your number and got the unofficial overall and age group results not long after finishing. There was no awards ceremony.

So would I do it again? Well, my 3.14.53 was much slower than I had hoped but I learned things about my state of training and preparation and about this course that might lead to future improvements. I recovered from early foolhardiness going out too fast, got through a bad patch and finished reasonably strongly to win my age group. As Janet Green informed me after the race, “you have to run the first half slowly in order to save your strength for the late hills”. I also learned that, for me, Yasso 800 predictions do not work and that I need more long, measured tempo and race pace training runs.

Seattle is a great city for culture, entertainment and shopping so non-running partners can be persuaded to do the driving as long as they are set free to visit museums and Macy’s instead of having to freeze to death watching a boring procession of people in pain. All in all, if you want a fast course, do Cal. International. If you want a vacation, do Honolulu. If you’re cheap and you don’t mind hills, do Seattle. Rhys Harrison ©2005

ORCA Christmas Run

Tues Dec 13th 6:30pm
Meeting spot: Ballenas school
Christmas light run and fun surprises

*Get together at Upper Deck at Quality Inn (Parksville) after the run at 7:45pm. If you are not able to run that evening, please join us at the pub! The more the merrier.
**Appetizers provided by Team ORCA

Please RSVP to Melanie Peake at mdpeake@hotmail.com if you are able to come to the Christmas get together at the pub, so we can reserve tables and order appropriate amounts of appy's for everyone. Thank you!

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Oceanside Cross Country Race!

The Oceanside Cross Country Club will be hosting its annual cross country race on Sunday, February 5th, 2006 at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre trails.

In order to put on another successful race we would appreciate your volunteer help! No experience is necessary, just a big smile and warm clothing!!! Kim is coordinating the volunteer list and needs people to help as marshals (directing on the course), registration, awards, refreshments, set up and take down, and course set up help.

If you are able to volunteer your time, please let Kim know at your earliest convenience (248-8515 or rjl@island.net) what job you would be interested in. She will try her best to meet your request. Your time would be needed from 12:00pm until about 3:00pm, depending on your job.

For those of you, and your families that would be interested in running this race, watch for more information coming from Laurie Ritchie, the Race Director.

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Special Discount to ORCA Members

Kebble Sheaf and Robin Dutton of Arrowsmith Bikes in Nanaimo have opened their doors and and are generously extending a 10% discount to all ORCA members.

The store will be carrying the following brands Giant, Haro, Masi and Santa Cruz as well as a wide range of road, mountain and triathlon bikes and accessories. For the kid's they will be stocking Adam's bikes which are owned by Norco a Vancouver company.

Address:
Arrowsmith Bikes Nanaimo
460-2980 Island Hwy North
Nanaimo, BC
V9T 5V4
PH: 250-758-6675
FAX: 250-758-6676

President: Randy Longmuir

Past-President and Treasurer: Brenda Light

Membership Director: Kim Longmuir

Secretary: Donna Golding

Race Director: Rhys Harrison
Communications: Ann McDonald

Events: Melanie Peake and Brian Laslo

ORCA meetings are held every 2 months. If anyone from the club would like to join us, please do so! Goodies are always provided!

Next ORCA Meeting: Monday Jan 9th at Randy and Kim Longmuir's home. Please Email Kim for home address: rjl@island.net