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  • Writer's pictureJeff Rowthorn

The Bad Thing is a Good Thing

On Saturday, I woke up at 3:30am and made my way to Goderich, ON for The Bad Thing 50k Trail Race. The weather forecast showed that it would be cold and rainy all day- a ginger's dream!


It's a fact that there are 12 Tim Horton's Restaurants for every 1 person living in Ontario. However, in the 2hrs and 8 minutes that it took me to get to Goderich, I only passed one. I waited at the drive thru speaker for 5 minutes before I realized it was closed. I arrived at the race without any caffeine in my system and I had not eaten breakfast. Not a good start.


Let's focus on the positive; I actually arrived before the race started for this one, which I highly recommend. Race kit pick-up was a breeze and I was surprised by how many people I knew at the race. We hopped on a shuttle bus and headed towards the mystery start location. We got off the bus and the wind was absolutely howling! I had decided not to bring a jacket because I was really worried that the extra 3oz in my pack would potentially slow down my planned record-setting pace. I did however carry a 2lb container of anti-chaffing cream. Priorities.


Honestly, my only goal for this one was to cross the line at the end of the day and to try to have some fun along the way. The last song I heard before turning off my car was "Ice, Ice, Baby" which would remain in my head for the entire day.


The team of Race Directors were super cool. They really made me feel welcome and I could tell right away that they put pride and careful consideration into every aspect of the race. My friend had previously told me that they were probably the coolest RDs in Ontario, which, as an RD myself, cut me pretty deep. Actually, I've had my eyes on this race for a while and I was really stoked to finally get the opportunity to run it.


The course conditions were surprisingly good; at least for the first 4 hours. It started raining/hailing at 4 hrs but the trees offered a lot of shelter and I really didn't miss having my jacket at all. The trail is a beautiful and rolling course. There are plenty of bigger hills and lots of technical sections, but there are also a lot of really fast sections where runners can get a lot of momentum going.


I actually felt better than I have in a long time. I certainly wasn't running fast but I was really enjoying myself. I chatted with other runners and volunteers and remained happy and positive all day long. I never had a low moment and the time seemed to fly by.


Almost done!



The course is challenging but not overly difficult. I found the section between kilometres 32-38 the hardest and most technical but also quite enjoyable. The last 5-10k are very runnable (with a few hills thrown in) and I moved especially well in the final 3k. With 1k to go, there is a long water crossing. I was looking forward to this section all day- partially because I enjoy water crossings and partially because it meant that I was almost done.



After I finished, I went inside to warm-up, have some chilli (both meat and veggie options were available), enjoyed a beer, watched the awards ceremony, and listened to some live music while hanging out with friends. It was a great day- the best day I've had in a while.



If you haven't run this race, I highly recommend checking it out. This year the race sold out and had 100 people on the wait list so, if your going to register, don't hesitate.






I almost forgot to mention- THIS WAS MY 40th RACE OF 2018! I'm very pleased to have met my goal for the year. I'm not done yet though as I still have some great races coming up in the next 2 months.


Honestly, the feedback and encouragement that I have received over the past 10 months has been unexpected and overwhelming. I'm really grateful to be part of such an awesome community of runners.


"Yo, Man. Let's get out of here. Word to your mother." -Vanilla Ice

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