our story.
Welcome to the Wandering Moose trail race, where it all began for P.A.C.E. Trail Series...
In 2012 I was coaching athletes in our fall trail running clinic for a race down on the coast. A few weeks before the race, the organizers changed the race date and the majority of my athletes could no longer attend the event. Everyone had been working really hard on their goals and were so excited for the race, so I decided I would organize a pretend race on our local trails, despite not having the slightest clue how to do it. Let along organize in a few weeks.
The week leading into things, I started to receive phone calls from people who had heard about it, asking if they could participate and register. Unfortunately that wasn’t possible as it wasn’t a sanctioned event and we actually turned it into a run for local charity.
My husband and I created courses that best matched the profiles of the original race and we went out the morning before to mark it with ribbon and flour that we put in water bottles. We made a little finish area and a few of our friends volunteered at the start and at an aid station. I made personalized “bat bibs”, as it was a Halloween event and everyone raced in costume.
The feedback was so positive that I decided to give this whole “race directing” thing a go and build off of this event the following year. We had 85 people registered for 13.5k, 27k & 42k events. I recruited my friends to help make finishers mugs where we painted individual mugs and baked them in my oven, along with finishers medals made of flour, salt and water.
Then in April 2014, I added Spring Rush in Rose Valley and in 2015 I brought on the giant, “Broken Goat” in Rossland, BC. This event prompted the animal theme to our series and we changed Spring Rush to Nimble Bear and Autumn Rush to Wandering Moose. Finally in 2017 we added the 4th event to our series called “Wild Horse Traverse” and this kicked off the “Quadzilla”... a title you earn if you can finish all four of the races in our series. (any distances)
All of this came from finding the positive when our original race plans fell through... solidifying that a “positive attitude changes everything!” (p.a.c.e.) And the rest, as they say, is history...
In 2012 I was coaching athletes in our fall trail running clinic for a race down on the coast. A few weeks before the race, the organizers changed the race date and the majority of my athletes could no longer attend the event. Everyone had been working really hard on their goals and were so excited for the race, so I decided I would organize a pretend race on our local trails, despite not having the slightest clue how to do it. Let along organize in a few weeks.
The week leading into things, I started to receive phone calls from people who had heard about it, asking if they could participate and register. Unfortunately that wasn’t possible as it wasn’t a sanctioned event and we actually turned it into a run for local charity.
My husband and I created courses that best matched the profiles of the original race and we went out the morning before to mark it with ribbon and flour that we put in water bottles. We made a little finish area and a few of our friends volunteered at the start and at an aid station. I made personalized “bat bibs”, as it was a Halloween event and everyone raced in costume.
The feedback was so positive that I decided to give this whole “race directing” thing a go and build off of this event the following year. We had 85 people registered for 13.5k, 27k & 42k events. I recruited my friends to help make finishers mugs where we painted individual mugs and baked them in my oven, along with finishers medals made of flour, salt and water.
Then in April 2014, I added Spring Rush in Rose Valley and in 2015 I brought on the giant, “Broken Goat” in Rossland, BC. This event prompted the animal theme to our series and we changed Spring Rush to Nimble Bear and Autumn Rush to Wandering Moose. Finally in 2017 we added the 4th event to our series called “Wild Horse Traverse” and this kicked off the “Quadzilla”... a title you earn if you can finish all four of the races in our series. (any distances)
All of this came from finding the positive when our original race plans fell through... solidifying that a “positive attitude changes everything!” (p.a.c.e.) And the rest, as they say, is history...
if you like grass roots.
We try to instil a family feel into all of our events, however being the "home" where our series all started - it doesn't get any more homegrown than Wandering Moose. The trails are flowy with lots of single track, ample technical sections and challenge, yet more runable. The vibe is laid back, yet friendly and personal. Held on the Thanksgiving weekend every year, we close out our series every year with just that... feeling gratitude for all the support we receive and being thankful to be part of this amazing community of trail runners. xo
personal touch.
From the beginning we have tried to to put as much heart and soul into our events as possible. We recognize and appreciate the investment that folks put into our series and we wanted to find special ways to show our gratitude in return. This started off with me wanting to make homemade finishers medals. For the first race in our series I made medals out of dough and cooked them in my oven. I learned very quickly that these little nuggets don't have the long-lasting potential of clay, so I signed up for a pottery membership, took lessons and started making ceramic medals. I now make over 1,000 medals per year with help of family & friends when I can get them in the studio with me.
Wandering Moose, however is where we kicked off homemade jam as top finishing prizes and we always make extras for give aways. My mom and I get together and source out locally grown Okanagan fruit and spend the day playing country music, dancing in the kitchen and pouring love into making jam. We also work with folks from the community who make and bake special things to share with our racers. In 2018 we had a friend and talented baker make 250 pumpkin cupcakes to soak up at the finish line!
Wandering Moose, however is where we kicked off homemade jam as top finishing prizes and we always make extras for give aways. My mom and I get together and source out locally grown Okanagan fruit and spend the day playing country music, dancing in the kitchen and pouring love into making jam. We also work with folks from the community who make and bake special things to share with our racers. In 2018 we had a friend and talented baker make 250 pumpkin cupcakes to soak up at the finish line!