Solo
For those that want all the glory of completing the Rivers Edge Ultra, this race is perfect for ending the season with even more stories. Unlike the mountain extreme races you won’t need to carry 2 or more litres of water with you. We will have aid stations in the most unlikely of places meaning you won’t be more than 8 km away from an aid station. And for 2015 we are happy to be the host race for the ACU Canadian 50 Mile Trail Championships.
Relay
The leg distances are currently being worked on but we know you will like it. Distances range from 9 km to 19 km and you can race on teams of 2 to 6 people. Have fun with your team names. The terrain will be a challenge for all and some of the lucky team members will get wet feet, while others will be exposed to root grabbing ascents and others, thrilling descents. Categories will be Male, Female, and Mixed at a bare minimum.
The Course
This course is located on over 1200 acres of private land bordering the North Saskatchewan River Valley a few minutes west of Devon, Alberta. Devon is about 40 minutes driving south and west of downtown Edmonton for reference. Because it is on private land, there are no maps printed to limit use during non-race times. We are very fortunate to have an opportunity to run on this beautiful land and hope that all runners past and present respect the landowners and do not go out on their own. All registered runners will receive a map directly to the start about 2 weeks before the race. There are many official course practice runs set up during the summer with information found on the Rivers Edge Ultra Facebook page.
3 loops, each loop will be run twice one after another to make a total of 50 miles.
Loop 1 – 9km (Leg 1 and 2) The shortest leg of the race will have you dreaming of the beach after you go up and meander through some amazing forest trails featuring hazelnut bushes and some pine stands and around some winds
Leg 1 will require a headlamp as it will be 30 minutes into the race before twilight hits and almost an hour before sunrise.
Loop 2 – 19 km (Leg 3 and 4) This loop is the longest with seven different running surfaces. Can you guess what they all are? Did we mention some single track that will literally have you bobbing and weaving up and down the trail. You’ll be rewarded with some amazing scenery and possibly some trail rash since you’ll be going OOOOO before you go Owwwww! And this will be the site of the “aid station” serviced by our very own chef who will be preparing fresh food. Lost Soul Ultra watch out, we are aiming to challenge your aid station supremacy!
Loop 3 – 12 km (Leg 5 and 6) And the final loop could be considered the most challenging. You will get wet! You will be crossing to an island! And you will go up and down. And you will go through an old growth pine forest and you will go up and down and crossing near a beaver dam. For those that don’t like getting dirty, you should avoid this leg. Those that want to let their inner 6 year old out, go for it. The cut off to begin the final leg will be 7 PM.
Runners starting any leg after 6 PM will be required to have a working headlamp with them. It gets dark quickly after 7 PM.
Kids Course – 3 km ish – this will be a fun loop involving some single track, some climbs, some descents all to the cheers of the adults.
All runners must have waiver witnessed by race official to receive bib [Click here to download waiver].