When long-distance runner Stacey Cleveland (Butterfield) entered the Canadian Mountain Running Championships on a whim in July, she had no idea it would lead her to world competition in Italy.
Cleveland grew up in 100 Mile House and currently lives in Vernon where she trains for long-distance running. On a trip to Vancouver on July 21, she entered the mountain running race just because she was there anyway and thought it might be fun.
Much to her surprise she won, and the victory qualified the 34-year-old to compete as a member of the Canadian national team at the 2012 World Mountain Running Championship in Temu, Italy, Sept. 2.
The 8.8-kilometre racecourse began in the narrow cobblestone streets of a ski resort village and took competitors on a 750-metre climb into the mountains.
Cleveland says it was a very different event for her.
“It was short and intense. I’ve been training for longer distance endurance racing of about 50 kilometres. This race was just under nine kilometres and I found it quite challenging because that kind of distance is just my warm-up these days.”
She was the first Canadian to cross the finish line, leading her team to a 50th-place finish among 100 teams, just eight minutes, 30 seconds behind the winner.
