Fourteen gritty teams and 11 solo runners descended on the Summerland Rodeo Grounds and Conkle Mountain Park on Saturday to take on the McLennan’s Grit 12-Hour Ultra and Relay, hosted by Summerland’s TriPower Triathlon Club.
The event is the first of what is hoped to become an annual event.
Teams, many in costume, set up base camps in the Energy Zone complete with tents, signs, cowbells and whatever else made it fun to hang out for the day.
The Start/Finish of each lap happened in the Energy Zone transition.
The race began at 7 a.m. under partly cloudy skies that quickly turned to full sun and 28-degree heat.
Runners ran and hiked the five-kilometre trail loop through the Ponderosa pine forest of Mount Conkle Park, completing as many laps as they could in the 12-hour time frame.
Endurance was tested throughout the day with excitement ramping up after the 11th hour.
With time running out, soloists and teams had to make the call on whether they could squeeze in one more loop before time ran out. Several athletes made it in by 7 p.m, one sprinting in with just seconds to spare.
The next McLennan’s Grit race is planned for June 15, 2019. For additional information about the event, contact Melissa Berrisford at bmelissa@telus.net.
