Pushing Limits at Hatley Castle: My Second Race in the 2023 Island Race Series
I recently competed in the Hatley Castle 8k race as part of the Island Race Series. This was my second race of the series, with my first being the Pioneer 8K which you can read about here.
While I missed a couple of races due to travel and other plans, I was excited to return to be back at another early-season race with some familiar faces.
Before the race, I got in a 10-minute warm-up with a few sprints. Luckily I had warm enough clothing as the weather was cold, wet, and grey. However, it was not raining for the race, which was nice.
I was still determining which shoes to wear since I knew some of the course was on a trail; ultimately, I decided to go with my Nike Vapoflys over my Pegasus.
Like the start of most races, it was tight, with many people packed into the street with little shoulder to get by. However, this opened up quickly as we approached the trail alongside Esquimalt Lagoon.
This race course is full of character and starts downhill ultra-fast. However, the middle and end are hilly; of particular note is the hill going up University Drive at the 3K mark. That’s a fun one.
My Wahoo watch tracked this race at 127m in elevation, much hillier than the Pioneer 8k (48m) but less challenging than the Bear Mountain 10k (251m).
The course is a mix of road and trail, with ups and downs. The Royal Roads Campus offers spectacular views of Esquimalt Lagoon in the foreground and the Olympic Mountains and downtown Victoria in the distance. It’s a beautiful spot to race.
I managed to pull off 4th in my age group and 26th overall out of 443 participants, with an official chip time of 31:31. This was only 11 seconds off 3rd place. Had I known, I may have pushed a little harder for those extra several seconds.
Overall, I am pleased with my performance; if I could change anything, I would have tried to run 12 seconds faster to secure third place in my age group. However, I am still happy with how I pushed myself. In the back of my mind, I may have been saving my legs for the upcoming Comox Half Marathon next weekend.
It was nice to be back in the forested trails of Royal Roads. It’s been a while since I was last at the campus. I’m looking forward to the next race in the series and continuing to work on my running.
About Dan: I’m an entrepreneur with experience in various industries, including fintech, real estate, and performance marketing. Most recently, Co-Founder and COO at Billi Labs (exit), and VP Operations at Pretio Interactive (exit).
I am passionate about endurance sport and exploring the intersection between technology, health, and performance.
