BMO Grouse Grind Mountain Run®

Canada’s most famous trail, the Grouse Grind®, has a new champion after hundreds of participants raced to the alpine finish line of the 18th annual BMO Bank of Montreal Grouse Grind Mountain Run on September 21, 2008. In his first appearance in the event, 21- year-old Sebastian Salas from Vancouver beat an elite field that included athletes from as far as Quebec and Alberta, in a time of 28:02. The fastest woman on the course was reigning female record holder Leanne Johnston, clocking 31:29 to claim her third title in as many years.  Over 600 ambitious hikers took on the challenge with race participants, ranging in age from seven to 78.  This year’s charitable recipient remains The BC Lung Association, and race participants have raised thousands of dollars while they continue to collect pledges
on behalf of the association until the end of October.

2008 Results

		2008 Winners		Time
Overall men:		1. Sebastian Salas		28:02
		2. Morgan Titus		28:19
		3. Gavin Hamilton		28:47
Overall women:		1. Leanne Johnston		31:29
		2. Kristina Rody		34:15
		3. Shannon Back		35:37

Click here for 2008 Race Results. 

The Grouse Grind®
The Grouse Grind®, sometimes called Mother Nature's Stairmaster, is a 2.9 km trail leading hikers up the face of Grouse Mountain. While it is not a long trail, it is a steep and rugged one, rising 853 metres (2,800 feet).

British Columbia Lung Association  
The British Columbia Lung Association is an excellent fit with the Grouse Grind® and Grouse Mountain. For over 100 years, the BC Lung Association has been dedicated to its mission of promoting and improving lung health. A volunteer-based health charity, the Lung Association depends on public support for its vital programs of lung health research, community and professional education, prevention and advocacy.

The BC Lung Association has all the tools to make your fundraising easy with minimal work involved using very simple user-friendly online fundraising software. They will build a personal webpage to help you track your fundraising progress and are available to personally assist you with any questions. To learn more about fundraising click here.

Categories
The event comprises the following individual and team competition categories:

Individual

• OPEN ELITE
• 12 & under
• 13-19 years
• 20-29 years
• 30-39 years
• 40-49 years
• 50-59 years
• 60-69 years
• 70+ years

Team

• Corporate Open 
• Corporate Co-Ed (2 males/ 2 females)
• Open Men (4 males)
• Open Women (4 females)
• Coed (2 males/ 2 females)   

Prizes
Prizes are awarded in all individual age categories and team categories. See below for cash prize details for the male and female Open Elite categories.

Corporate Division 

Pinnacle Pursuits GPS Adventure Challenge for 30 - Imagine Grouse Mountain as a high-tech hub of adventure, with teams racing through the mountain terrain searching for clues and participating in challenges over a 3.5 hour time period.

Your large group will be divided into small teams. Each team will be taught to use their maps and handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) devices and will go to different starting locations, setting off in search of hidden geo-caches! They will navigate the tangle of pathways to discover Grouse Mountain’s many unique features, and will compete in team challenges along the way.

Teams will:

• Interact with facilitators and characters at team-challenges
• Practice teamwork, planning, strategy, decision-making, role definition, and leadership skills
• Compete to see who can earn the most points by successfully completing tasks.

The winner will be drawn randomly from all Corporate team categories. This will give all teams an equal chance of winning. This Grand Prize will be drawn at the Awards ceremony starting at 12pm following the race.

Open Elite Category 2008
This year, the top 15 male and female finishers in the Open Elite category will share in $5,000 cash with the following breakdown:

• 1st Place: $1,000
• 2nd Place: $500
• 3rd Place: $250
• 4th Place: $125
• 5th to 10th Place: $75
• 11th to 15th Place: $50

Event Details

Wave Starts
Participants will be assigned in waves based on estimated/best time. You must include your estimated/best time when you register. Those who do not provide a time, or register on race day, will be included in the final wave of the day. Estimated/best times cannot be changed once submitted. Any participant who jumps waves will be disqualified.

Event Schedule -

8:00 to 9:00 am - Day-of registration
8:00 to 9:30 am - Bag transfer
9:45 to 9:50 am - Introduction and pre-race briefing
9:50 to 10:00am - Warm-up
10:00 am - Race Begins
10:30 to 2:30 pm - Bag pick-up
1:00 pm - Awards ceremony
10:45 - 2:00 pm - Food and beverage available
2:00 pm - Wrap-up event

PLEASE NOTE:

• Proof of age may be required.
• All registered competitors are eligible to compete in one category only - "Individual" or "Team".
• Children 12 and under must be accompanied by a paying adult.
• All participants must sign a release of liability form prior to participating in the Grouse Grind Mountain Run®. If a signed release of liability form is not received, entry will not be accepted and the entry fee will be refunded.
• Participants under the age of 19 years must have the consent of a parent or guardian before participation in the event.
• Prizes must be accepted as awarded. No substitutions.
• The Grouse Grind® will not be open to the public until 10:30am for the safety of all racers.