Osoyoos, British Columbia

[ronb]

Would be a great place to train, for distance runners, duathletes, triathletes. Osoyoos is about 60 K. south of Penticton, in the Okanagan Valley, and is only a few minutes north of the USA border.....for those who feel a need to get South. 48 beer/person/trip is the limit, although 48 American beer = about 12 real beers.
If you are freaked by rattlesnakes, Osoyoos is not for you...Otherwise:
1) the lowest annual precipation in Canada - about 20 cm. of rain and 5 cm. of snow per year.
2) the highest average annual temperature in Canada.
3) warmest freshwater lake in Canada.
4) the only true desert in Canada, with it's own climate zone, the Arid Biotic Zone. This is the northern extreme of the Sonora desert, which stretches as far south as Mexico.
5) winters are very short, and there are very few days where the temperature stays below freezing all day, although it cools off quickly when the sun is down. From about March to October, the mid-day temperatures are as warm as anywhere in Canada.
6) Summers are hot, but very dry. If you need to adjust to humid racing conditions, this is not the place. However, you can pick bananas on your late summer runs.
7) Funky little town of about 5,000 people.
8) Miles and miles of sandy beaches on Lake Osoyoos.
9) You can get up over 4000 feet, close to 5000 feet within a few minutes, and higher within an hour or so of driving.
10) Well over 2000 hours of sunshine per year, one of Canada's sunniest locations.
11) There, Mr. Symonds, how is that for resolve?

[skuja]

The only question I have is, who is Mr Symonds?






















Actually I have more questions, but, nvm. We'll be there late August, as usual. It's a goddam desert there!

[tigger]

Kamloops is just as good. Lots of great hills and back roads. If you like to ski there are two XC courses and one great downhill course nearby. They have a great 200 meter indoor running track along with their oly sized pool.

I am currently in Smithers, which is also good. Not too hot, lots of hills and trails, a great HS running program with some pretty good runners (especially girls) and some good support facilities. There are also great XC ski facilities as well as a pretty good downhill. Lakes are a bit cold for swimming, but there are a small group of pretty good tri athletese here.

[ronb]

Yes, there are lots of great places to train, and we have had many great runners come from places that are "less than ideal". The internal environment of the athlete is the #1 priority.
I just did the Osoyoos thing to prove to Mr. Symonds that I did, indeed, have the resolve to avoid the SFS/UBC tread, as I promised I would, so I had to mention Penticton. Having said that, I think Osoyoos would be a great place to train. Yes, it's a desert, so very hot in the day, but deserts cool off nicely in the evening, and temperatures are excellent first thing in the morning also.

[ronb]

The average daily high temperature in Osoyoos on March 19th and March 26th, over the last 7 years, is 13.1 degrees Celsius. March 19th and 26th are both Saturdays in 2011, and one of them will be one week after the CIS Indoor Championships, and that would be a great time and place to host an International Cross Country Race....

[tigger]

There is beauty wherever one goes in BC and Osoyoos has some special attributes. Manning's not far away for those of us who like it a little cooler.

I was serious about Smithers. Take a look at the XC results for the past few years. Smithers has consistently been in the top 5, with girls generally doing better than boys. Last spring's provincial T&F athlete of the meet also comes from Smithers. Provincial/national female pole vaulters have come from Smithers for the last few years, but that will likely change due to the coach moving to Victoria. This is a very athletic town.

[deekay]

Last week on my way to Dease Lake (not a great place to train) I had a layover in Smithers. The flight to Dease was cancelled due to bad weather, so I ended up spending about a day and a half in Smithers. I was able to get a run in while there and was pleasantly surprised to come across trails within about 5 minutes of running (Railway Ave.)

My work has taken me to several small BC towns in the past two years and I have to say Smithers has thus far left me with the best impression. My only issue was the sizeable bear shits I passed on the trail. Yikes!

As an aside, Terrace has to be my least favourite place to work. Terrace is the first place I've actually been intimidated by teenagers. True story, my female coworker was shouldered into the street by a teenage mom with her stroller.

[tigger]

During the week I stay in camp and run on a forest access road. I have many bear stories, and carry bear spray with me all the time. The perimeter trail encircles Smithers and is used as part of the annual district HS XC races. There are a number of branches from the main trail when you get down to the Bulkley River area. I live just behind the HS track, and am only meters away from the trail system. Sometimes in the summer it's impossible to get a decent run in due to the enticing berries along the trail. I've seen moose and deer, along with bears on the trails. Nothing like an enraged moose to test your VO2 max.

[ronb]

I've run into several bear during my hikes, including right on the back of my property.
They are supposed to be wary, and run away - Apparently some have not read the manual...
In all my years of running and hiking on Southern Vancouver Island, I have never seen a cougar (4-legged variety), even though this is supposed to be the most cougar-dense area of the World. And I'm just fine with that... After all, they are lions....hello !