Judy P's Tickle Trunk

…….or Call That Running?

This past weekend found me and my friend Lynn camping at Five Islands Ocean Resort and RV Campground. I  won’t thoroughly review the campground here but suffice to say, it did not compare in any way to what my imagination presents as a resort, even though it does meet the strict definition. View: awesome. Bathrooms: gruesome. Rules: voluminous. Our site: Not sure if that sign tells us that we are in the remedial section of the campground or if it is an indicator of how I would be running in the Not Since Moses  annual run (5k, 10k and a kid’s run) on the mudflats of the Bay of Fundy; the reason we were there in the first place. The race name suggests that not since the days of Moses have so many people been seen scrambling across the bare ocean floor under threat of being floated away when the water floods back.

Any good Canadian geography student will tell you that the tides in the Bay of Fundy are the highest in the world. Here’s the islands within view of our campground at low tide: and just a few hour later, not quite yet full:

On this particular weekend the difference between low and high tides was almost fifteen meters. Meters. Makes for great clam digging.

I digress. The run on August 2 was the 8th Not Since Moses race on the mud flats and my third attendance (I also went one other year but didn’t run). Click on the link and visit the official webpage to get the full history. It is organized entirely by volunteers and must be one of the most fun races in the province.

Volunteers at check-in at Not Since Moses headquarters, formerly Mo’s café.

The starting gate

through which I ran with almost five hundred others (the 10k started further up the shore). Very quickly it ceased to be running and not only because I hadn’t trained and was forced to walk most of it. The terrain was pure mud in spots which only got more and more churned up as the racers slid, skied and scrambled, desperately trying to keep their sneakers from being devoured by invisible mud-sucking monsters. Those who fell just laughed harder. These were my socks before the run:

And the course before the run:

And the course a few hours later:

There is nothing quite like it.

I was passed by a Moses impersonator:

Indeed, I was passed by septuagenarians, a mother carrying a baby, and a ten year old. I think I was delirious from exertion and dehydration by the time I saw two sets of con-joined twins and a whole group of naked little elves wearing nothing but glow sticks pass me. In the end I came in 336th out of 499 5k runners and placed 44th out of 78 in my age category. Lynn beat the pants off me, coming in 41st and 2nd in her age category. I didn’t really care too much about the scores, I was just pleased that I required neither resuscitation or a stretcher bearer. I was nor worse for wear after the race and my shoes rinsed up fairly well, but I fear the socks are dead.

My only regret was not carrying my camera; I neglected to charge it up before hand. You can find plenty of great pictures and comments on the official webpage or the Not Since Moses Facebook page

NOT SINCE MOSES (click link to go to webpage)

Yep, been there

got the t-shirt. Going back next year. Care to join us?

Click on any photo for a larger view. Coming up in August: a review of Rosie, rhubarb and renovations.