As someone who loves short distance races, but also loves being in the wilderness, Five Peak races' Sport distance race in Mt Seymour, which is about 5k long, is a dream come true. Add to this some steep downhill sections and some very technical sections with wooden planks, fallen trees, rocks, mud, deep puddles, and tight turns, and this adrenaline seeker is in heaven! This is a very fun course with beautiful views throughout and at the start/finish line too. It might be a bit intimidating for a first-time trail runner, but because it is so short, it allows people relatively new to trail running to discover the joys and challenges of technical trails with less risk.
This race was a good one for me, I ended up finishing 4th overall and 1st in my age category. I was not supposed to get a prize, but an issue with the results got them to call me on the overall podium and give me a prize. The person who was 2nd on the podium then said she remembered a woman being just ahead of her who was not with us on the podium. The woman was called and I was told to step off the podium. The crowd did a big pitiful "Awe" and someone said "Can she at least keep her prize?" when I had to give my prize back to the race organizer, so she felt bad and allowed me to keep it. I was really glad as it was a great knitted infinity scarf that I ended up using quite a lot after. I also ended up getting a medal for my age group win and it is one of my favourites: it is made of clay and hand painted! Another great souvenir from this race was the Five Peaks buff. Each Five Peaks race comes with a different cool and practical running accessory. It is a great change from the usual t-shirt and finisher medal combo.