From the moment we dropped down into the valley at dusk the evening before the race, I was hooked.
Rider vs Runner is a small, intimate race exploring a hidden Manitoba gem of the Souris River Bend WMA. Drawing on inspiration of early North American trail running lore (which I wrote a bit more about here), for the fourth year horses and runners joined together to enjoy a day on these beautiful trails.
In the cool of the morning, the horse riders quietly headed out, tackling the northern loop first before doing the southern trails. Runners started 30 minutes later, heading south first. We didn’t cross paths with the horses for most of the race, which was fortunate because passing horses on narrow trails is a delicate art for all involved.
What we did encounter, however, were incredible hill climbs and descents (“breathtaking” in both senses of the word). and six river crossings. We noted this as possibly the only trail race where we’d encountered minnows on the trail!
At the end of the 35km, the fastest group of runners beat the horses to the finish line, while the rest of us came in over the next hour along with other riders.
I left already looking forward to returning to this beautiful place. See you next year?