On the evening of August 6, the 2022 Emperor’s Challenge organizing committee gave thanks with a sigh of relief that a safe race was behind them and that no disasters had unfolded. Without a doubt, this had been the toughest race to organize in the 22 year history of the event, which has become one of the biggest off-road runs in BC.
Missing two years because of Covid, we started off rusty, forgetting details of how we had done things in the past. Post-pandemic challenges meant rising prices, delays due to supply chain issues, and to make matters worse our previous chip timer was no longer doing chip timing.
I ended up asking myself, and others, if we really thought we could pull it off this year. However, we also knew that if we did not manage it in 2022, it would be even harder in 2023, and we might lose the race forever. We could not contemplate this possibility, and so a team of dedicated folks plunged in, determined to put on a good race despite a slew of unexpected hurdles. I would like to pay tribute to these volunteers, because to me they represent all that is good about our community and the Emperor’s Challenge.
Volunteers are the heart of a community, and one of the things I cherish most about Canada and Tumbler Ridge is the tradition of volunteers stepping forward and doing amazing things, putting community ahead of themselves, and expecting nothing in return. What I find remarkable with the Emperor’s Challenge is how small the committee is. I don’t know of any other race of this magnitude with such a tiny organizing committee, but somehow, against the odds they get things done, and this was true more than ever in 2022.
First to step forward was Jerrilyn Kirk as Race Director (for the sixth time). Thanks to Zoom, she managed the organization from afar. But there was a problem: on race day she would be in the Caribbean! Out of the blue, Barbi MacKenzie stepped forward, offering not only to be the Volunteer Coordinator (a massive task) but also to supervise proceedings on Race Day. Simply stated, if either of these stalwart volunteers had not stepped up to the plate, the 2022 Emperor’s Challenge would not have happened.
Each of them has a sibling in Tumbler Ridge. In Jerrilyn’s case it is Trent Ernst (esteemed editor of RidgeLines) who took on multiple roles in addition to his standard job as race photographer. Thanks to Trent, the large finishing arch was installed and did not collapse despite winds that sometimes reached gale force. In Barbi’s case it was sister Lisa MacKenzie, who took on a multitude of tasks including ordering medals and bibs and keeping statistics. And so we had a committee with two wonderful sibling pairs, and we gave thanks for their good volunteer genes.
An unanticipated challenge was that the UNESCO revalidation for the Geopark was scheduled for the Emperor’s Challenge weekend, meaning that the Geopark could only be of limited help. This did not stop Manda Maggs from providing invaluable support at meetings and taking on the Treasurer role. And Jenna McQueen, a long-time supporter of the race, came on board and took care of sponsorship. As it turned out, the UNESCO evaluators only arrived on the Saturday morning, not Friday evening as planned.
On the Friday evening at the package pick-up event I could not believe my eyes when I saw Jenna handing out T-shirts. I asked her what she was doing there, and the answer was simple: “The evaluators are late, so here I am, because this is where I want to be.” Volunteerism in a nutshell…
Jaime Nickerson expanded on her work of previous years, taking on a bunch of tasks and organizing the biggest feeding station, always with an enthusiastic smile. And two newcomers appeared: Tammy Beers chose the Emperor’s Challenge as a worthy volunteer group to join, and Kris Swanson (21-time winner of out 22 Emperor’s Challenges) attended meetings and provided sage advice based on a lifetime of competitive running.
Martin Fox, who had helped me with route marking in previous years, took on a leading role in 2022, which allowed me to get away to compete in the Canadian Masters Track and Field Championships in Regina a week before the race. Each time he worked on getting the mountain route ready he would drive out from Fort St. John, and head back in the evening. But I guarantee you he has not asked for a penny in reimbursement for fuel expenses.
Medical coverage was outstanding. Dr Nigel Mathews, in many ways the inspiration behind the Emperor’s Challenge, was race doctor, ably assisted by a nurse and a medical student, and he established his ‘ICU’ in a tent near the finish. And in a phenomenal show of support, Forever Green donated an ambulance and attendant for the day.
In common with almost all 2022 running events in Canada post-pandemic, the entry field was smaller than in previous years. Something similar had happened with the TR Triathlon, and in both cases it worked out for the best, as smaller fields proved easier to manage and organize. At the Emperor’s Challenge, for example, parking problems were less than in previous years as a result.
Barbi amassed an army of almost 100 volunteers, without whom the race could not have happened, and numerous community organizations gave everything they could: TR Search and Rescue, TR Rangers, Lions Club, Ridge Rotors, RCMP, District of Tumbler Ridge, Junior Rangers, numerous industries and businesses, and many others. In short, it takes a village to put on a race, and Tumbler Ridge emerged once again as the prototype ‘village’. At the awards ceremony after the race the coveted 5-year bibs and 10 year awards were handed out, and moving speeches were made.
In the midst of this Rose O’Neill crossed the finish line wearing her prosthetic blade, to an ovation from all present – there was hardly a dry eye to be seen. Earl Solli, aged 82, was the oldest finisher for the fifth year (he will be receiving a special trophy in recognition), and nine year old Jacob Funk was at the other end of the age extreme (and ran barefoot just for good measure). Afterwards, emails began to pour in to Jerrilyn from participants, thanking the committee and suggesting that the Emperor’s Challenge was their favorite race. Such things are music to the ears of the Emperor’s Challenge committee: these are the reasons why they step forward year after year. They hope that the race can build upon what was achieved in 2022, and will ‘Rise again to the Challenge’. I salute the members of this committee, and feel honoured to call myself part of this outstanding group of volunteers.
