Haliburton Forest Trail Run 1998
by Ruta Mazelis

Our sport of ultrarunning is full of hard-working and generous souls.  
Perhaps no one has more of those qualities than race directors, who work 
to provide us with not only many of our needs, but quite a few of our 
wants as well, as we participate in the various events we enter.  Race 
directors always work hard, but some work harder than others, and I 
certainly put Helen Malmberg to the task as I began to consider the 
possibility of attempting the Haliburton Trail 100.  I knew the 100 
would be a test of my endurance.  I’m rather certain that my decision to 
participate tested Helen’s endurance as well.

The excitement of the Haliburton Forest Trail 100 began long before the 
start of the race.  I was taken by the rustic beauty of the drive, the 
absence of the big city feeling I am much too familiar with.  I’m a city 
slicker who has slowly begun to experience the magic of trail running.  
The beauty and gentleness of trail ultras have captivated me, and one of 
my first of these was the Haliburton 50 last year.  I was taken with the 
forest trails, the cool and crisp lakes with their loons laughing, and 
the howling of the wolves from the wolf preserve that is part of the 
Haliburton Forest.

Being a solid representative of the “Clydesdale” division, I considered 
myself a tasty morsel for the carnivorously inclined.  Therefore, 
Helen’s repeated reassurances that the bears would not be interested, 
and the wolves would not be tantalized, were humorous yet crucial 
aspects of my entering this race.  My remaining worry was the placement 
of the cabin we had rented – it was luxuriously located at base camp – 
the 50 mile mark.  To assist me in getting out of base camp, away from 
the cabin and off onto the second half of the course, Helen tempted me 
with a can of cold beer, waiting for my arrival at the 55 mile aid 
station.  And there it was – life is good when you have the time for a 
cold beer with the volunteers, as night is starting to settle in and you 
feel refreshed and excited to continue.

One of the special aspects of this event is that it is comprised of 
three races and not only the 100 miler.  50 mile and 50 K participants 
are able to experience the course, and the 100 mile runners are able to 
enjoy coming across people participating in the various distances.  As 
the 100 is twice an out and back, runners are able to cross paths 
several times.  These greetings, although brief, were warm moments, 
especially during the night hours.

I think of this as a gentle, but not easy course.  It doesn’t have the 
dramatic climbs and cliffs or river crossings of some other events, but 
there are certainly challenges to be found.  I burst into tears coming 
into the last aid station, after being told that I had over two hours to 
complete the final five miles.  The tears came because only then did I 
allow myself to feel real hope about finishing.  I had been living in 
fear of the last time up the Krista Trail segment of the course.  This 
uphill section had intimidated me enough the first time that I carried 
thoughts of it rather heavily on my back the second time out.

It is Helen and her small yet very loyal group of volunteers that made 
this event not only possible, but special.  The race also had a 
wonderful cast, including young and old, thin and “Clydesdale,” fast and 
not so fast.  I was amazed at the grace and speed of Jonathan Stryner, 
Ryne Melcher, Karin Westfahl, and the other runners.  I enjoyed the 
camaraderie and wisdom of many of the other participants as we took time 
to chat when our paths crossed.  I am particularly grateful to the man 
who told me to stop near the wolf preserve to listen to the sounds of 
the pups playing.  It is these events that made the Haliburton 100 so 
very special to me – not only was it my first success at a trail 100, 
but there were many gifts gained beyond simply running.  Helen Malmberg 
started these races because she felt a strong desire to share a place 
she loved with other ultrarunners.  By the time I had finished the race, 
I had fallen in love with it as well.  Thank you Helen!