GENERAL NRC UPDATE - Winter 2026:

Hey all - hope everyone's settling back into the post-holiday routine of work and real life.

Here's a little recap of what we're working on, and what events and sessions are open for you to join through the winter. We’ll do another of these updates when we switch back to our normal spring schedule.

1. We've been approached by the good people of the Friends of Pulpit Rock Trail Society about finding ways to work closer together on trail maintenance, and trail building. They're the group responsible for trails at Pulpit Rock, Lyon's Bluff, the CBC Tower / top of Elephant route, Spoule Creek, Whitewater, and more. We donated proceeds from the Nelson Backyard Ultra: Cottonwood Countdown to them this year, and we'll be reaching out to our Members with details on how we can support Pulpit Rock Society in their mission.

2. Early conversations are underway with several stakeholders around ideas for some new 'connector' trails to link existing trail networks together. More info will come on this later this winter.

3. Through the winter, our schedule includes:

 - TUESDAY: "Cross Country Ski Cross Training" at Nelson Nordic Ski Club at 6:30 p.m.  (we also have a 5:30 a.m. strength workout with Dr. Taylor Cooksley, DC at the Nelson Sport Lab , but it's sold out and at capacity, sorry)

 - WEDNESDAY: (starting Jan 21) 6:30 p.m., the free 16-week "FIRST HALF" program, timed to get you ready for Run Like A Mother 2026 half-marathon. Open to NRC Members with a base level of 10km fitness. Membership and registration links are on the www.nelsonrunningclub.ca page.

 - THURSDAY: "SLOW AF ALES & TRAILS" - 6:30 p.m., various locations. For the winter, we merge our spring/summer/fall Slow AF run with our Thursday social run. Slow, sociable, no-drop run with the pace set from the back of the pack, this run is 6-10km, and afterwards, we head to Torchlight Brewing Co. for beers and snacks. If you're curious about running with a group, this is the one to join. 

4. Normally, Wednesday mornings are "Mo(u)ring Intervals", where we alternate one week speed, and one week hills. Greg Munby spearheaded this one, with lots of help from Jack Scarr and Ian Huang. QUESTION (comment below) - who's interested in these sessions, and do you want to start them now, or wait until we're through the bulk of winter?

5. RACES: there are so many great races and events in the region, from Run Like A Mother 2026, the Nelson Police Department 5km Memorial Run, Tackle the Toad, Pace Trail Runs Broken Goat, Raven Ridge Run, Elephant Mtn Challenge, Kaslo Wild Ultra, and the Nelson Backyard Ultra. Whether it’s your first-ever at a particular distance or style or race, or you’re a seasoned vet, signing up for events is a great way to support the running community, and to keep yourself motivated and training! Almost all races sell out, and sell out quickly, so don’t delay - sign up early!

We’re also in the early stages of kicking around ideas for a 24-hour ‘Everesting’ challenge at Whitewater, where you’re doing short (5.2km) laps of a 370m climb, as many times as you can in 24 hours. 24 laps = the elevation of Mount Everest! Stay tuned for details on this one…

We’ve got a group of 8 (so far) NRC runners signed up for the Fat Dog 120, doing the 100km or 120 Mile race. The Club is booking a pile of group camping sites at Skyview Campground (BC Parks campground, with wifi, hot showers, water and power at every site, and 2 minutes from the finish line).We’d love to have some other NRC folks come out to help with this race, crewing, pacing, and volunteering. We’ll host a social night in the near future to talk about details like crewing and pacing.

6. RECRUITING LEADERS: As we keep adding more group sessions and events, I’d love to have a few more people come out to officially act as run leaders. We’ve definitely got a good crew of regulars who help out with this informally on every run, but it would be great to have a few people formally volunteer to help guide on the various events, the way Greg, Ian and Jack did with Mo(u)rning Intervals. Once we get to spring, we’ll have group sessions 5 days per week, with a few morning plus evening sessions, for 7 or more distinct events per week. I’m happy to join as many as possible, but it’s getting to be a lot, compared to when we started with a once-per-week evening run!

7. MOTIVATION: I learned a profound lesson a few years ago, while hemming and hawing about whether to sign up for a race, not feeling motivated to just do it. The lesson is this: Motivation doesn’t precede action; motivation FOLLOWS action. The act of doing something is itself the motivator to keep doing it. Waiting for motivation to divinely descend upon you means you’ll be waiting forever. There’s a reason Nike uses the slogan Just Do It. 

If you’ve been following this group on social media, or see us out for runs, and you think to yourself “One day I’ll be ready to go join them”, here’s your sign: that day is today. I’ve run a LOT with this Club over the past 10 years or so, and I can tell with certainty, that 100% of the time, the hardest part of any run is getting off the couch and out the door. Once I’m there with people on a run, I’m happy, excited, and ready. Cold sleet and rain, dark, I’m tired, I’m sore, I’m happy to stay home - all of it goes away once I start. I’ve never regretted a run, and I know I’m not alone in that thought.

So, if you’re one of the many many many people watching from the side and waiting for motivation, just force yourself to show up. I promise there’ll be people who will slog along at your pace, encourage you to keep going, cajole you into signing up for an event. The running community here is outstanding: supportive, helpful, encouraging. Come on out and be a part of it!

8. MEMBERSHIPS: Since incorporating as a Non-Profit Society a year or so ago, we’ve added a $20 annual membership fee. The money is of course helpful in putting on events, buying gear and supplies, etc, but more important is a tangible record of support. When it comes time to apply for grants to hire summer students to do some trail building and maintenance, for example, being able to show that there is a large and growing community of dues-paying NRC Members makes our case that much stronger. If you haven’t yet, please head to www.nelsonrunningclub.ca and click the ‘Membership’ link to sign up. (If you’ve already bought a membership - thank you, and you’ll get an automatic renewal notice on your anniversary date).

Thanks so much for all your support!

-Stephen Harris