Hi |*FIRST_NAME*|,
This is it! No turning back. We will see you on Sunday at registration.
We have made a number of updates to the website, partly to clear up old info, but also a course and schedule update.
https://www.sinistersports.ca/divide200/
- Course changes – we have mostly stuck to the existing route with a few tweaks here and there;
- We have moved CP4 due to the availability of the campground (lots of competition for summer bookings), so we do not need to go way down Hwy 774, thus, we have clipped part of the route from CP3 to CP4, which will keep you off the road – you're welcome!
- This also means that CP3 to CP4 is a bit longer, and CP4 to CP5 is shorter
- The GPX that was on the website from 2025 showed the correct route from CP5 to CP6, but the Google Map did not match – this has been corrected, and the GPX file is king
- CP6 has been officially moved to the Polish Hall in Coleman
- A wee change between CP9 and CP10 at Allison-Chinook Lake area so that you can see the hidden waterfall
- The route from CP10 to CP11 had to change last year due to some logging, and we are going to stick with this rather than reverting to the old route (you should have seen it on the website as a "temporary" route - just confirming that this is the correct route)
- CP12 is moving – it is ridiculously hard to get volunteers and supplies into CP12, so we are moving it to a more accessible location to the north. This means when you get to the old CP12 location, you will find direction signs instructing you to get your coin to the west, then head back to the east to CP13. This will allow us to have a more spacious, perhaps even luxurious, CP12.
- All GPX files have been updated on the website and filtered for elevation corrections. Note that whenever you filter a track, it tends to shorten it a bit, and get rid of elevation spikes, so the course you see in the GPX files will seem about 10km short.
- We do have a little link for the old course GPX if you want to compare
- Descriptions updated on the website – note that we have rounded up the distances on each leg to make sure we are addressing any data loss through the filtering (as mentioned above)
- As mentioned in the last email, due to a scheduling conflict at the resort, the post-race (Friday) dinner is now 11am to 1pm.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We still need a number of volunteers to help make the event great. Volun-tell your friends and family to sign up to watch you suffer!
Volunteers get a meal with the athletes, a custom fleece blanket, a custom tech shirt, and some fun prize opportunities.
Sign them up here!
https://www.sinistersports.ca/divide200/volunteer
GARMIN ACTIVATION
All racers will receive a loaner Garmin inReach that you must carry for the event. If you want to attach it to your phone, please do a couple of things first: download the Garmin Explore and Garmin Messenger apps, if you do not have them.
To use the device, you will need a password, which will be provided in your race kit. You will add it to your Garmin Explore app as a guest device/loaner. Assuming you have all the settings correct, you will be able to text other app users through Messenger. The device only has a basic plan, so please keep it to a minimum. Note that this also drains the battery on the inReach faster.
You do not need to add the device to your phone, but it is a perk, for sure. You can also use your own device, but we need you to carry the one assigned to you.
For the two teams on the course, you will need to hand off the inReach to your teammate when you switch.
911 function - please, please, please do not activate 911 unless you are in immediate danger (like a psycho clown or agressive bear). We have SAR on course, who will work to pick up anyone who needs to get out, and triggering 911 means that the RCMP take over. They will end up calling me, and we already have more resources on the ground than they do.
SUPPORT CREW INFORMATION
We want your crew and pacers to have a good experience as well, so we have created a lot of info just for them. We will have a few paper copies of these Support crew and pacer driving directions are available here:
https://www.sinistersports.ca/divide200/racer_information_package#_Toc75333
***NOTE that Google will often suggest alternate routes. These routes are usually a lie. We can only vouch for the routes that we have highlighted in this document. There are a lot of old roads out there that just do not exist anymore.
100K DROP BAG/SUPPORT/FINISH INFO
I have to apologize; I thought that some of this was obvious, so I did not give it a lot of detail on the website:
- 100k (well, you know more like 112-ish km) runners will get to use the same CPs and drop bags as the 200s
- CP3 - drop bags and support crew
- CP4 - drop bags and support crew
- 100k runners do not get to use pacers – stick with the other runners because everyone needs a buddy on La Coulotte
- Due to the smaller size of the crowd, we will be having the post-race event at the T-Bar Pub, right next to the finish line
- We will order from the menu and I will cover everything for racers, except alcohol
- This also means you do not need to pre-book tickets for support crews - you can just cover it there
- The T-bar is a really fun place, so this is a great option IMHO
- I have great expectations of all of you, but I acknowledge that in a new race, timing can be a bit unpredictable – the cutoffs at CP3 and CP4 are firm, but I may give some leeway on the finish cutoff, just this once (I am a terrible person, but I am still reasonable)
- We will be watching closely since this is harder than your average 112-ish KM event
SERVICES IN THE AREA + RESTAURANTS ON SITE
Castle Mountain Resort is not fully open during the summer, and the nearest village is Beaver Mines. They have eclectic hours, so do not count on getting gas there, although the General Store is a great little place when it is open. Pincher Creek is technically closest to the race, but a little out of the way. Support crews will be going through Crowsnest Pass, so be sure to fill up your tank there. You can also find our friends at spry in Crowsnest if you need any wicked gear.
The resort will be opening the T-bar for food service outside of their regular hours:
- Friday, August 7 – 12 PM to 12 AM (kitchen closes at 9:30 PM)
- Saturday, August 8 – 10 AM to 12 AM (kitchen closes at 9:30 PM)
- Sunday, August 9 – 10 AM to 7 PM (kitchen closes at 7PM)
- Tuesday, August 11 – 11 AM to 2 PM (kitchen closes at 2 PM)
- Thursday, August 13 – 11 AM to 6 PM (kitchen closes at 6 PM)
- Friday, August 14 – 12 PM to 12 AM (kitchen closes at 9:30 PM)
- Saturday, August 15 – 10 AM to 12 AM (kitchen closes at 9:30 PM)
Monday Breakfast
We will be serving coffee before the start, just to get your fluids moving, and Castle Mountain will also have grab-and-go type breakfasts available for purchase.
CONDITIONS
The trails are in good shape overall, and the weather appears to be cooperating for now. We have had a dry spell, but we still get sporadic rain, which keeps you guessing.
Water Quality
For anyone new to the area, the landscape is really special, and we have great water. While there is always a risk, and you have to judge for yourself, high up, I would not hesitate to drink from fast-moving creeks and rivulets. There are cattle in this area, so lower down in the mountains, and on flat areas, I would not do it without boiling or a filter. The only waterborne illnesses here would be E. coli (from cows) and giardia lamblia (beaver fever). E coli is not common if you just keep away from the poop, and if you do happen to get the fever, don't worry, it does not come on for about 8-10 days, and the race will be over by then. :D
Smoke
We are seeing a few smoky days, mostly from the fires in Washington (US friends - don't worry, we will not ask for compensation ;) and BC. Smoke is now a part of our annual weather across the country, with the west seeing the brunt of it most years.
Because smoke moves like the rest of the weather, it is not possible to predict what will happen. It can also move around an area, or be high/low in the atmosphere depending on the pressure. My point - it's really hard to predict.
Our general policy is to keep on keepin' on with an event if the AQHI is 6 or lower. If it is 7, we will consider what to do after looking at the forecast; if it looks to be clearing or brief, we will continue when we feel it is safe. If the sustained AQHI is 8 or higher, we will typically cancel or modify an event. Our goal is to keep everyone running, so cancelling is the last thing we want to do.
If you are interested in smoke mapping, check this out: https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/
Bugs
The bugs are not terrible here. We tend to mostly get mosquitos with a few horseflies. We typically do not see a lot of no-see-ums (buh-duh-dum) or other little biters. That said, in marshy or wet areas around
Cold + Altitude
It gets cold here at night. Parka cold in some cases. I'll be wearing a parka at the finish line for sure, and you can easily see 0˚C temperatures at night in some areas.
Note that, as a rule of thumb, the temperature drops around 1˚C for every 100m of elevation gain. So that trip up La Coulotte... you probably want a jacket and even gloves. The Highrock Trail is amazing, and a real highlight of the 200-miler... but if you are up there at night, you could be below zero (celcius) for a few hours.
It is VERY dry here most of the time. That is because the Divide (as in the Continental Divide) changes the humidity as the weather moves east from BC. The area just east of us used to be a desert, and when it isn't raining, the humidity is very low. So you can be sweating like crazy, and you would not even realize it. That means you need to watch your water and electrolytes.
Weather
I mean... it can change by the hour in the Rockies, but here is what we are looking at right now. Mild and maybe a bit rainy for the majority of the race.
EXTRA MEAL TICKETS
Thanks to everyone who booked extra meal tickets. We will have them on sale on Sunday, rather than trying to round this up via emails and texts today and tomorrow.
See you soon!
Kindest regards,
Brian Gallant
Owner + Director, Sinister Sports
Sinister 7 Ultra • Canadian Death Race • Black Spur Ultra • The Divide 200 • Castle Alpine Trail Race • The Dark: 24 Hours Underground • SOO 200 • Blue Bully Ultra
