Tenderfoot Boogie 2023

Tenderfoot Boogie 2024 – June 22 Race Day

Save the date for a fantastic and fun race on runnable trails from Brandywine Falls to Rainbow Falls, and back again, in Whistler, BC.

Distances: 15k – 28k – 50k

Throughout the fall of 2023, the organizers will be working on permitting and planning to ensure racers have the best experience at Tenderfoot Boogie next June. Watch this space for more information coming late 2023.

The information below is for the 2023 version, which was run as a Club Fat Ass event. In 2024, we hope to return to a typical race format. The route is expected to be similar to 2023, but there will be changes.

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The Tenderfoot Boogie 2023 version has been modified from the traditional course and format, and there will be no race participation fees for 2023. Please see the following information for 2023.

Location: Cal-Cheak Forest Recreation Site

Start time and date: 8AM, June 24th

Introduction
How to sign up
Courses
Course overview
Aid and Facilities
What to expect in a CFA event
Safety
Start/finish location and where to stay
Tenderfoot Boogie 2023 Orientation Run – May 13th, 2023
Contacts
Maps and elevation profiles
Other links

Introduction

Join us for a beautiful and challenging trail run or hike near Whistler. This event will honour Gottfried Grosser’s legacy of fun, low-key, community-based events in beautiful settings. The 2023 Tenderfoot Boogie will be held on a modified course and as a club running event hosted by Club Fat Ass (CFA). The course will be amazing and we expect the event to be lots of fun. You can race the route and try to lay down your best time, or run (or run/hike) with friends and get a sense of accomplishment just from completing the course. Either way, you’ll enjoy the lovely course with it’s multiple views and attractions.

All 3 distances (15k, 28k, 50k) will start and finish at the Cal-Cheak Forest Recreation Site. This is in a beautiful old growth forest with a suspension bridge and two turquoise rivers, and makes a great spot to camp before and/or after your run.

Course details are below. The course will pass by Brandywine Falls, the infamous train wreck near Function Junction, and along flowy single track. As this is a CFA event you must be self-sufficient and able to follow a GPX track (with no additional course flagging). All are welcome to join the CFA club for a small membership fee to participate in the Tenderfoot Boogie. There will be no additional race fees.

How to Sign Up

For 2023, Tenderfoot Boogie is being managed via a CFA Facebook event posting. Please sign-up as “going” here. If you are not on Facebook, please click on “Contact The Trail Whisperer” at the bottom of the website.

Courses

As the course will not be flagged, the courses are provided in two formats, A or B below.

YOU MUST BE ABLE TO FOLLOW A GPX ROUTE ON A DEVICE OR PHONE (OR TAKE A MAP AND COMPASS AND BE COMPETENT WITH THOSE).

A. Get turn-by-turn directions using the RunGo routes on your phone. It is recommended that you download the app and test it out ahead of time. RunGo routes updated June 20, 2023.

B. Download the Garmin GPX traces below to a GPX compatible device. To download the GPX, after loading in Garmin, click on the 3 dots for a download option. Garmin routes updated June 20, 2023.

Course Overview

The 15k and 28k follow the same route as the 50k, turning back towards the finish earlier to achieve the desired distance. As with all CFA events, you can choose a custom distance that is right for you. All distances start and finish at the Cal-Cheak Recreation Site.

Starting in the beautiful Cal-Cheak area with old growth forest, nestled between the Callaghan Creek and the Cheakamus River, you’ll almost immediately cross over the suspension bridge. The trail loops down to Brandywine Falls Provincial Park, where you’ll stop briefly at the Falls Viewpoint to enjoy a view of the falls and take the requisite selfie. You’ll return past the starting point via the Lava Lake Trail, and continue north along the Sea-to-Sky Trail.

The 15k route will turn around at another river bridge crossing at ~12k and return via the route you went out, back to the Cal-Cheak area finish.

Those on the longer routes will stay north just before the bridge crossing, staying on the north side of the river until reaching the infamous Train Wreck, with it’s graffiti covered cars left scattered in the forest as a tourist destination. The route crosses over another suspension bridge here and continues along the south side of the river. For the 28k route, the turn around point is the parking lot of the Whistler Interpretive Forest (outhouse here), just before the highway crossing at Function Junction. The 28k route returns to the start, this time staying on the south side of the river until ~23-24k, where you cross back to the north side of the river and proceed to the finish.

For the full 50k adventure, the route will cross the highway at the Function Junction traffic lights and will start climbing steadily up Flank Trail. TAKE CARE AND CROSS WITH THE WALK SIGNAL AT THE HIGHWAY. The trail follows the Rainbow-Sproatt-Flank Trail (or sometimes just referred to as Flank Trail) and then the Rainbow Lake Trail for ~9k until reaching the Rainbow Falls Trailhead at Alta Lake Rd (with an outhouse and parking lot). The return follows MTB trails paralleling Alta Lake Rd., first on the east and then going up to the west of the road. Eventually you will drop down to the Valley Trail at the end of Alta lake (with a nice water fountain as you cross Alta Lake Rd. again). The paved trail section continues along Nita Lake. At the end of Nita Lake, you take a sharp turn to head back up the mountain, first passing through a short residential section before crossing Alta Lake Rd. and then some sweet single track to eventually join up with Flank Trail again. Note: when you turn right to leave Nita Lake, the easiest route is up the stairs (immediately to your left), to take the covered bridge. There is also a rough route crossing the train tracks. Once you join up with Flank Trail, you retrace your steps to Function Junction, cross the highway again at the controlled intersection, and return via the same route as the 28k.

Aid and Facilities

As this is a CFA event, you are responsible for your own food and water. There are a number of locations where there is easy access to the route, and support can be provided if you have your own crew. There are also several services for food and drinks in Function Junction. 50k runners will pass through Function Junction 2x, and 28k runners have the option to expand their route slightly by crossing the highway to reach Function Junction at their turnaround point. Additional aid (water, snacks) may be provided by the organizers – check the Facebook event page discussion for updates prior to the race.

Runners are welcome to have their own support. Easy access is at the following locations (updated 2023.06.19):

Location	Facilities	Distance
Cal-Cheak Forest Rec Site (start/finish)	campsite, outhouse, short gravel road access, parking	0, 9k, Finish
Brandywine Falls Provincial Park	outhouse (not directly on the trail), paved road access, parking	5k
Whistler Interpretive Forest	outhouse, paved road access, parking	17.5k, 39k
Function Junction commercial area	several stores & cafes, parking	18k, 38k
Rainbow Falls Trail head at Alta Lk Rd.	outhouse, paved road, parking	27k
Valley Trail and Alta Lake Rd.	water fountain	30k
Alpha Lake Park (~200m from trail)	outhouses, paved road access	32k

What to Expect in a CFA Event

CFA events are fun, physically challenging, environmentally friendly and emphasize camaraderie as much as competition. Club Events are hosted by Club members, so each Club Event is a reflection of the unique personality of the Event Host. All Club events are free to participating club members. CFA has a unique culture and code of conduct – no fees, no aid, no whining, and no course marking. Be nice to mother nature, your host, and contribute to the community. Please refer to the CFA creed for more information. Everyone is more than welcome to join CFA to participate in Tenderfoot Boogie.

Expect to show up and gather. The hosts will note who is there and we will take a group photo. As with all CFA events, you are welcome to modify the route, distance, or start time, within reason, to suit yourself. If you’d like to start outside of the official start time (early or late) or from a different spot, please let us know/post it on the Facebook event discussion section. There will be no bibs and no official timing.

For the Tenderfoot, we hope to offer some aid (water/snacks) and may put out some minimal course marking. Please follow the Facebook event discussions or check back here for more information.

Please check in after you are finished and post your time, distance, and any other comments or photos on the Facebook page. We hope to have a gathering spot to share stories and celebrate completion, information to be updated later.

Safety

The following information is provided to assist in your planning; however, you are responsible for your own safety.

Please provide your phone number at the start, and check in at the finish. If you do not finish the course, please let the organizers know. A phone number will be provided before the event.
Do not expect course marking or designated group leaders/sweepers. A GPX trace is supplied for each distance and you must be comfortable finding the route on your own if you should become separated from others.
Please be prepared to be self-sufficient. These are pretty popular trails, but particularly for the 50k, you will be in the backcountry, and a wrong turn will quickly take you away from the route. Please carry the 10 essentials, including sufficient food and water.
A water filter of the type that can attach to your water bottle is always a good idea and is a great backup in case you run out of water along the way so you can refill at streams.
We will cross the railroad tracks a few times, please use caution.
Only cross on the Walk Signal at the Function Junction intersection (50k only).
Everyone is encouraged to post your expected pace/distance in the Facebook discussion and we’ll try to group up into similar pace groups.
Be bear aware. See Wildlife Safety – Bears from BC Parks.

Start/Finish Location and Where to Stay

The event will start and finish adjacent to the Cal-Cheak Forest Recreation Camping Site. If you’d like to avoid the drive from Vancouver before and after the event, this is a great place to stay if you enjoy camping with minimal services. Cal-Cheak is a lovely first come/first served campsite with 55 sites with picnic tables and outhouses. There is no water provided. Water from the creek needs to be treated. If you want to come up the day before the event, it is advised to come earlier in the day, as the site fills up quickly and an open spot is not guaranteed. Arriving on Saturday and planning to stay after the event may also be high risk to obtain a spot. There are also other accommodations available in Whistler:

Tenderfoot Boogie 2023 Orientation Run – May 13th, 2023

We will be holding an orientation run on May 13th, 9AM, Cal-Cheak Recreation site. The run will follow the 15k and 26k course. You are welcome to join the orientation run whether or not you plan to run the Tenderfoot Boogie on June 24th. See here for more information.

Contacts

If you have questions that aren’t answered on this page, feel free to post them in the discussion session of the Facebook event, as others may have similar questions, or send a direct message via Facebook. Alternatively, you can contact Trail Whisperer here.