More than 500 brave souls took to the grueling task of racing up the Grouse Grind Sunday morning for the 19th annual mountain run -- but for some participants, it was more than just a race.
Among the mass of finely-tuned, highly-toned running machines participating in Sunday's event was a group you might not expect: The Hong family, including seven-year-old Zoe, nine-year-old Matthew and their father Richard.
While warming up for the big event, Mr. Hong said he wasn't worried about his children making it all the way up the hill. In fact, he told CTV News he's only taking part in the race because his kids are too young to do it on their own.
"They're going to do great," Hong said. "I'm going to have trouble keeping up."
Hong also admitted he had never completed the Grind, which has been dubbed "Mother Nature's Treadmill."
"I'm a little nervous, but I don't want to tell my kids I'm nervous because that might make them nervous," he said.
Sunday's run saw the past Grouse Grind Mountain Run record smashed by almost a full minute. Sebastian Salas completed the trek in only 25:25, 54 seconds less than the past record set by Michael Simpson in 2007. But for Matthew, Zoe and Richard, time was not the top priority.
Instead, it was about tackling the Grind as a family and coming through it together. And about one hour later and 2,800 feet higher, that's exactly what they did.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Stephen Smart
