Pemberton’s premiere trail race is back... with a re-brand. After crowdsourcing a new name, co-owners Charlotte Paul and Kristian Manietta settled on "The Pemby Pounder" to signify the “heart-pounding climbs” and the “leg-pounding descents" of their event.
The Pounder has a nine-kilometre and 22-kilometre course. Both courses start at Den Duyf Park, before setting out down the Mackenzie Basin access road and into the Basin’s network of trails.
Nine-kilometre runners will climb up Happy Trail for a 261-metre ascent, before returning to the starting area via Radio Tower, Waterfall and Cross Town Traffic trails.
Twenty-two-kilometre runners will brave a 963-metre ascent, up Happy Trail, Nimby, Let it Go and Middle Earth, after which point runners will fly down another set of trails back to Den Duyf Park.
More detailed route descriptions are available on the Pemby Pounder website, as well as the accompanying TrailForks maps linked above.
For the last two years, the event was licensed under the XTERRA global brand. Now, the group has rebranded with a new name after splitting with the lifestyle brand.
“With parting ways with XTERRA, the event is truly locally owned and operated,” said Paul. “I think that’s important to people.”
She added that avoiding licensing fees with XTERRA and the flexibility of running their own event helped her and her husband Kristian decide to move on.
Registration opened Jan. 1. As per tradition, five dollars from every entry will go towards the Pemberton Valley Trails Association (PVTA), which created and maintains many of the trails that make the Pemby Pounder possible.
Paul says the PVTA and Lil’wat Nation Recreation Department will fundraise through the race, as they’ve done in years past. In 2024, they raised about $900 for local charities and roughly $1,000 for the PVTA from runner registrations.
Registration covers race swag, a finisher’s medal, a course record bonus, medical support, aid stations, and post-race food, drinks and ice baths.
Those who’d like to participate in the event but aren’t much for running are in luck—the team behind the event is looking for volunteers to staff aid stations, set up and tear down the event, and just generally cheer on runners.
Registration and volunteer opportunities are available on the Pemby Pounder website. As are last year’s results, if you’re looking to set a course record.
