200 Mile Fun Run

Im not alone, when I say this year has been a very different year for me.  2020 has been anything but normal for nearly everyone and I have not been excluded. 

For me, 2020 is nothing compared to 2019.  Last year was full of highlights and extraordinary moments.  In July 2019 I ran my first 100 mile race at Sinister 7.  I discovered a new race distance that I loved and realized how far I was able to push myself. 

Crossing the finish-line of Sinister 7
100 mile race

Crossing the summit of Mnt Hamel, the highest
summit in the Canadian Death Race.

Four weeks later, I completed the 125 kilometer Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache.  It was the second time I have run that race, but I have run most of the course many times while training.  It felt like I was running my hometown trails again.  Just three weeks later, I finished the 108 km Black Spur Ultra and became one of just 13 finishers of the Sinister Triple.  

Enjoying the views at Black
Spur Ultra

Climbing Rat Jaw in 32 degree heat at 
Barkley Fall Classic in Tennessee

I was physically and mentally exhausted, but I only had 3 weeks to recover before my next ultra marathon in Wartburg Tennessee.  I had won the race lottery and a spot to run in the 50 kilometer Barkley Fall Classic.  Since I started running, I have been intrigued by this race.   crossing the finish line, I was somewhat disappointed. 

Nearly 500 kilometers of racing over the previous three months had definitely taken its toll on my body.  The 50 kilometer distance was too much for me, so I had to settle for a marathon finish.  I was disappointed; but again, I wanted to push myself farther.  I knew I could have done better if I hadn't been so fatigued from my previous races.

At the advice of my coach (as well as my wife) I decided to take a year off running to recover, regroup, and let my body recover 100%.  I decided to take 2020 off from any ultras and fall in love with the trails again.  

It wasn't long thought before I started to plan a "fun run" just for myself.  It was a 100 km run based here in Grande Prairie on the local trails.  My goal was to organize the run as a fundraiser for Odyssey House; the local women's shelter.  They provide safe housing and education for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.  Besides improving the lives of many women in our area, the work that they do has such value and meaning to me; I wanted to help out in any way possible.  I made a few phone calls and soon had a small team assembled that was willing to help me reach my goal.

But 2020 had other plans.  In March, I had to cancel my run due to government restrictions and the unknown of what would be allowed for hosting events.  This gave me more time to plan and farther recover from my 2019 race season.

.

    Working on the trails around Grande Prairie.

Throughout the summer, I spent many hours out in the bush, trimming grass and cutting out stumps to improve the trails.  Because I had no running schedule to stick to, I had the opportunity to hike several summits in Grande Cache with my wife and girls at a leisurely pace.  Later in the summer, I had the opportunity to photograph a few small fun runs hosted by our local run group.  I could remember how much race photos meant to me; they made the race memories last forever.  I loved the opportunity to spend time sitting on the side of the trails, taking pictures of each runner as they ran past....always hoping for the perfect picture.

The summit of Mnt Stearn with my 
wife and two oldest daughters.

Not being focused on training for a race, also gave me lots of time to think.  I was disappointed that I could not complete my 100 km fun run, but I began to look ahead to the 2021 race season.  The next logical distance after a 100 mile race is 200 miles.  So I began to look at my options.  

I was not able to find any 200 mile races in Canada so I looked south of the boarder.  There are several incredible races in the western United States, but as the summer drew to a close, most of those races were cancelled, and the registered participants were given the opportunity to defer their registration to 2021.  In a normal year, the entry into those races is a lottery and the chances of getting in are slim.  So with the deferred entrants and the lottery entry, I knew my chances of getting into the races were even more slim if not completely impossible.  Then there was the issue of boarder crossing restrictions.  Who knows what restrictions will still be in place next year?

I began to look at the options of again doing my own fun run here in Grande Prairie.  This time, it would be 200 miles... just because that was the distance I wanted to run.  

I looked at course options in the area and soon realized how far 200 miles really was!!  Especially when doing it all on trails, the options in the area are quite limited.  I began to look at the Grande Cache area and the Death Race course.  It seemed like it may be possible, but 200 miles is still nearly three times the length of the Death Race.  

I talked with my coach about my idea.  She had successfully gotten me to the finish line of my past races, so I knew I would need her help again with this run.  Im pretty sure she thought I was a bit crazy when I told her my plan.  (I don't think it was the first time she though that about one of my ideas).  She didn't seem too surprised.... maybe sceptical, but not surprised.  I talked with my crew that was helping me with the now cancelled 100 km fun run and they agreed to help me again.  We chose a start date of July 14, 2021.  I made a call to Ernie, my personal trainer from my powerlifting days and explained to him what I was doing and asked for his help.  He confirmed that I was a bit crazy but agreed to help with my strength training and get my body into condition to run for 200 miles. 

Throughout the summer, I searched for trail options that I could include in my run to make up the 200 mile (324 kilometer) course.  The Death Race course in Grande Cache summits three mountains that are part of the Passport to the Peaks  hiking program, so I searched for a route to incorporate all the bronze peaks into the course.  After many hours of planning, the tentative course has 7 different summits (three mountains are summited twice) for a total of 10 summits.  

For those that are familiar with the area, this is the tentative course plan:

• Leg 1:  Start from CDR 3/4 Tx and run Leg 3 backwards.  
• Leg 2:  CDR Leg 1 backwards to DFI then out to Hayden Ridge then back to DFI.
• Leg 3:  DFI to Mnt Stearn and return.
• Leg 4:  CDR Leg 1 and 2 (Flood Mnt and Grande Mnt) from DFI to Grande Cache.
• Leg 5:  CDR Leg 3.
• Leg 6:  CDR Leg 4 (Mnt Hamel)to Beaver Dam Rd km 7.
• Leg 7:  Ambler Mnt, down Beaver Dam Rd onto CDR Leg 5 to Stearn Mnt Trail.
• Leg 8:  Stearn Mnt then to the base of Big Hill to Kvass Flats then return through Sulfer Gates.
• Leg 9:  Sulfer Gates CDR Leg 5 and 4 (Mnt Hamel) backwards.
• Leg 10:  CDR Leg 3 backwards.
• Leg 11:  CDR Leg 2 (Mnt Grande and Flood Mnt) backwards.
• Leg 12:  CDR Leg 1 backwards.
• Leg 13:  CDR Leg 3 to 3/4 Tx.

The tentative route for the 200 mile fun run.

Rough calculations show the course will have nearly 60,000 feet of elevation gain.  I will admit, this is a bit concerning to me.  Most 200 mile races that I looked at are closer to 40,000 feet of elevation gain....welcome to the Rocky Mountains!!  This will be tough.

Even though it is not a race, I want to keep my pace steady and keep moving.  The races I looked at have a cutoff time of around 100 hours.  Because of the additional elevation and not having a "race atmosphere" to keep me motivated, I am looking at a 120 hour cutoff, which is 5 days to run the 200 miles.

These numbers scare me.  This is twice this distance that I have ever run, but the time allotment is 4 times that of my 100 mile race.  That doesnt add up!!  What happens on the trail of a 200 mile race??  I guess I am about to find out....  A good friend of mine recently ran a 200 mile race.  It took her just over 100 hours to complete it and she is typically faster than me.  There are still many unanswered questions about the run.

I spend frequent nights lying awake in bed, wondering if I have committed to a task that is beyond my abilities.  Will this be my first DNF (Did Not Finish)??  Have I set myself up for failure??  Why am I REALLY even doing this...is it about the fundraiser and supporting a good cause; or is it about me and pushing my limits to find my breaking point and push beyond??

My guess is the occasional sleepless night will continue.  There will be questions that will not be answered until after the run is complete; but I have to start with the first step and the rest of the journey will unfold.  October 1 I start my conditioning training:  10 km of running a day, three times a week with 2 days of cross training per week.  January first, in the dead of winter, the serious running plan start.  

Right now, the details seem endless.  Im hoping to find one person to run each leg with with me throughout the whole course, if possible.  That in it's self is very hard to coordinate, because of the length of the run.  Im also looking for sponsors for each leg of the run.  All the funds raised will go Odyssey House so they can continue to help women and children affected by domestic violence.

If you want to stay updated on my training you can follow me, Here Comes The Zoom, on Instagram.  I will also try to do occasional blog upates as well, so feel free to subscribe to my blog.