Canadian Death Race

Qualifying for Boston is priority one. As I train, make these sacrifices and dedicate a lot of my free time preparing for a Boston qualifier, I also have this gruelling yet fun (possibly life changing?) running event planned for the August 2016 Civic long weekend. Introducing...the Canadian Death Race! A 125-km team race in Alberta with 9 of my local running friends. Crazy? Not exactly. You could run this race solo, and I imagine one day I will run an ultra-marathon, and yes that would be crazy. Here's our plan: 10 runners are going from the Wallaceburg, Ontario area. We split up into two teams of 5. Each team member will run one leg out of five. We run each leg, both teams together, side-by-side to ensure safety. My leg, along with Joe Perry, is leg 4 called "The Hamel Assault." We will run 38km total and will ascend Mount Hamel, an almost 7000 foot climb up the mountain and back down.

Click here to learn more about the race.

Am I ready? Heck no. How does one train for a mountain race while living in Southwestern Ontario. We are very flat here people. We have some options like treadmill hill training or driving at least an hour to some hilly area. I'm not worried because I look at this race as just an adventure. It's my idea of a vacation. It's my understanding of what relaxation is I guess. We will spend a couple days before the race travelling the majestic scenery of Alberta, Canada. My teammates and I will get to know each other on a deeper level as all road trips seem to do. Joe and I will run a very hard course and will live to tell some amazing stories I'm sure. (By the way, Joe is an amazing athlete and deserves his own post...he's the reason I am hooked on this sport).

So what should you take away from this? Try new things and get out there. What is it you really love doing but need to spice things up a little? Running can be tedious, and boring at times. But a goal like Boston or the Death Race will motivate you to achieve you goal. Sign up for something right now or look into something a bit different from your normal and go for it. I am very bad for getting into a routine and fear the worst if someone or something interrupts it. When I heard about this race I knew this was my chance to get out of my comfort zone. Sure I love to travel and sure I love to run. But to spend my limited time off and my vacation budget racing up a mountain, travelling in a (stinky, perhaps sweaty?) van for 4 days is not for me. But I know I will come back to this small town with stories to share, new memories, a renewed kinship with these people and a new outlook on life.