It's not called the Canadian Death Race for nothing. The grueling 125-kilometre trail run is enough to slow down the best runners, but add in mountain hiking and running at night, and it becomes an exhausting trek.
It's not called the Canadian Death Race for nothing. The grueling 125-kilometre trail run is enough to slow down the best runners, but add in mountain hiking and running at night, and it becomes an exhausting trek.
This didn't stop eight teams from the Athabasca and Boyle area from making their way to Grande Cache Aug. 3- 5 for the 12th annual extreme race.
The goal of the race is not to win a gold medal or a blue ribbon, but rather to find a sense of accomplishment in meeting the challenge of completing the trail in the given 24 hours.
Many people find it easier to run the five legs of the race in teams so that no one person is over-extended, but there are those few who choose to run as soloist for an even greater challenge.
This year was one of the tougher years, even for the veterans of the race, said Lisa Stocking, who ran Legs 4 and 5 this year, in her sixth race.
"I love trail running in the mountains because you have to think and plan where your feet are going to go, and it's more of a challenge than running on pavement," Stocking said "It's a challenge, but it's really enjoyable and the scenery is amazing. This race is so different and it's grown a lot since I even started six years ago.
"This was definitely one of the more challenging years I've run it because it was really hot," she added, "but it was also really wet conditions on the trails with all the rain we've been having lately."
Stocking said that for her and teammate Stephanie Martin, this year was also harder because in previous years, they were on a larger team and only had to do one leg each. This year, they decided to change things up because Martin had been thinking about doing it solo. By splitting the race in two, it gave her more of an idea of what running solo would be like.
"Most soloists don't finish the race because the hardest part is finishing Legs 1-3 before the time is up," Stocking said. "You have from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. to finish the first three legs of the race, and if you don't complete it in that time you are disqualified. That's why we separated this year because for Stephanie to run solo, the best way to try it is to do it in a team of two first."
The 125-kilometre course begins and ends on a 4,200 foot plateau, passes over three mountain summits, and includes 17,000 feet of elevation change and a major river crossing at the spectacular Hell's Gate canyon at the convergence of the Smoky and Sulphur Rivers.
A coin must be passed from runner to runner as each leg of the race begins, and if the coin is lost along the way, the soloist or team is disqualified.
People aren't racing for a big prize in the end though, Stocking said; they race for bragging rights.
"People do it because they aren't racing against each other, but rather because they are going against themselves and pushing their own boundaries," Stocking said. "Watching the soloists compete is the most amazing part, because they usually have a trigger or life-altering event that makes them want to push hard for it.
"It's amazing for everyone else to be a part of, too, because people do this race just to see if they can. It's not a question of if it'll hurt, but how much it'll hurt and how hard you can push yourself to finish."
For Nichole Collins, running the race for the first time was a thrilling experience.
"I started running the last couple of years, and I just had a baby less than a year ago, so this was a good incentive to get ready and into shape for the race," Collins said.
"This was a hard and challenging run, but a huge sense of personal accomplishment. It was exhilarating and one of the best experiences I've had. The day went really fast and it got more and more exciting watching all my teammates and everyone else finish their legs of the course."
Collins - who ran alongside Leyann Joyes, Diana Hunter, Brooke Campbell and Carol Bradbury - said running the race also provides a sense of community spirit and solidarity for those who participate, especially for those who come from the same area.
"It's amazing to see how everyone comes together from all walks of life and helps each other out," Collins said. "Strangers from all over the world come together and give each other advice and create a sense of camaraderie, and you get to know each other over the course of the weekend and make new friends.
"Even the people who participated from the Athabasca area came together in a sense of amazing community. It's great to see a community our size have such a big representation at such a large event."
Collins said she is hooked on the races and is looking for other similar events to participate in. One goal she's like to accomplish with the Death Race in the near future is crossing the line with her daughter, something that she considers a pretty good motivator for her to keep doing these kinds of races.
Always looking for motivation to keep running, Amy Welsh said that participating in the Death Race is all about the energy it radiates.
"It's a great atmosphere with a lot of good people and lots of fun," Welsh said. "It's hard and challenging, but it's a high-energy, fun atmosphere, and part of what keeps people coming back is the memories of good times with friends."
Welsh ran with her sister Stacey Welsh and friends Sharon Richardson, Rachelle Reid and Darren Richardson.
Similarly, Bud Ottosen, a 65-year-old runner who participated in the Death Race for his seventh year, said it's about friends and challenging oneself while getting active.
"It's a challenging and fun course, and we go to see people we know from other events too. It's like a carnival atmosphere," said Ottosen, who is also a personal fitness trainer.
"It's always important to be active, because you are not healthy if you are not active, and living an active lifestyle is living a healthy lifestyle. It's important to do things that you enjoy doing, and I enjoy running."
Ottosen ran with James Haubrich and Sheldon Krasowski.
Additional runners from the Athabasca region included the Four Does and a Buck team (Alan Hunter, Kim Comrie, Lindsey Gerlach, Katrina May and Kate Neigel), the Boyle Fun Runners (Carrie Scamell, Jeff Scamell, Stephanie Bergman, Darrell Bergmann and Carolyn Anderson), and the Loos Nuts (Oriana Kononchuk, Nolan Rankin, Sheldon Samborsky, Shawn Samborsky and Christopher Revega). There was also a team which included Dr. Marthinus Doman from Boyle.
It seems like many avid local runners made their way out to the Canadian Death Race just for the sheer reason of knowing they tried and accomplished one of the world's toughest race courses.
As Ottosen said, "The feeling of crossing the finish line in a race like this is such a good feeling, because if you worked hard and prepared hard, you know your work paid off."
