Canadian Death Race

On July 30 I competed in the Canadian Death Race with my relay team Feet Go Down. It's a grueling 125 km 24 hour race through the Rocky Mountains in Grande Cache. You can participate as a relay team of 2 to 5 people, or if you're insane, you can do it as a solo runner. If you run it solo, you will be lucky to be in the 35% of soloists who finish. It's a tough tough trail.

My team consisted of Sheelah (Leg 1, 19 km), me (Leg 2, 27 km), Shanna (Leg 3, 21 km), Trent (Leg 4, 36 km), and Nicole (Leg 5, 22 km). As a relay team we each have to run our leg of the race within the given time, pass our timing stick and Death Race coin to the next person, who continues on. If we don't make our cut off time, of lose the timing stick or the coin, the team is done. It puts a lot of pressure on each person to perform, but it also brings the team together because we all want each other to succeed. If the coin and timing stick make it to the last exchange, the last runner heads out to push for the finish line. That person gives the coin to the boatman as a toll for crossing the Sulphur River. Following the theme of death, the boatman is a tip of the hat to Charon, who ferries people across the River Styx to the land of the dead. If you don't have your coin, you can't cross the river, so protect the coin at all costs!

Sheelah started us off strong with a 2 hour run out of town through the mud to the first exchange out on the highway. She came in covered in mud. I left the team from there and took on Leg 2, which is the most difficult. The trail takes runners up to the summit of Flood Mountain (6085 ft), then straight down the side of Flood into what's called Slugfest. Slugfest claims many runners. It's a near vertical drop down Flood, to a bog at the bottom (one solo runner lost his shoe in a giant mud hole and never found it), then straight up and over two mini mountains with bog at the bottom of each, then up to the summit of Grande Mountain (6520 ft). From Grande the trail drops straight down 3000 ft over 6 km back into town. All was good with me until the descent off Grande when my IT bands completely failed me - my knees took a terrible beating because of that. It took me 2 hours to get off Grande and to the exchange in town. The hardest and most painful thing I've ever done. All I could do was grit my teeth, cry some, and keep pushing on slowly.

When I made it to the exchange (after 6.5 hours on trail) Shanna took off and burned through Leg 3 like a star. She lost 1000 ft of elevation as she ran down the side of a long valley above the Smoky River. She came into the next exchange in just over 2 hours and Trent took off on Leg 4. He had to climb to the summit of Mount Hamel (6986 ft), run to within feet of a huge cliff, pick up a flag, run back, and then run down the mountain to the next exchange. He slayed it in 4:45, and after he came in he said "Do you want to know a secret? I haven't run since April". I didn't know if I should strangle him or hug him. So I settled for hitting him with my umbrella, and then telling him that he's amazing. Trent came into the exchange after dark, so Nicole left on Leg 5 in the pitch black with nothing but a headlamp to light her way. She ran by herself for the whole way and came into town in just over 3 hours for a team finish time of 18:38:17.

We had set a goal of finishing in 20 hours and we smashed it! So proud of my team. Other than my IT bands, there were no injuries, no overly tired people, and everyone was very happy and proud with our performance. It was an amazing weekend and the craziest experience of my life. 1500 runners compete on teams or solo, another 1500 come to support the runners, to spectate, to cheer, and to attend Death Fest, which is the festival/concert that happens on the same weekend. Most of the Grande Cache residents come out and cheer the racers on.

I met some awesome people on the trail and had the privilege of spending half of Leg 2 with a solo runner. We got to know a bit about each other and it turns out that he's a track and field runner who decided to try the Death Race solo. He did some distance training on the track the week before, bought a camel back, never trained with it, bought poles the day before, didn't know how to use them efficiently, filled his camel back and thought it weighed too much so emptied some of the water (and regretted that decision later), and up to that day had never run on a trail. Ever. I showed him how to use his poles properly and he showed me what it means to have natural talent, unstoppable drive, and unbreakable spirit. I missed his finish, but he was the absolute last runner across the line at 23:48:49. Amazing! Truly my hero.

Four of the five of us are super psyched to run the Death Race again next year and are already making plans for two teams of three so we can take on a bigger challenge by running farther. I can't wait and am starting to devise my training schedule and nutrition regime. It's really hard for me to give my body the break it needs right now. All I can think about is running. I guess I'm addicted to the runner's high? Hoping I see the soloist there again next year so I can congratulate him. Still can't get over it...

Team flag that Shanna made. Super sweet!

On the way to the start. Just down the hill...

...there are thousands of people!

Feet Go Down, ready to rock. Sheelah, Nicole, Shanna, Me, Trent.

Racers ready to head out.

All Leg 1 runners at the official start line up the street. All except the runner who showed up 10 minutes late.

Solo runners have numbers with a black background. Team runners have numbers with a white background.

Leg 1/2 exchange. Runners punch in their timing stick at the tent, then run through to their team or crew. This is a solo runner appreciating the cheering from random people.

Sheelah makes it to the 1/2 exchange. She even had mud on her face!

I left the 1/2 exchange and headed out down the railroad tracks to Flood Mountain.

We climbed for a long time and got quite high. Beautiful view!

Then we climbed longer and got higher. Racers arriving at the summit of Flood. The mountain in the background is Grande Mountain. I had no idea how far away it was until this point and then I was a bit overwhelmed. Only option was to keep on keeping on though. No turning back. No quitting.

Taking a short break before descending Flood. 1:50 to reach the summit. Poles are so great! The were the key item that got me through Leg 2.

In Slugfest, refilling camel backs from a creek. The soloist I ran/hiked/scrambled/slid with is kneeling. Ron, who had never run on a trail and was loving it. He's a force of nature.

Summit of Grande Mountain. 4:30 to get here. 21 km in. The town of Grande Cache is in the background.

Meanwhile, my team is waiting for me at the next exchange.

My team waited for me on the corner and ran with me to the exchange. It was the motivational boost I needed at that moment because I was really hurting. They totally beat me there though!

I finally made it! So hard!

And I found the nearest place to sit and did just that. My legs were done and on vacation at that point. Thankfully a very nice racer stopped on the descent of Grande and gave me one of her T4's, which helped me get down.

Shanna takes off to run Leg 3...

...and comes in strong to the 3/4 exchange. She totally burned past those runners behind her. No big deal.

Lots of reflective people waiting in the dark for their runners to come in to the 4/5 exchange. We were waiting for Trent. It was also raining.

A runner punching in her timing stick at the 4/5 exchange.

Trent slayed Hamel! 4:45 is a phenomenal time. Nicole takes the timing stick and the Death Race coin and heads out onto Leg 5 in the dark by herself. Go Death Racer!

The stage at the finish line. We had DJ entertainment until 2 am, then the MC hooked up his iPod. He announced every runner to cross the finish line, which was great. We cheered them all and rang cow bells.

Waiting for Nicole in the rain. Almost 3 am. Sheelah is bundled up.

Nicole (center) finished us off strong! Successful finish for the first time out. We had a great team. Super supportive of each other and positive all day long. So proud of everyone! Can't wait until next year!

http://www.canadiandeathrace.com/