Wrap Up

Finished (Photo: Greg N)

So that was that.
A year of planning.
A thousand miles of training.
My first visit to The Rockies.

The trip was a lot of fun, and I'm lucky to have the kind of friends who were keen to run this. Not finishing as a trio sucked, especially to get so close and then get separated in the middle.

Being under time pressure for most of the race was particularly draining. This is the hardest event I've done physically and mentally.  Running together made it easier.  Doing the whole thing truly solo is another level. Even with the best crew in the world I'm not sure how anyone runs this in under 13 hours.

The event was excellent - in particular the community feel (like everyone in Grande Cache was supporting and contributing to race weekend), a well marked challenging course, and great volunteers - upbeat and high energy around the clock and in all weathers. The trail conditions were hit and miss, but I'm not sure if that's down to the record-breaking rainfall, the true wilderness factor, or maybe we just take the NCC efforts for granted in the Ottawa/Gatineau area.

Each of the stages had something memorable (and aspects you'd rather forget).  For me Leg 2 was the hardest technically - with the gradient and the overall elevation.  I think Legs 4 and 5 are shorter than advertised, judging by the Strava results of people who were able to record the whole thing - total distance seemed to be closer to 119 km. This was a factor in us suddenly going from edge of the cut-offs to finishing with over half an hour to spare - so I'm not complaining!

A few people asked how you train in Ottawa to prepare for the mountains... With hindsight I would have made more effort to do some mountain training weekends, either in Quebec or just over the border. Overall I felt well prepared from following a steady training plan and getting in as many trail miles as I could, including practising running all night. The 48 hours after the race were pretty sore, especially the long drive and flight back to Ottawa. A sports massage definitely helped, and within a few days I was thinking of future races.

Ultimately I went to the Canadian Death Race to see where my physical and mental limits were and to find out if I was capable of finishing it. Maybe I'll go back one year and see what a difference it makes knowing the course (and knowing it's possible), but there are plenty of other races to experience too, including plenty I haven't heard of yet.

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. T.S. Eliot