Choose Your Own Running Adventure
A few years ago, ultrarunner and adventurer Derrick Spafford won a spot in a prestigeous race and trained hard for months. But the day before his flight, he got sick. Left with no other options, he decided to make his own adventure instead. Here’s how he
A few years ago, ultrarunner and adventurer Derrick Spafford won a spot in a prestigeous race and trained hard for months. But the day before his f light, he got sick. Left with no other options, he decided to make his own adventure instead. Here’s how he did it.
The fastest growing aspect of our sport in recent years has been muts running (Mountain, Ultra, Trail and Snowshoe). More runners are f locking to the trails, and looking to run long distances over the most challenging terrain.
The allure of running in nature is great, but running on narrow trails and often on protected land limits the ability of these types of races to accommodate a large number of people. The result is many races are forced to cap fields to a fraction of the demand, and popular races are selling out within minutes of opening registration. Race lotteries are becoming almost as difficult to “win” as a real lottery. Long waiting lists are becoming the norm and affecting how runners are able to plan their seasons in advance. Popular target races such as California’s Western States 100 or the Hardrock Hundred-Mile Endurance Run in Colorado are now viewed as once-in-alifetime possibilities instead of a yearly option.
Even if you’re fortunate enough to get into a race that has a lottery, if you get injured or sick, your opportunity vanishes. With all this uncertainty, more runners are taking to planning their own trail running adventure and forgoing the traditional race setting.
CONTROL YOUR OWN FATE AND CREATE YOUR OWN COURSE
A few years ago, I had trained hard for what would have been a big lifetime achievement – the Arrowhead 135-miler – and was excited to challenge myself in this gruelling winter race in northern Minnesota. But the day before I was scheduled to f ly to the race, I got sick and was left with nothing to show for it. Meanwhile, similar races that I could consider as a replacement were sold out, or had already happened. Left with no other options, I decided to make my own adventure instead.
After careful consideration of different options, I picked my 84-kilometre route and decided to explore the wilderness just beyond my own backyard. It began at the local snowmobile club in Yarker, Ont., and would travel north across 13 lakes to the Trans Canada Trail, before heading east to the village of Sharbot Lake. My training for Arrowhead had me prepared to pull all of my survival gear with me in a sled (or pulk), so I was set to go self-supported, even in the extreme conditions of a Canadian winter.
A big advantage of a self-created adventure is that the date can be f lexible. I actually had to delay my scheduled start for a few days due to mild temperatures ( bizarre, I know), but fortunately a few days of bitterly cold temperatures swept in and froze up the trail and lakes again, making them safe for travel.
On the morning of my planned start, I grabbed my sled and had my wife drop me off at the trailhead at daybreak. She would pick me up in Sharbot Lake, hopefully later that night.
THE BEST PART: NO PRE-RACE JITTERS
One of the worst things about races is the pre-race nerves, which can be intense and stressful, even if exciting. This day, I experienced none of this. No countdown to get ready by, or anxiety of having to race from the line to gain good position going into the trail. Instead, a solitary beep of my running watch to begin and I was on my way. I found myself laughing at the lack of fanfare as I began.
IT’S ALL ABOUT PACKING RIGHT
When planning an unsupported run it’s vital to make sure that you pack the necessary gear so that you are fully prepared for what the conditions and run might have in store for you. During the summer, you may be able to get away with just a running pack to carry the necessary food, water, and gear with you, but during the winter months, this can be a little more of a challenge as the cold plays such a major role in your safety. With my pulk I had the security of knowing that I had the necessary gear available to keep me safe if the weather changed or I needed to stop or bivy for an extended period of time. After all, there are no checkpoints or race volunteers on the course so you need to be able to fend for yourself.
Being completely on your own in nature and running across backcountry lakes is a spectacular feeling. There is nobody out there to share it with, but that solitude is a part of what makes it so special. It’s just you enjoying being in the moment doing what you love travelling through nature.
When doing an unsupported winter run, your sled is your lifeline. Aside from food and water, I carried extra clothing, a sleeping bag, down jacket and pants, bivy bag, first aid kit and a spot satellite tracking device with me. There are many areas on this route where there would be no cell service, and this way my family could follow along on my run to make sure I was OK, know when I was getting near the finish, and also have the added comfort of knowing that I could notify them of any emergencies on the trail
if I needed help. At home, I own various footwear options to provide the necessary traction for different trail conditions, ranging from my trail running shoes for packed trails, to running crampons for sheer ice, to running snowshoes for deeper snow. For this trip, I tried to pack light, but brought snowshoes, just in case.
STAY FOCUSED IN THE SECOND HALF
Reaching the halfway point is always a milestone. A challenge in planning your own adventure run is that you don’t have a race director who will plan the route and scout any dangers on the trail. With a recent thaw and rain, I was worried about a few of the lakes, but was comforted that the snowmobile association had listed the route as good. There were a few sections of open water around the edges of some lakes, but fortunately nothing that forced me to re-route or turn back. The biggest concern for me came when I hit a 6k section of road that connected two segments of the trail. I was disheartened to see that the road was bare, making this, ironically, by far the hardest portion of the run, as I’d prepped to be running on packed snow and ice.
Sunset was upon me as I crossed the final lake of the day and approached the Trans Canada Trail for the final 20k to the finish. I passed through the small hamlet of Mountain Grove just as I turned on my headlamp. The temperature was dropping and the wind was picking up. A number of people looked out from their windows at me and I expected they were wondering what the heck this crazy man was doing running into the night dragging a sled. The thought made me pick up the pace, and when I remembered that this rail trail had once served many trains through this small community, I resisted the urge to let out my best train whistle impersonation. Just then a pack of coyotes beat me to it and sang with an eerie howl that sent shivers down my spine.
Now pitch black, I just had the view of the trees on either side of the trail, and the beam of my headlamp to guide me to the finish. The rising moon was slowly brightening the sky and I became lost in the moment.
AS YOUR ADVENTURE COMES TO A CLOSE, YOU WON’T WANT IT TO END
The familiar sound of civilization broke my trance as my phone pinged me a message. I was back in a cell tower’s range, and sad in knowing that my long day of running was going to be over soon. I brief ly slowed down and thought of looking at ways to add on to make it longer and spend more time out on this magical night. The pull of the real world won out and I decided I wanted to put an exclamation mark on this run and finish strong. I did some of my fastest running to the finish.
I was left with a rush of satisfaction and pride of what I had just completed. My cravings for a slice of greasy pizza were immediately quashed as the lone pizza joint in the village had already closed for the night. It seemed fitting though, as it’s not always about the race T-shirt, belt buckle or post-race party.