Former ‘bad kid’ turns Ironman to benefit others
Indigenous teen to run 100 miles over 24 hours to raise funds for food bank
COVID-19 may have been the impetus for many people to take up a new pastime, but for one Merritt teenager, the activity he chose seemed unlikely, even impossible.
Darius Sam, 19, who had never entered a 10-kilometre run, raced a bicycle or swam much at all, decided to run an Ironman Triathlon.
The coronavirus lockdown had cancelled formal Ironman competitions. The event normally includes a 5-km swim, 180-km bike ride, and a full 42-km marathon. So Sam ran his own event.
“I did a self-made Ironman,” said Sam, who had two friends witness the race, considered one of the world’s toughest one-day competitions. “I just wanted to test my mental and physical limits. I’ve always been fit. But there was no training.
“I didn’t run, I didn’t bike, I didn’t swim,” he said. “I had just bought a bike a month before.”
He’s now ready for another challenge.
“I was looking for something else, crazier, harder.”
He decided on a 100-mile (161km) ultra-marathon and to raise money for charity.
Outside the Nicola Valley food bank, he saw a senior on her scooter in the long lineup.
“I asked her how she was. She said she was hungry. I knew right there and then (which charity to fund).”
He picked this Saturday to run from the Nicola Lake rest point to Spences Bridge and back again, and he expects to complete it in less than 24 hours. A GoFundMe page set up to support him hopes to raise $5,000 for the food bank, and by the middle of last week, $4,500 had been pledged.
He researched 100-mile runs online for tips on hydrating and eating, what to bring (extra socks) and what to expect.
“It’s not natural. I don’t think humans are supposed to be running 100 miles in under 24 hours,” said Sam. “People think I’m crazy. They think I’m absolutely nuts.”
His friend will drive behind him. The road doesn’t have cellphone service, so if Sam needs medical help, his friend can drive him to the nearest hospital.
Sam has received advice from Merritt personal trainer and nutritionist Mark Nendick, who said: “I heard about what he was doing for the food bank and I thought it was awesome.”
He has offered to pace Sam for the last 30 miles because the 70mile mark “is when people start falling apart.”
“Eighty per cent of running a 100-miler is mental,” he said. “He’s been doing a lot of physical training, and I think he’s mentally able to do it.”
“I don’t have any quit,” said Sam. “As long as I can run, nothing will stop me.”
The five-foot-10, 170-pound teen was born with fetal alcohol syndrome and grew up in a foster home.
“I was a bad kid in high school,” he said. “I got in lots of trouble. Fighting. Going to school with air pistols. Not making the right choices. Man, I was just a bad kid.”
As a young offender, he was caught driving without insurance in a vehicle with stolen licence plates and car validation tags.
After graduating, he worked in the Alberta oilpatch, played some organized hockey, and “I was smoking weed, drinking and always out partying. I hated myself.” Five months ago, he quit.
“I just decided to change my life. It’s cool to be sober, cool to have goals, cool not to be a loser. I want to set a new tone for my life and I want to set the tone for other Indigenous youth.”
Sam is training to work as a wildfire fighter this summer and plans to enlist in the Canadian Armed Forces, having already completed and done well on the aptitude test.
“I’m building my confidence back up,” he said. “I’m setting goals and I’m holding myself accountable.”
“Everybody has seen him running through Merritt,” said food bank general manager Derlanda Hewton. “We’re very proud of him. I have no doubt he’s going to meet his goal.”
Donations are welcome because the food bank that serves Merritt, Lower Nicola and five First Nations has seen a 75 per cent increase in clients over last year, she said.
Meanwhile, the fundraiser is about “what can I do for my community,” said Sam, and he plans to do more.
“Anything is possible. You can become somebody that nobody thought you could be.”