Feats

“If you want something you’ve never had, you’re going to have to do something you’ve never done”

The quote above is only thing that I’ve found to adequately explain the human psyche that strives to undertake seemingly impossible feats. The human body and mind are incredible and feats such as: Dean Karnazes running a marathon in the antarctic , Don & Dana Starkell canoeing 1200 miles from Winnipeg to the Amazon , Diane Van Deren winning a 300 mile running race in the Yukon and Goran Kropp cycling to Everest from Sweeden, climbing it and cycling home, never cease to amaze me. Here’s some of what I’ve done that pales in comparison, but is perhaps interesting nonetheless.

Latest Feat: Run 105 miles in 5 days, September 2007

In September 2007, my friend Justin and I entered the Transrockies Run, a multi-day team trail running race through the mountains of Colorado. The race was an opportunity of a lifetime and it didn’t disappoint. Each day we were ran over mountains, through valleys, creeks and towns and had the chance to enjoy the incredible natural beauty of Colorado. But we didn’t just do it all for ourselves. A big part of the race was raising money for Agros International, an organization working with landless people in south and central America. In total we raised over $6,000 and thank all our many sponsors.

Insanity for Humanity Run Video
For high-resolution version download here (7MB)

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Run a Marathon: Ottawa, Ontario, May 2006

In May 2006 I completed the Ottawa marathon in 3 hs 33 min. My goal was to complete it in under 3:45 so I was quite happy with my time. The marathon was a great experience of personal challenge as well as understanding the importance of support. The day of the race my sister, brother-in-law and I all finished the race and we were wonderfully supported by Darlene, our parents and all many others cheering in the crowd. It’s definitely a race that you don’t finish alone, you’re pushed on by all the many encouraging Ottawa residents and fellow runners along the route. Perhaps some day I’ll run another marathon, but the training is quite intense and being a competitive person it’s tough not to try to better my time. For now I’ll continue to enjoy running for its simple joys.

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Cycle to Manitoulin Island – 640km in 4 days

Way back in high school Justin Wikerd and I cycled to Providence Bay, Manitoulin Island from Baden, Ontario.  Day 1 was 180km and day 2 was around 140km making for a total of 320km in two days. We then relaxed on the Island for two days and did the whole thing again back home. Making it a total of 640 km in 4 days of riding. Oh the enthusiasm of youth! The trip was an excellent way to see some beautiful areas of Ontario. Our middle stopping point was Chesley Lake Mennonite Campground both times.

The best memory from this trip was the time we almost missed our ferry to the Island. We were cycling hard against a strong North wind from the moment we started riding in the morning. By the time we had done 100km I was beat. The wind was winning and I was losing. Justin on the other hand was just getting warmed up – he apparently was feeling fine. So with 48km to go we looked at our average speed – 22km/hr – pretty slow and calculated that it would take us over two hours to get to the ferry. Well, according to our ferry schedule we had almost exactly 2 hours before the ferry left. At this time there was only one option – speed up and make the ferry for have to wait for the final ferry and cycle in the dark (without lights) 30km to Providence Bay on the Island. Justin whipped me into shape, allowing me to draft closely behind him. I was able to keep on his wheel for about 30 minutes at a time before I would simply lose all energy and fall behind. He would wait for me and then we’d psych up again and hit the road. After two painful hours of peddling against the brutal North wind we rounded the corner to Tobermory and saw that the ferry had already docked. We cycled up to the booth, paid our fare and then cycled to the front of the cars. Almost as soon as we arrived at the front of the cars the giant doors to the ferry opened and we cycled onto the boat. We had made it! A sweet accomplishment after almost 300km of cycling. Our reward on the other side was a beautiful ride from South Baymouth to Providence Bay with the sun setting. We arrived on the beach in Providence Bay to a gorgeous sunset and captured some nice sillouette photos of us with our bikes on the beach. Awaiting us in Providence Bay were my grandparents with open arms and warm freshly baked biscuits. A simply fabulous day!