THE CANADIAN DEATH RACE 2011

The 30th of July 2011 i was standing on the starting line of one of the toughest adventure race in the world.     The Canadian Death Race is 125km in The Rocky Mountains in Grand Cache Alberta. 3 summits, with a change of elevation of 17 000 feet, dirt, mud, water up to your knees, freezing rain, temperature varying from 28 degrees to -2 degrees, climbs of more then 10km, downhill steeper then 45 degrees and a time limit of 24 hours were only a few things that were going to stand in my way on that day. 

THE START:

At 8am, 1500 runners were standing on the starting line. Only 360 runners were attempting it solo. The others, were racing as relay teams from 2 to 5. Grand Cache as a population of about 5000 people. The race start was in the centre of the town and over 2000 people were there to cheer us on this early saturday morning.

FIRST LEG (19km)

After 5k on the road we finally got in the trails. Welcoming us with a sign saying "Only 120km to go" lol. I flew through the first leg. I compare that leg to the toughest trails in Gatineau Park. Ups and downs, really muddy with some fast and technical downhills. It took me a bit less then 1h30min to complete it. My support crew were waiting for me at the checkpoint. Louis-Philippe Daigle one of my best buddy from Ottawa, Cassandra and Chris a couple from Grand Pairies and Mike a guy that knows the trails like the bottom of is hand were all part of my support crew. I took a quick bite, changes shoes, refilled my hydro pack and hand bottle. In 5min i was back out and running, ready to attack the hardest leg of the race. 

SECOND LEG (27km)

About 20k in the second leg, i started to feel pain in my stomach. The course was just ridiculous!!! I was not expecting that at all. Climbs that were never ending. Downhills so steep that some runners were sliding on there butt to get down. I started to feel a very very sharp pain in the upper part of my abdomen and started to vomit. In the middle of nowhere i had no choice but to keep moving forward. Every time i attempted to run, the pain was so intense that i was vomiting. Not able to walk in a straight line, my legs cramping very badly and still vomiting i was 1.5 km from the checkpoint. I felt that i was close to pass-out and for the first time     since i started my Marathon and Ultramarathon career a was ready to quit. Two mens that were cheering on racers beside the trails saved me. They refused to let me quit. I told them "Guys i'm done, i cant go on anymore i have been in so much pain for the last hour. I gave all i had. Would it be possible to give me a ride to my support crew." They said NO! If we have to walk by your side will walk with you but your NOT QUITTING. At that point 1.5 km seems impossible for me. After lying down for 15min i decided to go on again. 30min later i made it to my support crew.  After lying down in the grass for 2h and being sick a few times again i was able to relax and eat again. I told my support crew "i'll give it another shot and make sure i got pizza waiting for me at the end of leg 3". 

LEG 3 (21k)

I still don't understand today where i found the energy to go back out again. With almost nothing in my stomach i ran 21k in 1h50min. I felt amazing! All i had in mind was how much time and sacrifices i made to get here. The hours of training, the time off from my job, the expense to get here, the early morning on weekends, the early nights in bed on Fridays and Saturdays. At the checkpoint in 5min, i had 2 slices of pepperoni and cheese pizza, a Mountain Dew and a Coca Cola and went back out for the longest leg of the race, leg 4.

LEG 4 (37k)

This leg was the longest one. Took me a bit more then 5h to complete. For the first 2h i was going up hill. It was unbelievable it seemed like a never ending climb. On top of Mont Hamel it was very very cold and  it started to rain, but sooooo beautiful. In my little pack sack i was carrying a coat, gloves, a tuque and my headlamp. I took a minute to put them on and also set my headlamp cause it was starting to get dark and continued my run. During that leg i met a girl from Calgary. She was an awesome runner. She was running it as a relay team of 5. We ran the last 20k of leg 4 together. We've talked the whole way, it made the time past by quickly. We got caught by freezing rain at one point. Running into the dark me and Gen killed the last couple of Ks and arrived together at the last checkpoint. I ate 2 poptarts, some chips and chocolate and a coca cola. I have been racing for 16h at that point.  

LEG 5 (25k)

I left around midnight for leg 5. It was dark and all single tracks. It was still raining and very cold. The course was super wet and muddy. Keeping focus i had one thing in mind, I wanted to finish strong and enjoy every second of it. Running with two lights on me,  one of them stopped working 15k in. We also totally forgot to put extra batteries into my pack sack. So now only one of my light was working. I was stressing out that this one also was going to die anytime soon and i would be stuck in the dark in the middle of The Rocky Mountains, GREAT! To be honest it kind of push me to go a bit faster. I was in a race against my headlamp battery life lol. I can say that i really enjoyed those last 25k, i felt amazing. Realizing what i have been through in the last hours was an insane feeling for me. Finally i crossed the finish line just under 230am in a total time of 18h29min.

THE FINISH

125km in The Rocky Mountain, 18h29min, 20th overall, 2nd in my age group (20-29) were my results. Only 130 out of 360 solo runners manage to finish the whole race under the cut off time of 24h. At 24 years old i ran my first Marathon, my 1st 100 Mile race and now i have completed one of the most challenging race in the world. It wasn't easy! I have learn later on that my stomach pain were Ulceres and i had lost more then 1L of blood. I have learn that in those kind of race it doesn't matter how incredibly fit you are, its how bad do you want it. Today i can say that i witness how can the mind of the human body can be so much stronger then your physique. There no better feeling then being able to surpass your physical capacities.

Again a special THANK U to everyone that supported me trough that adventure. I have one more race this year. I'll be tempting in a few weeks to complete my 3rd Ultramarathon (100k and over) in 2011 at The Haliburton 100 Mile race the 10th of September.   

   

1st 100 Mile Race

Here is a video of my 100 mile race in Pittsfield Vermont made by my cousin Maxine Beauchamp. He did an amazing job. Thank u so much!!! Enjoy :)

CTV NEWS!

Eh guys! So CTV Sports News did a montage on me. It went on air The 11th of July at 6pm. They did an AMAZING job. Thanks to Corey Ginther for is fantastic work. See the link below for the video clip and search for Ottawa Ultra-Marathoner runs 24h in a row. Hope u enjoy it!!!

 http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20080319/ott_sportsspotlight_0800319/20080404/?hub=OttawaHome

"To be able, at any moment, to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.”

THE PATH TO BECOME THE REAL YOU!

Dream, Believe and Sacrifice! Those are three powerful words. Three words that once put together, are the key for new Opportunities that will lead to Success then Happiness!!!

DREAM: Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith, vision, hard work, determination, dedication and self belief.

BELIEVE: There is no limits to the power of the human mind. Trust your abilities. 

SACRIFICE: Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what!!! Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.

OPPORTUNITIES: Learn everything you can, from anyone you can, at anytime you can,.You'll be grateful at one point that you did.

SUCCESS: Success is not to be measured by the position that one as reach. But by the obstacles which he as overcome.

"No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change." - Barbara de Angelis 

 

The Next Challenge - Canadian Death Race

Here we go again, 8 weeks till my next big race. The 30th of July i will be participating in The North Face Canadian Death Race that will take place in Grand Cache, Alberta, Canada. Since the start of the millennium, elites racer have come to the Canadian Rockies to cheat Death in one the world's toughest adventures races. The 125 km course begins and ends on a 4200 foot plateau, passes over three mountain summits and includes 17,000 feet of elevation change and a major river crossing at the spectacular Hell's Gate canyon at the confluence of the Smoky and Sulphur Rivers. During the August long weekend each year, extreme athletes, individually and in relays, push themselves to the limits of their endurance against the breathtaking background of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Each year, well-trained and totally committed, they battle heat, cold, altitude and themselves. There are no big prizes for winning: finishing is hard enough. And the bragging rights are priceless!!!

After the 100 miler in Vermont i was fighting an injury for over 3 weeks that kept me away from training. I had a tendinitis in my foot. My tendon that attach to my 4 little toes was really damage and inflamed. I had to go for deep tissue massage and take a break from running for over 20 days.

I met with Ray Zahab my new coach this Monday morning. He will be fully training me and preparing me for the Death Race. Its awesome to have one the best Ultrarunner as your coach. A strict nutrition plan and intense training schedule as started this week. Here is a brief resume of my training schedule for Week 1 & 2:

Monday: YOGA

Tuesday: Speed Run (12k)

Wednesday: Tempo Run (15k)

Thursday: Hill Training (10k)

Friday: OFF

Sat: 40k Trail Run

Sun: 30k Trail Run

Can't wait to get back in the trails this weekend and to enjoy my day off of training tomorrow! YEAH!

The National Capital Marathon

The National Capital Marathon or Ottawa Race Weekend is one of Canada largest Marathon. Started in 1975 this event as grown over the years. It now attracts thousands of participants and over 38 000 runners in 2010.

This week was just AMAZING. There was hundreds and hundreds of runners along The Rideau Canal. I love seeing that. All kinds of different runners, running towards there personal goals. From 2k, 5k, 10k, 21k, to the Marathon (42k), there is a distance for everyone. Everyone that would be at the starting line this weekend are already WINNERS. Everyone as there own personal goals and that what makes this event so cool. Either your participating in the 5k or the Full Marathon or even the 2k race, WELL DONE! Go out there and enjoy yourself.

"It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit." - Unknown

Keep YOUR goal in mind. Give your best! At the end whatever the outcome is, be proud of yourself and enjoy the moment.

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." - Unknown

I'll be cheering on the 2k, 5k and 10k runners on Saturday evening. Then Sunday at 7am, 3 weeks after my 100 mile Race, i will be pacing my twin brother for is 1st Full Marathon. I am so PUMPED! Good luck to all runners, my clients, friends and family this weekend. Lets go out there and have a blast.

My 1st 100 Mile Trail Race - A Life Changing Experience

FRIDAY the 6th of May 2011 at 9am I left Ottawa with my parents (Denis & Joanne) for Pittsfield, Vermont in The United States. Its a 5h drive that took a bit more then 7h. I wanted to stop a least every hour and half to stretch and shake of my legs. Once in Pittsfield I met up with my two brothers (Guillaume & Bruno) and two friends (Mike & Heather). They are all, part of my support crew. Before bed, i made sure to carbo load, stretch, foam roll and i revised my race game plan for tomorrow, with my twin brother Guillaume, before i hit the pillow at 830pm. LIGHTS OUT, LAST SLEEP!!!

SATURDAY its FINALLY RACE DAY. My bother woke me up at 4am. The race start is at 6am. I'm having a huge chicken sandwich, fruits and a protein shake for breakfast. Jamming to some 90s music were getting PUMPED for the race. Everything is ready to go! Before leaving the Hotel i took a moment for myself. I realized that only in the last 16 months, i have race in my 1st Half Marathon, my 1st & 2nd Trail Race (21 & 35km) and only 8 months ago i did my 1st Full Marathon 42km. And only 5 months ago i decided to start training for my 1st 100 Mile Trail Race. 160km in The Green Mountain in Vermont. Mud, rocks, sand, water, ridiculous climbs and downhills with a 24 000 feet change of elevation will all be part of those hardcore trails to make  my 1st 100 MILER a bit more challenging. THAT'S NUTS! BUT LETS DO IT!!!

THE START. The 6 members of my support crew are all awake and are all at the starting line with me. Few minutes before the race start i took my twin brother  aside and told him "Bro, there is no way i'm coming back home without finishing that race. If i can't run anymore, i will walk, if i can't walk, ll  have to crawl. U CAN'T LET ME QUIT!!!" He knew all the sacrifices i have made in the last 5 months. Training more then 20 hours in a week, working a full time job 40-50h a week, making sure to get 8h of sleep every night and made sure my nutrition was on par.

THE RACE - 1st 50 MILES. I could say that i flew through my first 50 miles. Took me just a bit more then 9hours. I was in 2nd place on 28 runners. The race was a 10 mile loop that I had to repeat 10x. Which was awesome cause i could see my support crew and refuel every 10 miles. At the 50 mile mark i started to feel really rough and sick. I was not able to eat or drink a whole lot in the  last 2 hours. I knew i had to fuel my system. I tried to eat and drink a bit, but a few minutes after i vomit two times. I had to try and run on an empty stomach. Refusing to stop i left with one of my pacer Mike for another 10 mile. 

THE RACE - CONT: At the 51st mile my quads and hamstrings started to cramp very bad. Its was so painful!!! I manage to stretch them and massage them for a few minutes and kept running. anyways. That loop was the most painful 10 mile of my life. I have barely eaten or drank for the past 3-4 hours and my legs were killing me with cramps. Luckily i had Mike running with me ,i manage to get to the 60 mile mark still in 2nd place. That was the lowest point of my entire race. 

THE BREAKDOWN. My body totally shutdown on me. I Could barely move. I was cramping everywhere, all my fingers, my abdominal and my legs.  I couldn't eat or drink anymore without vomiting, i was so cold even tho it was 18 degrees and had the biggest headache. Lying in the grass, on my knees, head down, a few meters away from everyone my twin brother came and see me. I was in tears, i felt that physically i was defeated. On the other hand mentally i was still strong. I ask my twin brother "what should we do?" He told me "the reality is, you can't keep going without eating or drinking. Lets go rest for a few hours, then will eat and then will go on. Your well under the pace we were aiming for. We have lots of time to spare." 

After an hour of lying down in the back of the van my body started to relax and i fell asleep for an hour. When i woke up i did not have a clue how body was going to be. Luckily i was able to eat and drink again. I felt like a million bucks. At 930pm after 2h30 i've been lying down i told my brother "bro go get my gear i'm going out there and i'll finish that last 40miles."  My support crew were just AMAZING at that point I couldn't done it without them. I know how hard it  is, to see someone you care so much and love in so much pain physically but mostly to see someone working so hard for something and realizing that they might come short. There supportive and positive attitude kept me going.

THE LAST 40 MILES: At 10pm i was back running in the dark and cold trails of Pittsfield with one of my pacer  Mike, currently in 7th place. Let me tell you that running in the mountains when its pitch black its a whole different ball game. Cruising into the trails with our headlamps Mike and I did the next 20 miles in  a very fast pace. We were catching up! At the 80th Mile my Dad jump in with me to run the next 10 miles. I told my crew i wasn't stopping to sit, eat, or change shoes or socks. I knew at that point that a 3rd place finish was maybe possible, which was my Ultimate Goal. My Dad did an amazing job. He was making sure to light up the trails for me running with a powerful flashlight. I'm bless to have a "Pops" like him. To run with me at 2am, he have not slept all day in those crazy trails, let me tell you its not every dad that would of done that for is son. So we manage to finish that loop in a good time also. 

THE LAST 10 MILES. Me and my twin brother left for my last 10 mile at 5am on Sunday morning. We left 2min after the 3rd place runner. We were currently in 4th. My 6 fabulous crew members were all there to witness the departure of my last 10 miles. My Mom, her presence was the only thing i needed from her, just to have her there, was HUGE for me. Mike ran 30 miles with me, mostly during my toughest moments.  Mike is an incredible runner, training partner and mostly an awesome friend. Heather, Mike wife's, was so supportive always there at every 10 mile check points with her positive attitude to cheer us on. I'm lucky to have her a friend also. My older brother was the one that was keeping everyone on there tip toes. and making us laugh during rough times. He have not slept a minute during my race. He was thinking of every little details and always in a good mood and meeting me at every check points. He was the biggest fan. Just amazing! My Dad ran 10 miles with me. He did a terrific job before and during the race. He was pretty much the manager in the crew. My twin brother Guillaume, my best friend ran 20 miles with me even tho he had a hip injury.  It was an honor and important for me that he run's trough the finish line with me.My last 10 mile was one of my fastest loop. After a physical breakdown and none stop 30 mile i manage to kill my last 10 mile to complete my first 100 Mile Trail Race with a 3rd place finish with a time of 24h51min.

THE REWARD. I got my 100 Miler Finisher buckle and a 3rd place medal on my first attempt at the age of 24. Did i win money? NO! What i have won is now i know I CAN DO ANYTHING i set my mind and heart to. I CAN transform all possibilities into realities. THINK, DREAM, BELIEVE, CREATE and LIVE IT!

A huge THANK YOU to my support crew and each and everyone out there that was supporting me. Family, friends, co-workers, clients you guys played a huge part in a life changing experience. I couldn't done it without you guys.That experience in Vermont was just a BEGINNING to a big journey!!!

NOW AN ULTRA RUNNER!