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John Harrison Pockler Sets the Bruce Trail FKT

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jwickett
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From the Bruce Trail FKT Post

John Harrison Pockler has set the fastest known time (FKT) for the Bruce Trail. According to Pockler’s website and Instagram story (@jpultra), Pockler finished the entire 890km of the Bruce Trail on Sunday September 20th at around 11:00pm. Pockler completed his FKT in an amazing 9d 17h 2m, taking 4 hours off the previous record. He consistently put in 16 to 17 hour days on the trail, getting by on little sleep. Pockler was crewed during the entire FKT by two brothers, Alexander and Connor Emeny who he met in May, earlier this year.

According to Canadian Trail Running Magazine, Pockler moved to Canada from Germany 4 years ago. He has posted some impressive results since his move including winning the Niagara Ultra 50km and placing 4th at the Canadian Death Race – both races in 2017.  

My friend and I paced with Pockler for just under an hour when he ran through Georgetown on Friday, September 18th (video below). I was impressed with how well Pockler was moving and his positive attitude. He was running just under 10 minutes / km after 8 full days of running on very challenging terrain. Pockler mentioned that he decided to take on the FKT only 11 weeks ago. He told us that a lot of the runners who came to pace Pockler said that they’ve always wanted to run the whole length of the Bruce Trail. Pockler explained that there’s never an ideal time for an adventure like this and that it was important for him to go for it. 

Pacing with John Harrison Pockler on Friday, September 18

John Pockler has taken the speed record of the Bruce Trail from Adam Burnett, an impressive endurance athlete. I’ve given a short history of the previous FKT holders below as well as the current female record holder, Chantal Demers. There’s also the self-supported FKT of 16d 21h 21m, held by Charlotte Vasarhelyi since 2016.

Men’s Fastest Known Times (Supported):

Adam Burnett
Adam Burnett – taken from Facebook

Adam Burnett:

Time: 9d 21h 14m

Start date: September 1, 2017

Adam Burnett lowered the previous FKT by over 13 hours. He completed the FKT at 2:44am on September 11th, 2017. Adam Burnett’s record stood for 3 years, withstanding an attempt on the FKT by accomplished runner Jamieson Hatt in 2018. I’ve had a chance to discuss the FKT with Adam and he has nothing but good things to say about his experience. Adam shared that he was hampered by rainy days, early in the FKT attempt which gave him blisters. The blisters changed his running gate which eventually led to a knee injury. Adam displayed amazing grit by pushing on despite the injury. Prior to the Bruce Trail, Adam completed the notoriously difficult Badwater 135 and Leadville 100 races. He also finished on the podium, in 3rd place for the local races Haliburton 100 and Sulphur Springs 100 in 2014.

Jim Willett:

Time: 9d 21h 14m

Start date: September 7, 2014

Jim Willett lowered the previous FKT by almost 2 days. The previous FKT was held by Orangeville’s Cody Gillies, set in 2012 at 12d 7h 39m. Perhaps what’s most impressive about Willett’s accomplishment is that he is a cancer survivor, he beat colon cancer in 2010. In a 2014 article in Canadian Running, Willett credits the tenacity that he learned from his cancer experience for helping him get the FKT.

Women’s Fastest Known Times (Supported):

190717_chantal
Chantal Demers – image from sudbury.com

Chantal Demers:

Time: 12d 15h 14m

Start date: July 1, 2017

Chantal Demers (formerly Warriner) took 13 hours off the previous women’s FKT. Virginia Gingras held the previous FKT of 13d 6h 28m which she set on September 23, 2015. Demers amazingly completed the FKT in the heat of July – all of the other recent Bruce Trail FKTs were set in the cooler weather of the Fall. Demers recently set the 387km, self-supported FKT for the Ganaraska trail with a time of 5d10h30m. According to Demers’ notes on the FKT website, the Ganaraska trail is a mix of “…paved road, dirt road, rail trail, ATV trail, single track, bushwhacking and beaver dam crossings.”.

Fastest Known Time (Self Supported):

There are three different styles for FKTs: unsupported, self-supported and supported. 

Unsupported means that you carry everything that you need – food and water. You can’t have a pacer and you need to get your water from natural sources or readily available sources like public taps. Once you buy water from a store, your FKT becomes self-supported. 

You don’t have to carry all of your supplies with self-supported FKTs. You can leave caches of food and water along the trail. However you can’t pre-arrange for people to come and help you.

Supported means that you can accept any kind of external support during your FKT attempt. You can have a pacer and accept water and food from supporters.

Charlotte Vasarhelyi

Time: 16d 21h 21m

Start date: July 30, 2016

It’s very impressive that Charlotte completed this FKT sef-supported. I can’t imagine the fortitude needed to spend almost 17 days mostly alone on this challenging trail. I couldn’t find any other material on this FKT other than the posting on the FKT web site. Vasarhelyi previously held the outright Bruce Trail FKT for men and women in 2010 with a time of 13d 10h 51m.

Setting the Caledon Trailway Fastest Known Time

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jwickett
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“Are you sure that we should drink from this stream?”

The water flowed quickly and looked clear enough. Chris filled his water bottle and took a sip through the Salomon filter cap.

“It tastes really good!”

Chris and I followed through on our plan to drink from rivers and streams during our Caledon Trailway fastest known time (FKT) attempt. This is despite exploring every other option. We tried turning on a hose that was just off the side of the trail and contemplated filling up water from sinks in sports complex washrooms.

We ran 70km on the The Caledon Trailway. The Trailway is 35km long, starting in Terra Cotta, Ontario and finishing just east of Palgrave. It’s a flat rail trail passing through beautiful countryside. The FKT was set for a standard out and back. Check out the video and Garmin stats.

5 minute video documenting our Caledon Trailway FKT – Saturday, 09/12/2020

Link: Garmin statistics

Lazarus Lake Bans Team Black Lives Matter from Virtual Race

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jwickett
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I ran 1,000km in 4 months but I didn’t want to share it on social media. I got my shiny new belt buckle in the mail this week for finishing the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee (GVRAT). While I’m proud of running 1,000km between April and July, I’m still working through my feelings about the race director. Lazarus Lake (legal name Gary Cantrell) is the mind behind GVRAT. This race was a phenomenon, seeing more than 19,000 participants. Lake built on the success of GVRAT by launching another virtual race, the Circumpolar Race Around the World (CRAW) in early August. CRAW came to my attention earlier this week as I read about Lazarus Lake issuing an ultimatum to a team named Black Lives Matter (BLM). Lake’s letter shown below, stated that BLM could rename their team or withdraw from the race with a refund.  These images are from Ben Chan’s Instagram posts and are shared with Chan’s permission.

Team BLM is led by Ben Chan, @malerunner on Instagram. Chan completed the GVRAT at the end of July and posted the photo below to the GVRAT Facebook group. As shown, Chan wore a Black Lives Matter singlet in his celebratory photo. Chan is Asian American and is married to a black American. The photo sparked a debate in the Facebook group which caught Lake’s attention. Lake would later delete Chan’s Facebook post and make his own post about not tolerating political content from group members. Lake issued his ultimatum to team BLM a few weeks later after they signed up for the CRAW. On August 30th, Lake gave team BLM 48 hours to change their name or get banned from CRAW. Team BLM refused to change their name and Lake followed through on his commitment, banning the team from the race. 

The celebratory photo that Ben Chan posted to the GVRAT Facebook group
The E-mail that Ben Chan received from CRAW confirming that team BLM was banned from the race.

This brings me back to my feelings about Lake. I really admire what Lake has done for ultra running. Lake’s race, the Barkley Marathons has gained a large amount of popularity over the last few years. The Netflix documentary, The Barkley Marathons – The Race that Eats its Young helped ultra running gain visibility in mainstream culture. The movie inspired me to continue pushing my limits in the sport and I’m sure the movie has inspired thousands of other runners. With or without meaning to, Lake has become one of the most prominent figures in ultra running. This is one of the biggest concerns that I have with Lake’s recent actions. Lake sent a clear message that he does not support tolerance or inclusion when he banned team Black Lives Matter from his CRAW race. As an ultra runner, I felt compelled to speak out. Ultra running is still young and I would hate for it to be defined as an intolerant and noninclusive sport. I certainly do not want that label and I’m sure that I share this feeling with the vast majority of my fellow ultra runners.

I won’t be posting any photos of my GVRAT belt buckle to social media any time soon. I don’t think I’ll wear my GVRAT race t-shirt either. I would encourage other ultra runners to comment on Ben Chan’s recent Instagram posts to show your support. Let Ben Chan and others know that you support a tolerant and inclusive ultra running community.

Listening to Audiobooks While Running – 75 books over 5 years

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jwickett
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Listening to an audiobook during a recent long run in Georgetown, Ontario

I’ve just left my family cottage for my morning run and I’m holding back tears. I’m in one of my favourite spots and doing what I love, so why am I on the brink of crying? Like I do on most of my runs, I’m listening to an audiobook. This time it’s The Rise of the Ultra Runners by Adharanand Finn. Finn is giving a detailed account of his interaction with his wife and small kids during the lowest point of his 100 mile race. I’ve experienced those lows, the pain cave, and I’m putting myself in Finn’s shoes. This is not the first time that I’ve gotten emotional while running and listening to audiobooks. I’ll laugh out loud during funny parts or pump my fist when the protagonist overcomes a difficult challenge. Consuming audiobooks during a run has become one of my favourite activities and my preferred way to read books. I’ve finished over 75 audiobooks over the last five years.

I joined audible.ca in 2015 and have been happy with the service ever since. Audible isn’t paying me to write this post – I’m just a big fan. I pay $17.95 per month for one credit which I can use to download one of the 440,000 titles. $17.95 is a good deal since audiobooks generally cost between $20-$30. Audible also has daily deals, giving you the option to buy popular books for $4.95. You also have the option of buying 3 additional credits for $39.95 if you’ve already used your credit for the month.  

I’m often asked if it’s difficult to pay attention to an audiobook while running. I can easily follow most books on a run. I’ll miss the odd important section of a book, however Audible has a handy “go back by 30 seconds” button so that you can re-listen. It is difficult to follow more technical books though. I made several attempts at listening to A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking but gave up in the end.

I’m currently listening to What I Talk about When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. I’ve listened to this audiobook before and I’m appreciating the finer details this time around. I have two credits to spend on audible.ca and will most likely buy Christopher McDougall’s new book, Running with Sherman. McDougall is the author of Born to Run, a modern day classic on running. One thing is for sure, I’m always excited to get my monthly E-mail from audible telling me that my new credit has arrived!

World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji – Review

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jwickett
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*There are no spoilers in this article

671km in 11 days, that’s only 61km per day. How tough can it be? The World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji deserves its audacious name. It is 671km of paddling in open ocean, bushwhacking through jungle and swimming in freezing rivers. The race took place in September, 2019 and is currently airing on Amazon Prime. The show is hosted by Bear Grylls who is former British special services. Grylls is beyond over the top with his commentary however he is extremely likeable. His enthusiasm and energy are boundless and admirable. 

I catch myself glancing at my watch during the work day, counting down the hours until I get to watch more Eco-Challenge. My wife Lindsay and I have watched 7 of the 10 episodes. We watch TV before bed and we’ve been having trouble turning off the show. Our 10 year old Norah and 7 year old James have taken to sneaking out of bed to watch with us. We usually send the kids back to bed but we’ve been making an exception for Eco-Challenge. 

The teams are made up of very inspirational people and the kids are learning some great lessons. Each team has 4 racers and one support person. Travis Macy is the captain of my favourite team, Team Endure. I’m a big fan of Travis’ book, the Ultra Mindset. I’ve read the book twice and come back to it often as a reference. Travis races with his father Mark Macy, an adventure racing legend. Mark is suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s and it’s touching to watch Travis and the rest of the team support Mark. Our family is also cheering for Team Summit from Spain, led by Emma Roca. It’s great to see a female captain – a great example for Norah. Roca is a bad ass, extremely tough, cool headed, and strong. I really admire her grit and determination. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Team Canada Adventure. This team kicks butt in Canadian fashion – fierce yet modest and understated. We definitely feel the national pride when they’re featured in episodes. 

I used to adventure race years ago, it’s been over 6 years since I’ve entered one. I’ve been very happy competing in ultra marathons. Eco-Challenge has peaked my interest though, and Lindsay and I have been discussing doing an adventure race next year. Norah has even asked if she could race with us. The team aspect of adventure racing is very attractive. I’ve spent countless hours on my own during ultra marathons and I like the thought of racing with 3 other people. It’s almost time to watch our nightly episode and I’m looking forward to following along with the adventure. The World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji has been a great family experience so far and I’m excited to see which team will win the $100,000 grand prize.

Including Kids in Ultra Training

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jwickett
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0

“Don’t abandon others… or yourself,”. I read a lesson most days from Ryan Holiday’s Daily Stoic. This book is a collection of short teachings from Stoicism, one for each day of the year. Taken from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, the “Don’t abandon others…” lesson stood out to me. Holiday implores that when you are making positive life changes, you should try to bring family and friends along with you. As an ultra-runner, I’m constantly working on improving my fitness and I spend a lot of time training on my own. Our recent family vacation helped me realize the pleasure of training with family. 

I ran along the old roads near my family cottage on Manitoulin Island. My grandparents built our cottage in the early 1970s and I’ve been coming to Manitoulin most summers since I was a kid. It was easy to feel nostalgic as I took in the sites, the sun setting on the blue lake, five deer bounding across a field, two majestic sandhill cranes squawking. I thought about how much I loved riding my bike on these roads when I was a kid. So why was I not sharing this with my kids? 

We were early on in our vacation and I decided that I would ask my 10 year old daughter Norah and my 7 year old son James to accompany me on my runs. I learned that we had kids’ bikes in our garage that they could use. I was surprised when Norah agreed to bike with me on my next run. I had offered before when we were at home and Norah usually wasn’t interested. I ran at my normal training pace while Norah set out ahead on her bike. I pointed out different landmarks as we went. There’s a good spot to catch frogs, there’s the creek that you can follow in a boat all the way to Bridal Veil Falls. We chatted and made steady progress, neither of us exerting ourselves too hard. We reached the turn around point, 30 minutes into our outing. Norah asked me about how I met her mom, Lindsay. I realized that I had never told Norah the story. I explained how I met Lindsay in highschool but that we didn’t start dating until university through a chance meeting in Guelph, Ontario. In the end, I passed on some family lore to Norah and we covered 10km. Norah was proud to have biked that far and I was glad for the great interaction.

James accompanied me on my run a couple of days later and we had a similar, deep conversation. James wanted to know what I was like when I was a kid, what were my grandparents like and could we get a convertible? James and I covered 13km, his longest ride ever. James’ face beamed with pride. 

I swam across our lake, Lake Kagawong when I was around 10 years old. My dad came with me on our little boat to make sure that I was okay. It was a very memorable and positive experience and I often talk about it with my parents when we’re up at the cottage. I decided to swim across the lake again last year since I had been doing quite a bit of pool training. The lake is a little under 2km across and it took me longer than an hour to swim over and back. Without any prompting, Norah asked if she could swim across the lake with me this year. She’s on our local swim team and practices three times per week. I was excited to do the swim with Norah and we gave ourselves a few days to get ready. We left our shore at 9am on the third last day of our trip – we had calm waters and an overcast sky. My Aunt Vicki (who’s an amazing musician) accompanied us in a kayak and towed another kayak for Norah to take on the way back. I planned on swimming back. We swam at an easy pace, mostly doing breaststroke. Norah swam with my inflatable swim buoy fastened to her waist. She swam for a good 30 minutes before taking her first sizable break, floating on top of the buoy for a rest. We were both excited about our progress and it was serene out in the middle of the lake. We pushed on for another 10 minutes and reached our final destination at the far shore. Aunt Vicki took a celebratory picture and then I hoisted Norah into her kayak. I was energized by Norah’s accomplishment and felt great on my swim back across the lake. 

I could tell that both Norah and James felt great about their training sessions during our vacation. There’s a special sense of accomplishment from completing long runs, bikes and swims. I was really happy to help Norah and James experience the great feelings that come with prolonged exercise. Sure, it took an extra 10 minutes or so to get the kids organized before training but it was well worth the time. I’ll never force the kids to train with me but I’ll certainly continue to offer. Training on my own is great but helping my kids train is next level rewarding.

The Rise of the Ultra Runners Book Review

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jwickett
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Image from Amazon.ca

The Devil whispered in my ear: ‘You’re not strong enough to withstand the storm.’

I whispered back: ‘I am the storm.’

This is from the introductory chapters of Adharanand Finn’s new book, The Rise of the Ultra Runners. The quote is from a tattoo on the leg of Spanish ultra runner Azaria Garcia. Finn is investigating why ultra-running is gaining so much popularity. He wonders if the quote describes one of the main appeals of ultra-running – “…where we stand face to face with the Devil, the depths of the struggle, but then to rise up and overcome it,”. This is one of the many interesting topics covered in Finn’s tour de force on everything ultra running. Finn’s book covers a broad range of topics from the origins of the sport to the current state of affairs. 

This is the second book that I’ve read by Adharanand Finn. I read Finn’s first book, Running with the Kenyans, last year and really enjoyed it. The book recounts Finn’s experience of moving to Kenya and training with the best marathoners in the world. Although I enjoyed the book, I haven’t run a marathon in years. I was very happy to see that Finn had written about my sport, ultra running. In Rise of the Ultra Runners, Finn tells his tale of finishing a very impressive 10 ultra marathons in 18 months. I was particularly taken with this book because Finn was working towards his goal of racing in the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) in Chamonix. This has been a long term goal of mine and I was set to race the UTMB Val D’Aran in Spain this July before it was canceled due to Covid-19. I would have received guaranteed entry into UTMB Chamonix had I finished UTMB Val D’Aran.

I was very moved by Finn’s re-telling of his races. It is remarkable how well Finn captures the emotions of ultra running. Finn had me close to tears at several different parts of his book. From his emotional roller coaster at his 24 hour, indoor track race to his epic journey at the 120km Lavaredo Ultra in the Italian Dolomites. Finn shares touching moments with friends, family and strangers. He does a great job at describing the amazing culture of support and competition at races.

The Rise of the Ultra Runners is like a university course on ultra-running. If you knew nothing about the sport, you could have a comfortable conversation with a seasoned ultra runner after reading this book. I read a quarter of this book on Kindle and listened to the rest on Audible. Finn narrates the book himself and does a fine job at it. I would highly recommend this book to both new and experienced ultra runners.

Top FKTs in Ontario

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jwickett
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Running in Manitoulin, Ontario with FKTs on my mind

I’m still feeling like I’d like to do something challenging before the end of running season. As I mentioned in last week’s post, I had plans earlier this summer to go for the fastest known time (FKT) for the Bruce Trail. At 900km in length, the Bruce Trail is the longest footpath in Canada. My friend Adam Burnett currently holds the FKT at a very impressive 9 days and 21 hours. The Bruce Trail FKT is at the top of my list and I’d still like to attempt it next year. I thought that I could get some experience by attempting smaller FKTs – 900km is a bigger bite that I can chew right now. I’ve included a short list of local, Ontario FKTs below. Although I haven’t made any firm plans, I’d love to attempt setting FKTs for these trails at some point. 

La Cloche Trail

Distance: 78km

Vertical gain: 2,590m

Current FKT: 9h5m, unsupported by Ryan Atkins on 07/17/2020

Set in Killarney provincial park near Sudbury, Ontario, the La Cloche Silhouette Trail is known for its beautiful scenery and rugged terrain. I’ve been going to a family cottage on nearby Manitoulin Island ever since I was a kid and I love this area of Ontario. I’ve never been to the trail before but I can imagine that beating the current FKT of 9h5m will require a huge amount of effort and perfect conditions. The Killarney Outfitters website recommends that you take 7-10 days to hike the 78km loop. 

Grand Valley Trail

Distance: 275km

Vertical gain: 2,560m

Current FKT: 3d11h56m, self-supported by Jamieson Hatt on 07/01/2019

The Grand Valley Trail follows the Grand River, starting in Alton, Ontario near Orangeville and finishing near Port Maitland. Alton is only a half hour drive from my home in Georgetown. I plan on checking out the trail in the next few weeks. The trail sounds beautiful, it runs through Caledon, Kitchener / Waterloo and then into the Niagara region, finishing at the shore of Lake Eerie.

Goderich to Guelph (G2G Rail Trail)

Distance: 130km

Vertical gain: 431m

Current FKT: 15h40m, supported by Jeremiah Sommer on 10/05/2019

The Goderich to Guelph (G2G) trail is another trail that I wasn’t aware of. It turns out that I’ve been pretty fixated on the Bruce Trail for the last few years. The Bruce Trail is only a 15 minute run from my house. The G2G trail essentially follows a straight line West from Guelph to Goderich. It passes through some beautiful country and ends at the East shore of Lake Huron. I can imagine that running in a straight line for 130km would be a real test of willpower.

Bruce Trail FKT Attempt

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jwickett
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Contemplating the Bruce Trail on today’s trail run

900 kilometres in 10 days on gnarly trails and in the summer heat. I can do it. This is the thought that I haven’t been able to shake since March. Ever since I realized that the big race that I had planned for July was most likely going to be canceled because of Covid-19. I’m describing a fastest known time (FKT) attempt of the entire Bruce Trail. 

This is a massive undertaking but the thought of it somehow, wasn’t overwhelming. I had it all sorted out, my wife and I would rent a camper and travel with our family, North to South along the Bruce Trail while I ran 100km days. We would make the attempt at the end of August before school started. To my surprise and delight, my wife agreed to this adventure. God bless her. My good friends Chris and Matt also agreed to come crew and pace with me for a few days each. I bought the complete map set of the Bruce Trail and mapped a day by day schedule that I would need to break the current FKT – 9 days and 21 hours. This was an exciting exercise and really helped me envision what was needed to break the record. The current FKT is held by my friend Adam Burnett. Adam took 13 hours off the previous fastest known time in September, 2017. Adam is an amazing athlete who has completed some of the toughest trail races on the planet including Badwater 135 and Leadville 100. Adam helped me with the planning of my attempt and I was very grateful for his input.

I was inspired to do something big. While ultra-running in itself is an amazing feat, I wanted to do something that would set me apart among ultra-runners. I felt like the FKT attempt suited my strengths as a runner. I was picking up some momentum with my last few races. I finished 2nd place overall in the Midnight Moose 100 miler in September, 2019. Shared 3rd place (4th place officially) in the Fat Ass 6 hour trail race in November, 2019 and picked up another 3rd place in the 6 hour, Stride Inside indoor track race in January, 2020. These aren’t top tier races but I was still proud of my strong showing and felt like I was ready for a big ultra-running project. After these races, I realized that I wasn’t going to set myself apart with my speed. I’m fast, but I’m not that fast. At 6’1” and 195 lbs, I look very different from the speed demons in the sport. If I was going to set myself apart, it would have to be over a long haul. 

I got after my training in March and April and things were going really well. At this point, I was still training for a race called UTMB Val D’Aran in Spain. This is a 100 mile race with just over 10,000m of vertical gain. As you can imagine, I started doing a lot of hill training. In the end, it was too much hill training. At the peak of my training I did 2, 4 hour sessions of hill training back to back. I had the cardio capacity for the training but my quads weren’t ready for it. As a result, I developed some knee pain in late April which would stick with me for the rest of the summer. It wasn’t serious but it was the first time that I’d ever had knee pain as an ultra-runner. It scared me and I decided to back off from running after I got confirmation that UTMB Val D’Aran was canceled because of Covid-19.

I started doing more strength training and cycling in May and June and my knees started to feel better. I wasn’t running nearly as much as before the knee strain though. I still kept the Bruce Trail FKT as a goal for the end of the Summer. Things came to a head last weekend when I realized that I needed to make a final decision on the FKT attempt. I couldn’t wait any longer, there was a lot to prepare for and I was going to need the time. I needed a clear sign on whether or not I should go for it.

My solution was an 8 hour training session on the Bruce Trail. If my knees held up over 8 hours, I would have a chance at completing the FKT attempt. I left at 5am on Sunday morning and ran for 4 hours before turning around and coming back. It was a hot and humid day and I wasn’t moving very fast. In the end, I finished 50km in 8 hours – I documented the experience in last week’s post. I was completely spent and couldn’t fathom going back on the trails for 8 hours to run another 50km. Not only that, I couldn’t imagine doing this for 10 days straight. It was clear that I didn’t have the fitness for the FKT attempt. Although this was disappointing, I was happy that my knees held up. I didn’t have any knee pain during the whole run. The time that I took off from running had helped strengthen my knees but it had been to the detriment of my fitness level. 

I had my clear sign that I should postpone my Bruce Trail FKT attempt. This is disappointing but I haven’t given up, I plan on making an attempt in the Fall of 2021. I can handle the heat but I’m not great in it. I would be doing myself a big favour by running in the cooler weather of September or October as opposed to July or August. Over the next 12 months, I plan on doing some big training runs on the Bruce Trail and getting more comfortable with back to back big mileage days. I have a lot of training ahead of me and I’m looking forward to the journey. 

8 hour Bruce Trail Trek

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jwickett
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8 hours of heat, humidity, deer flies and thunderstorms. Sounds like a great day, doesn’t it? I decided to test out my fitness on the Bruce Trail today since it’s been a long time since I’ve done any big mileage. I planned to take the Credit Valley Footpath, a Bruce Trail side trail to the main trail in Terra Cotta. I would then continue to Belfountain, refill my water and come back home. It didn’t quite work as planned but it was still a great day. Check out the video recap.

Short video documenting my 8 hour Bruce Trail trek

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