My nephew, Keagan, and niece, Aubrie, providing support
I've procrastinated doing this blog for some time now. Better late than never! I feel like I could write a short novel on everything that happened. I think I'll bypass all the little details and focus on what really was special during this adventure. It was the help I received! It didn't take long out there to realize that I need to start giving back. I need to return the favor. So for me (like I was told it would), it really was life changing! This whole adventure was a gift. I am so lucky to have a body capable of doing this. I am lucky to have great people who care about me and want to help. We can't take things like this for granted in life! So here's my thank you to the people who came out and helped me on the trail. Whether it was 30 minutes or from start to finish, you helped tremendously!
Rob
Rob was the first person to come out and meet me on the trail. I had been going solo for 2.5 days at this point. It was so cool to be able to just talk to someone. And Rob and I actually have a neat story. I didn't recognize him at first but I slowly put the pieces together. My first ever ultra was Creemore back in the day. I was a total rookie and was running up the hills destroying myself. I remember looking back and seeing this guy walking up the hills. Then he went flying by me on the downhill. I remember after the race he gave me some good advice. Basically, it's not worth it to keep running when he wasn't even much slower walking. Duh! So it was a funny moment when I finally realized who Rob was. It was great to hear what he was up to these days. Thanks for coming out!
Doug
Doug came along right after Rob. He timed things and met me on a rail trail and roads section so he could bike along side me. Doug was super friendly and seemed to know everyone in Owen Sound. He gave me lots of tips and mentioned things about other fkt attempts in the past. Doug has some great running credentials as well. He's done up to the 100km distance! It was great spending time with you!
Derek
I ran with Derek more than anyone else the winter prior to this adventure. I first officially met Derek part way through the Sulphur Springs 100 miler. We touched base after and he convinced me to join the local weULTRA group. At this point, I still wasn't a big fan of groups. So glad I took his advice! Since then, I've met so many other great crazy people and have had so many great experiences! It's crazy to think how differently things would be if I didn't take his advice. Things have snowballed positively ever since. So I can't thank him enough for that! Derek also took park in a couple other fkt's earlier in the season with me. You really get to know someone when you spend 15 plus hours with them. Derek is a great guy and I'm so glad to call him a friend. Can't wait for future adventures with him!
Adam
Adam is the current fkt holder for the Bruce Trail! I have so much respect for what he has accomplished. And how Adam came and helped me out really embodies what this community is all about! And help me out he did! There is no one better to get advice from than the guy who's been there and done that. Adam really couldn't have been any nicer. Adam came out to pace me multiple times on the trail even though he lives a busy life. He would bring me out food and bring my mom a coffee. I really enjoyed picking Adam's brain. He's done great things in the ultra world and it was great to get a glimpse of things. We also had the time to get into some very deep and crazy conversations. It really helped get my mind off of the pain. I really hope I can return the favor and crew and or pace Adam in an event in the future. Adam is a guy I look up to and I hope he can achieve even more great things in the future. He deserves it!
Chantal
Chantal is the women's current fkt holder! How lucky was I to have her and Adam helping me out at the same time? I have so much respect for Chantal. Paramedic. Mother of 2. Taking courses to get her degree. Makes time to fit in her own training and inspires others while doing so. And she still finds time to come and help me out. I just feel lazy. It was great to hear Chantal's experience doing the Bruce. Chantal really sacrificed to help me out. I am an early riser and she is not. Yet, she would wake up super early to meet me on the trail. She would hide her bike somewhere further down the trail. She would get in as much as she could with me and then ride her bike back to her vehicle. She would rush home to get her kids ready for school, and then go to work herself. Amazing! And it helped me out more than she probably knows. I would wake up pretty stiff and having someone to talk to and take my mind off of things helped so much! Thanks Chantal and good luck with all your future adventures!
Cait
Cait is the trail angel of all trail angels! She is just so awesome! First of all, she brought me the best vegan chocolate chip cookies I have ever had! I vividly remember I was at a stop once and I was sitting down refueling. She went and got something for me to put my feet up on and put a cool, wet towel on the back of my neck. Then gave me a vegan ice cream bar. Cait just knows how to help. And I am so grateful that she came out! She took our laundry home and brought it back the next day. I really didn't have enough clean stuff to last me the whole trip. So the next day she comes out and brings me the most amazing chocolate smoothie. She woke up early and came out with her kids before she had to drop them off and go to work herself. I have no kids so this kind of stuff blows my mind. I will never forget the things she did for me. And the babysitting offer is still on the table! Don't worry though, I'll bring my mom too...
Sonya
Cait hooked me up once again! Sonya really helped me out. Her timing was impeccable. I was struggling with the bad type of pain. Sonya was generous enough to change her schedule around and drive out so she could come fix me up. And she did! And I have never gotten a massage in the woods before. Pretty cool. The next day I really noticed a difference. My leg had loosened up and my time out there was more enjoyable. She came out once more a few days later and treated me quickly again. Thank you so much! Anyone in the Collingwood area should definitely look her up. These kind acts just make me want to help out other people so much more!
Ryan (left) and Cathy (right)
Cathy met me out on the trail and the timing once again couldn't have been any better. I was probably alone at least two thirds of the time so the timing was always great to have company! Cathy is a super energetic person. And I fed off of her energy. She had been the crew chief for Virginia and her fkt. So she gave me some great insight of how that went down. I'm so glad she came out and helped! Cathy had a busy day and couldn't be out too long. It's amazing how even helping a little, goes such a long way. And having such an energetic, positive personality is contagious.
As soon as I saw Ryan with the vegan shirt on, I knew we would have lots to talk about. And we didn't waste any time. Being vegan is such a passion for me and I'm always curious about other peoples' journey. He also brought me some homemade energy balls which were great! Ryan is a vet which I think would be a great career. I have a lot of respect for what he does. Ryan also talked about doing the Bruce end to end one day also. I already felt like I learned so much so I told him about the mistakes I had made. It is a life changing experience and if he chooses to take on the Bruce, I will certainly try and help him out!
Barb
I'm so lucky to have met so many great people during this adventure. Barb was one of them! She is super polite and really helped me! We had a lot to talk about since Barb is hardcore into ultras and adventure racing. The adventure racing stuff is a bit foreign to me, so I had many questions. Barb has also taken part in UTMB. How cool is that? She also kept a quick pace and I couldn't slack off! Barb is from the Caledon area and she knows it well. We went around the new badlands section which now has a new parking lot. Barb just seemed full of life. She seemed so happy to be out there. She actually came out very early the next day to pace me again. It's so cool that the ultra trail world had brought us together whereas without it, we may never have met. I love that about this sport! Keep doing your thing Barb and best of luck in the future!
Shayne (left) and Steve (right)
Steve came out and joined the fun around the Mount Nemo area. He lived not too far from there. He brought out his dog too. Steve had come out on other fkt's coming through that area before. I was also with Shayne that day so I had lots of company. I appreciated all of Steve's insight and was glad to hear about Steve's adventures as well. Great guy and I'm glad this crazy adventure brought us together for a while!
I had met Shayne earlier this year at a weULTRA group run (thanks again Derek). Shayne and I have become great friends. I've had the pleasure of meeting his family and doing an adventure with him this year. I've really gotten to know him well. Shayne basically spent a full day with me. He came up really early and was lucky to get a ride back to his car that day. I'm very comfortable with Shayne. We always have lots to talk about. He speaks about things he wants to do with passion. Shayne is still kind of new to the ultra world. He did complete his first one earlier this year. A 50 miler. Shayne has lots of triathlon and Ironman experience though. Same background as me. I'm glad our love for the trails has brought us together. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you and you know I'll be there to support you also! And maybe we can get redemption on that one failed adventure we attempted?
Mark (no picture)
Mark met the guys and I in Hamilton area bright and early on my second last day. He brought treats! Mark was a great guy to get to know. He did a 50 miler earlier in the year and had a smoking fast time. I'm interested to see how he can do at the 100 mile distance. Mark went with us for quite a while! A lot of that area was quite rugged. Or at least it felt rugged that far into the end to end. It definitely helped out having him there. Mark actually contacted me before the adventure asking some questions. It's really cool that so many people knew what I was about to do and was interested in it. I really hope I can run into Mark at a race in the future. I won't be keeping up to him though.
Glen
Glen is such a trooper! He came out on my very last day bright and early. And he didn't leave my side until I was done the entire adventure! Glen is a great guy and was super helpful. He just seemed so happy to be out there and to be a part of it all. His enthusiasm definitely boosted my spirits. It was great to hear about his life and adventures. Glen shot some live videos and posted them to the Facebook page which I appreciated. I really got to know Glen well since we spent the whole day together. To make this happen, Glen reached out for help getting a ride back to his car at the end of the day. This is where Jenn comes in. So thank you Jenn for giving Glen that ride. And thanks for being there till the end also. It means a lot!
Gord
I never actually got to spend any real time with Gord before this. He barely knows me, yet dedicates an entire weekend to getting me to the finish! Gord is tough. He pushed me pretty hard. I'm very thankful for that now. Sorry if I was whining at the time. Gord was also a great comic relief. He loves giving people the gears. Including me! I also am glad I got to have a couple deep conversations with Gord. I love deep conversations! Gord was great with keeping me on pace and making me eat on the fly when I might not have felt like it. It's just such an amazing feeling when people put their heart and soul into helping you achieve your goals. So Gord, I look forward to more adventures with you in the future. I appreciate all the tough love out there. It really did make my experience more complete. Sadistically, I kind of want to watch you suffer and be there to help you too.
Patrick (far left)
I don't know if Patrick knew what he was getting into when he agreed to come help out for the weekend. He was the one who always seemed to see me at my worst. We always managed to get through it though! I never really spent any alone time with Patrick before this. It was great to get to know him. He talked a lot about his job and family. Patrick knew how to get me through the rough times. He was making sure I was eating and drinking. He sacrificed an entire weekend away from his family to come and help me out. This kind of stuff blows me away! I can't wait to see what Patrick does in the future when it comes to ultras. I really hope I can return the favor one day also. And hopefully this winter, we can get out on some runs too. Thanks Patrick!
Casey
What can I say about this guy? He's a mensch! I met Casey about a year before the Bruce. And what a year it has been. This guy has really changed my perspective on a lot of things. I'm truly having so much more fun running now in general. I don't take things as serious as I used to. I run with his weULTRA group quite often and love it. I told Casey my intentions of completing the end to end earlier in the season. He was quite interested. He would often give me amazing advice. Even though he hasn't done something like this before, he's very calculated and does his research. He also knows a lot of people who are veterans at this kind of thing. Without his advice, I would have been in a lot more trouble than I already was! It really helped me get through it! I remember Casey asked me a few months before if it were OK to create a Facebook group for me. He said he thought it was a good idea to get some help and also gain some traction. It would also hold me accountable. My initial reaction was to decline. I usually like to keep to myself. I don't really post on social media. Something inside of me said to just trust him though. So I gave him the green light. Best decision I could have made! Although I got freaked out a couple weeks before when I saw the page had over 800 people! I thought that if I fall flat on my face, everyone will know. Which they would. It's definitely harder to throw in the towel when you know so many people are tuning in though. So I'm very thankful that Casey created the page. He was also updating the page constantly. It's amazing that someone would go to this length to keep people updated. My coworkers commented on how great it was to follow along. And they were checking in often. People knew so much about my journey. Casey isn't the type of person who will take credit for having such a big impact on my adventure. I really don't know what would have happened if he wasn't in the picture though. Things truly may have gone horribly wrong. Casey also helped out my parents and I so much the final weekend. Casey, Gord, and Patrick would have my parents follow them quite a ways ahead. They would get them to a spot on the trail that I would pass in a few hours. They had a chance to get much needed rest! Then the guys would meet me at closer spots in between with my food and gear. This is more of an ideal way to handle the logistics for this type of thing. It's amazing that this far in, you're still constantly learning. Casey played such an instrumental role in this. I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully repay him for all his help. I'm proud to call him a friend!
Kenneth and Rosemary
They don't like it when I use their full names for some reason. I think it sounds more distinguished than just Ken and Rose. I remember duping them into crewing me about a year ago. It seemed so far away. But time flies! A few weeks before they were probably wondering what they were getting themselves into. My mom was nervous, but excited. Before I go any further, I'll say this right now. I couldn't have done this without them! To get grown adults to babysit me for two weeks is not an easy task. It's hard for me to ask friends to take two weeks out of their lives and be away from their families for me. These are my parents though. So it's a little different. And they are in a situation where this could be possible. And in all honesty, I wanted them to get something out of this! I wanted them to have an amazing time. I wanted this to be a trip for them to remember forever! They would get to see the most amazing parts of Southern Ontario. They would get to meet amazing people. I think it was a success! My mom actually says she feels different after all of this. In a good way. I'm so happy about that! My dad handled all of the driving which was no easy task. Especially down some of these back roads by the escarpment. He would often hike out and meet me on the trail to hike back to the vehicle. It was such a morale booster knowing I was close to food and a little rest. And again, just having a person to talk to was great. So he really helped me out with that. My mom would always have some type of food waiting for me. She would rub anti inflammatory cream into my feet before bed. Which was so amazing! They both played such an intricate role in my success. I'm also so glad I got to spend a couple weeks with them. Life is busy, and we don't always that much time to spend together. So it was a real treat. I think I'll give them 2019 off. That'll give them some time to rest before I think of something else crazy to do!
Party at the finish
