Last year I ran over 2600 km. I think it’s pretty cool considering that I started endurance running in January 2010 and I spent the previous 12 years of my life as a very heavy smoker. My first goal was to run a half-marathon. At that time my dream goal was to run the New York Marathon. While I haven’t taken that on yet it is pretty clear to me that running has become somewhat of a passion, if not an obsession, of mine.
My original plan for 2013 was to participate in 6 races. They were chosen strategically so that I would gain experience that would help me prepare for my ultimate goal for 2013; finish the Canadian Death Race. Of the 6, I was only able to complete 5 since one of them did not open for 2013. Even so, 5 races was still more than double what I would have normally participated in. This year I am doubling the number of races yet again.
My accomplishments last year are as a whole a catalyst for more. Bigger races, more extreme challenges, more running. I have been researching the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc, Western States 100, Fat Dog 100 among others. The driving motivation for me to ultra is two fold, to be healthy and to travel. When considering the travel, I want to be travelling to places I have never been before.
For many of the harder races, I need to qualify. This is the reason my training started December 1st 2013 under the direction of Jeff Hunter, my coach. No matter the conditions this winter, I have been out there. Often I have been trailblazing through knee deep snow, sometimes deeper. I was out during what meteorologist’s called the polar vortex. The temperature dipped to -35 Celcius and I was out there slugging away, one foot in front of the other.
So my race plan for 2014 is as follows:
| Race | Distance | Status | Date | Result | Rank |
| Laura Secord Memroial 100k – OUS | 100k | Completed | April 5, 2014 | 13:52 | 6 |
| Pick Your Poison – OUS | 50k | Completed | Apr 26 | 5:22:16 | 10 |
| Seaton Trail – OUS | 50k | Completed | May 10 | 5:10:50 | 5 |
| Ottawa Marathon | 42k | Completed | May 25 | 3:23:44 | 711 |
| Pelee Island | 21k | Completed | June 1 | 1:38:30 | 17 |
| Creemore Vertical Challenge – OUS | 50k | Completed | July 5 | 4:55:07 | 5 |
| Limberlost Challenge – OUS | 56k | Completed | July 12 | 6:07:15 | 2 |
| Canadian Death Race | 125k | Registered | August 3 | 17:35:29 | 15 |
| Did not register | August 16 | – | – | ||
| Haliburton Forest Ultra – OUS | 160k | Registered | September 6 | DNF | – |
| Run for the Toad | 50k | Registered | October 5 | DNS | – |
| Will not register | October 19 | – | – |
