ST. PAUL – In the early morning of Oct. 1 at 6 a.m., when the sun hadn't yet risen, a group of long-distance runners left St. Paul Reunion Station to run 100 kilometres or 100 miles, either solo or in teams.
The 2022 Iron Horse Ultra 100 tests runners' endurance. It takes a lot of grit and perseverance to complete an ultra-race and challenges even the most veteran runners.
During Doug Howson's run, he felt his body hurt – from his hip to his knee to his ankle. It was tough, but despite the pain, he kept running.
Before running 100 km solo for the Iron Horse Ultra, he raced for consecutive weeks and admitted "too quick of a turnaround" can prove to be very challenging. But for Howson, he said it was about pushing beyond his pain.
Howson has been running for about a decade, including races longer than the Iron Horse Ultra. For him, "it's not about winning,” instead, it was also about "pushing your limit" and looking ahead for the next challenge. This past weekend, Howson ended up winning the 100-kilometre solo run.
When asked about the importance of pushing his limits, Howson said that doing hard things makes dealing with life "a little easier," and "all the things that bother you a lot don't seem like that big of a deal."
Howson said he is proud that he never gave up on any of his races, believing that the suffering experienced in one race carries over to the next, creating more "mental toughness."
In support of Howson, his family came, including his wife Allison, from Cochrane – who has been very supportive of her husband's passion. "Especially now, more than ever, with having a daughter," she said. "It's important for her to see him doing something that he loves, and just really show her that she can chase her passions.”
Two runners were still on track during an award ceremony on the morning of Oct. 2, but many runners, including Howson, remained to give their support.
The sun was already up when cheers resounded as Howson, and the rest of the runners celebrated the two final runners who completed their run. His lips curved into a light smile when he looked toward the runners and said, “They're the tough ones – they've been through a lot.”
It was a testament to how the runners supported each other, knowing the challenges the Iron Horse Ultra posed. Lakeland This Week spoke to some runners, and they said pushing beyond their limits was no easy task – both physically and mentally, especially considering the provoking course.
Before the Oct. 1 race, Lakeland This Week spoke with Juan Carlos Jimenez from Calgary, who ran solo with his sister during his first Iron Horse Ultra 100 in 2021. For Jimenez, there was a particular hill he aimed to conquer.
He said he previously thought Mean Dean’s Hill was “insignificant” during the 2021 Iron Horse Ultra, but it seemed to him as if it never stopped as he kept climbing. “You’re just begging for it to stop and reach the top – it just doesn’t stop,” he said.
Jimenez also admitted he was ready to give up just about halfway during the 2021 race. But “my sister wanted me to keep going, and I wanted to support her,” so he persevered and pushed on.
“You got to really have perseverance and a desire to push beyond pain – your limitations, mentally and physically, to really get the end of it,” he said, adding that for him, it’s about finding his limit and going beyond that.
For the 2022 race, he aimed to beat Mean Dean’s Hill “without feeling frustrated,” and with a better sense of preparation.
When asked why he seemed to love challenges, Jimenez said, “life is a challenge as it is, so you’ve got to seek it out and improve on a daily basis,” in order to be prepared for day-to-day challenges. He concluded that the race is an excellent opportunity “to get that mental strength and push beyond it.”
This year's race was Amro Alansari's third attempt to beat the 100-kilometre course within 15 hours.
Alansari said he found the soft gravel road "too much." He explained that running on the soft gravel feels like running "on sand," compared to a concrete road.
In the end, Alansari feels happy and proud to have finally beaten his 15-hour target with five minutes to spare. He also credits his friend for acting as his "pacer" during the last 40 km of his run. A pacer helps a runner pick up the pace and encourages them to keep running.
Charlotte Brockman from the Northwest Territories was Alansari's pacer. She is also a runner and has run ultra-marathons before.
"I've heard a saying about ultra runs, that it's 90 per cent mental, and the rest is in your head,” said Brockman. "So, for a lot of people, just having someone out there to take them out of their head – it's almost a mental distraction.”
Brockman plans to do an Arctic Ultra this winter in Alaska.
While challenging, the Iron Horse Ultra 100 is open for the public to join and is also a source of fun and an excellent way to spend time with friends. Scott Ward is from St. Paul and ran with a team, "Not Setting Any Record," composed of five of his friends.
"I have a good group of friends and a good team to come out and run our legs and have a good day with it," said Ward.
Monique Poulin, race director of the Iron Horse Ultra, explained that people don’t have to be runners to be part of the ultra-running community, and she encourages more of the public to join next year.
She also thanked all the volunteers for the countless hours spent making the event a reality, including farmers who opened their properties to complete the race route, and Cold Lake Search and Rescue who worked closely with volunteers to ensure runners' safety.
According to Poulin, the event was also an opportunity to show visitors in the region "how beautiful the Lakeland is."
"When they get out on that trail, there's actually hills and valleys, and really beautiful areas – it features our area nicely," she said.
Top results
For the 100-km solo, Doug Howson won first place for the male category and Kaylyn Nelson won for the female category. As for the 100-mile solo, Daylan Wizniuk took first place for the male category and Saritta Smith took first place for the female category.
The "Eight Will Be Enough" team won first for the 100-mile team category, and "Run for Fun'dz" placed first for the 100-km team category. Run for Fun'dz also holds the new 100-km team record.
