The Canadian Death Race Training Camp 2013

Once again this year, I’m taking part in The North Face Canadian Death Race (CDR) in August, but this time I’ll be taking it a step further and competing solo. Last year I was part of a relay team with my partner in life Nicole and our good friend Dan, and I’m proud to say that we finished and had the time of our lives along the way.

This is not a race for the ill prepared. It will chew you up, spit you out and gobble you back up again to make sure it has removed every shred of confidence you may have left. It will test your strength, mental reserve and your humility, all in 24 hours or less, and it will do it with a smile.

Preparation and knowledge of the course is a key to success – nothing is worse than walking into a race with no idea what you are up against, especially when it comes to an event with hard cutoffs like this one. With this in mind, I took part in the CDR Training Camp again this year to give me every opportunity to finish this race and succeed as a solo participant.

CDR race director Dale Tuck and his team provide you with a weekend of seeing the course first-hand, getting some valuable insights that most participants don’t get the opportunity to hear or experience, meet and bond with other Death Racers (both newbies and experienced), gauge where your weaknesses are, based on the actual course and where you need to focus your training, and most of all to have a whole lot of fun. It’s possibly the best $100 you’ll ever spend on race training – and who could resist the opportunity to see a relaxed Dale Tuck kick off his shoes (figuratively speaking of course) and go for a run on the trails that he enjoys so much?

Here’s a quick recap of the weekend:

Camp starts with a quick registration and orientation at the Grande Cache Tourist Centre Friday to get the lowdown on what to expect over the weekend. It was interesting watching the faces of some of the participants as Dale went through the potential dangers of running in the back country; the looks of shock and ‘What did I get myself into’ were very visible. This made me smile and think to myself, “That was what I looked like last year for sure.”

After a quick mountain bike ride to the start line and a prelim look at the first 5K of Leg 1 on the bikes, we shuttled over to the start of Leg 2 for a quick trekking pole clinic prior to tackling one of the harder parts of the course. Nothing like diving right into it with both feet. I had such a blast doing this leg as the mud and terrain were incredibly tough and seemed intent to bring you to your knees. To finish off Day 1, your tired legs partake in a night run of the first part of Leg 5, to give you the feeling of what it will be like on race day as you enter the canopy.

Day 2 consists of biking Leg 3, considered by some to be one of the easier legs (yeah sure, compared to what?). This is followed by Leg 4, up Hamel and some of the best scenery on the course. The feeling of summiting Mount Hamel is just unbelievable – I really think everybody should experience this.

Day 3 has everybody running half of Leg 1, then finishing it off on the mountain bike before tackling the last half of Leg 5 on – once again – very tired legs. This also gives you the opportunity to enjoy some awesome scenery that most racers don’t get a chance to see because they’re finishing in the dark.

I look forward to doing this camp The camp every year, whether I am running the CDR or not.

Here are some pictures from the camp. Enjoy!