Thirty runners are trying to be the first in Canada to finish an ultra run

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A standard marathon covers just over 42 kilometres, but a group of 30 very determined people are currently trying to be the first in Canada to conquer an ultra marathon that covers just over 320 kilometres in a span of 72 hours. That’s roughly the distance between Hamilton and Kingston.

The 30 people, some from as far as Germany, are running a grueling 20km trail at the Dundas Valley Conservation Area right now.

Although today’s race got off to a soggy start, these athletes welcomes that challenge. Another challenge they face is staying awake as most of these runners won’t sleep throughout the race.

“If you lay down, your muscles may seize up because you’re not used to that pace during it so they’ll just keep going.”

That means lots of energy rich food, and even pop for that extra sugar/caffeine punch.

Speaking of punch, Amber Konikow is a national-champion boxer and travels the world to train for these races.

“I was in Nepal six weeks ago running a 201km race, so that mentally helps.”

Which is good, since this race challenges you mentally, as much as it does physically.

Some athletes don’t have to look far for inspiration to do this.

“My father has really bad dementia and he broke his leg and you think, how can I get through it, but when you get through this stuff you know you can get through anything.”

These athletes train all year across the globe. They eat right, hydrate and stretch, but the one thing they have to buy before this crazy race is lube.

The race will continue once it’s dark out and the eventual winner of the race should cross the finish line Sunday afternoon. This is only the second time this distance has been attempted in Canada and no one finished the race the first time.