Tag: Races
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Gorge Waterfalls 30K Race Recap – Penguins 🐧
I wasn’t meant to be in this race. I mean, to the extent where my bib still said ’50K’ on the day. While 30K might not ever be my race distance of choice, I felt fortunate to even make it to the start-line. Seven months of dealing with this injury on and off has taught…
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How I fuel for training and races with XACT Nutrition
In the puzzle to become the best trail runner that I can be, I’m often running through the numbers and experimenting with nutrition to identify what works best for my body. High-carb fuelling has been something I’ve experimented with through diligent practice across the past two years, and essential to both my training and recovery…
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Ending my year in September
I’ve long been an advocate that the year should start in September. But this time around, I am ending my year in September. No Bromont for me and no Defi des Couleurs for me.
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Race day preparation
My experiment in La Malbaie served as one of the most useful experiences I’ve had on the trails. Primarily, as a reminder of how critical race day preparation can be to putting together a performance. I knew everything I wanted to do on race day, at each different stage of the race or section of…
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Post-race recovery periods
Since my first race of the season all the way back in April, I haven’t had a single period of more than six weeks without a race. Is it over-racing? Le Duh. Is it fun? Le Fun. If you’re an elite runner wanting to do your best, while also thoroughly enjoying your experience – which…
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UTHC 42K Classique Recap – Controlled Crushing
Let me tell you a story about the 42K race that almost never happened. Far too dramatic, I know. Most likely untrue, I know. But (get ready for my here’s the thing moment!) here’s the thing: I recently posted that one of the best ways to approach downhills is with a sense of reckless abandonment.…
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Hidden Gem #3 – UTMB Indexes are so freaking weird
Out of all the ranking and scoring systems in our sport, UTMB’s somehow happens to be the best. I say somehow, as there is so much that still doesn’t make sense about it. Not to mention the fact that UTMB is fraught with controversy. But for all intents and purposes, it’s the best. What a…
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How I trained for Squamish & Quebec Mega Trail without any mountains
Two weeks ago, I finished as the top Ontario athlete at the Canadian National Championships – Squamish 50K, behind a host of names from Quebec, BC and Alberta. Of the top twenty-one finishers, Steph and I are the only Ontario outliers. One of the reasons why it’s such a rarity to see any athletes outside…
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Squamish 50K Recap – Front row seat
For the past two weeks, I had two main concerns: Not starting. Not finishing. I just did both. & had the most fun I’ve ever managed to do when racing on the trails. Here is my recap of the Squamish 50K – including my front row seat to the battle for first in the women’s…
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Quebec Mega Trail 50K Recap – We all fall down
QMT 50K this year was a rough one. Raining all morning – the course was as slippery as can be, especially in the already incredibly difficult Mestachibo.
Rhys Desmond 