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| SPORTS - July 27, 2010 |
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| Boyle resident Jeff Scammell will attempt Canadian Death Race solo |
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Bobby Roy
Advocate Staff
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Registering and then completing a leg of the Canadian Death Race is one way to push one's mental and physical limits, but doing the entire race solo is a whole other matter.
Boyle native Jeff Scammell is planning to do just that.
Scammell will try and accomplish a feat that few long distance runners can say they've done.
The local long distance runner will try and complete the tenth annual, grueling Canadian Death Race held on July 31 in Grande Cache.
The race covers 125 km of elevation changes, rough running trail, three mountain passes and a major river crossing.
Scammell will not only have to battle these tough running conditions, he'll also have to put up with unpredictable weather and a stiff time limit.
If Scammell does not finish the race in 24 hours he will be disqualified.
One may ask why exactly someone would want to put themselves through a race like this, but as a determined long distance runner, Scammell knows that finishing the race solo will no doubt put him in a very elite group of runners.
"I want to be one of the 30 per cent of the runners who actually are fortunate enough to finish. This is one these goals where I want to eventually say that I actually finished a race like this," explained Scammell.
For the past six months, Scammell has been putting his body through physical and mental hell to train for the Canadian Death Race.
His journey began back in January, when he decided he was going to register as a solo racer rather than on a team.
"It's been tough, lots of people have asked why I want to do this. I've tried to explain to them it's kind of like an addiction," he explained.
Scammell's training began slowly with a couple of runs per week in January, February and March to get his base running down.
His training became more intense beginning in April, with daily runs during the week and long distance treks once every weekend.
The Boyle resident has been training hard on cross-country trails in the Long Lake area over the past three months in order to prepare himself for the physical task ahead,
"It's going to come down to the mental side. It's how many demons you can fight off when you get deeper and deeper into the race," Scammell explained.
It's something Scammell has been determined to do since day one.
"You want to see how far you can push yourself and see what kind of things you can make your body accomplish. That's the reason I was shooting for it this year," he said.
Scammell said he has had some doubts during some of his 10-12 hour training days over the past months.
"You're telling your legs to go and they just don't want to, but you've got to keep telling yourself to keep on moving forward," he said.
Scammell's journey will come to a climax this Saturday as he and hundreds of fellow long distance runners will challenge the mountainous terrain near Grande Cache.
Scammell has escaped any serious injury during the past months of training and it's help make him more confident that he will be able to cross the finish line on Aug. 1
"Barring some major injuries during the day, I can't see why I won't finish the race as long as I stick to the plan," said Scammell.
Even if he doesn't end up finishing the race this year, the determined runner said he would attempt it again.
"I'm looking forward to it. If I'm not successful this time around I will try it again," he said.
This will be the third year Scammell will run in the Canadian Death Race. In the last two years, he completed the race with his team, The Boyle Fun Runners.
According to Scammell, approaching the race this year was a lot different compared to the last two years.
"You've got to take a different approach when you're doing it solo. When you're running one leg, you push yourself to the limit so you're doing it as fast as you can, but when you're running it solo it's more about pacing yourself and making sure you have the ability to keep on going," explained Scammell, who got some help from Boyle clothing companies So What, Say What Embroidery and Iron Butterfly with his racing wardrobe.
It hasn't only been his commitment that has allowed Scammell to spend so much time training, but also his family's commitment see him through all those long days of training.
"It's not just me that has been going through this. They've been supporting me since the beginning," added Scammell, who began his love affair with long distance running back in 2003.
Jeff's wife, Carrie, who will also be running that day with her team, The Boyle Fun Runners, has supported Jeff throughout, including picking him up after 50 km runs in the bush.
"I'm amazed and very proud of him. Our lives have changed since Jan. 1, but I don't think this will be the end for him," she said.
With only four days until the race there is no turning back now for Scammell and that suits him just fine.
"The race has revitalized the fun in running on the trails for me. Now I've got to put everything aside and push through whatever comes in my way that day." |
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