Those looking for a template of the skier’s dream life, please pay attention to Karen Messenger.
For the second year in a row, the substitute teacher/Parks Canada interpreter took a 10-week break to enter some of the best races in Europe in what she dubbed the Tour de Fun, Part Deux.
And now she wants you to join her.
“It went way, way better than I could have imagined. I didn’t have a specific plan at any time and I had to change all of my original plans, but the people I met really made my trip. Staying with families and friends, I got to see a different way of life,” Messenger said.
Last year, Messenger tackled some of the biggest races in Europe (The Vassaloppet, the Birkiebeiner) and this year she had planned to race several world loppets in the Czech Republic while staying with friends. However, a lack of snow sent her into the Alps, where she set up a base in Dobbiaco, Italy, which proved to be a liberating experience.
Frequently, she’d race long distance loppets on back-to-back days, culminating with the 70-kilometre MarciaLonga in Italy, which darted from town to town with 8,000 participants. In total, she clocked 414 km of racing over the 10-week period.
“You just have to go with it. That’s all you can do. The winter was very difficult in Europe, because there was a lack of snow everywhere besides the Alps. I found that out just before I went and decided to go where the snow was,” Messenger said.
Because her travel was limited to a smaller area, she entered more races, racing 40 km on back-to-back days through mountainous terrain. The races were laid back, and the prizes (which Messenger collected frequently) consisted of locally produced fruits, wines and cheeses and home-cooked meals.
“When you’re there as part of a team on tour, it’s different. This way, I was free to do whatever I wanted. I got the flexibility to enter which races I wanted and the food was amazing. I didn’t have a coach to say what I could or couldn’t eat, and you have to take advantage of the food while you’re there.”
Entering races was extremely easy, Messenger said, and she found the ski community quite supportive.
“People who want to do a trip like this should know it doesn’t have to be intimidating,” she said. “When you go over there, it’s good not to have too many concrete plans. It’s better to see one small area well. You’re right in there, part of the culture.”
Messenger wasn’t completely naďve to the difficulty of her challenge. Her boyfriend and Paralympic gold medallist Erik Carleton (guide of Brian McKeever) designed an endurance-based training plan for her, while Lifeworks gym kept her core and strength in tip-top shape.
Between summer sessions, she’d take off for “epic runs” through the backcountry with her friends, hammering out 10- to 12-hour days in the backcountry, running to Assiniboine Lodge and back in a day, Red Earth Creek to Healy Pass and the Skyline trail in Jasper. She’d pace herself slowly on these runs, stopping to swim in every glacial fed pond she could find.
“I went in way more prepared this year because of long runs in the summer. I tried to get in a lot of runs at altitude and an intensity session once a week. Erik did an awesome job with my training. I got over there and basically raced every weekend. Because I was in such good shape, I felt comfortable enough to do that. After a 10-hour run, a five-hour ski race doesn’t seem that long,” Messenger said.
She’d love to see a similar culture take hold in Canada, where race entry fees are below $50 and end with large aprčs-ski celebrations that celebrate local culture.
“I’ve done a lot of races around here and I love them, but it’s nice to see something different. You get the whole cultural aspect. There, you’re meeting people from all over Europe.”
She’d love to do another Tour and encourages others to train with her, beginning in May. Her high weeks are 18 hours a week of training (squeezed in between a full-time job) and six hours on a low week and said even those who don’t want to race can do a similar tour.
“People can contact me. Don’t be limited by the amazing Canmore bubble. If you love skiing, not just racing, talk to me,” she said. “You’ve got to just pick up and go. Ski in these beautiful places, where they have huts every 13 km, where you can go in and have an apple strudel and a coffee. More people would ski in Canada if you could do that here,” Messenger said.
