The Bow Valley is chock full of intrepid adventurers bent on testing their physical and mental limits within the national treasures we call parkland.
The Rocky Mountain Rorschach test measures not only iron muscles, but iron will, beckoning top athletes to full blown challenges.
But then there are those challenges that border on insanity.
Guillaume Bertrand and Evan Girard, two biathletes with Rocky Mountain Racers, have concocted an incredible challenge they wish to complete before bidding farewell to the Bow Valley.
Covering 250 kilometres and more than 9,000 metres of elevation over seven days, Girard and Bertrand have linked together seven of the Rocky Mountains’ most iconic adventures they wish to finish back to back in June.
“It came to me during my season. I got sick a lot. My season wasn’t going very well and I was disappointed with everything. I decided to go home and study in Sherbrooke next year. I thought ‘let’s do something epic next year.’ I knew Evan was going through similar stuff and I knew he was the only one crazy enough to accept the challenge,” Bertrand said.
A few dreams turned into a seven-day event, ranging all over the mountain parks.
“We decided seven sounds like a good number. It’s a full week. For trails, we started with shorter ones, and then the more we went, it kept getting longer. This one is 50-km, this one is 75. We wrote it all down and it went from there,” Bertrand said.
Both are in good condition as skiers, and continue to work on their running. Girard is transitioning to Ironman races, while Bertrand will join the University of Sherbrooke cross-country running team.
So, what does Bertrand’s feverish dream look like?
The duo will begin their journey with two test days: a 35-km Skoki Mountain trail run followed by the gruelling 75-km Lake Louise to Mount Norquay run through the Sawback trails.
Two weeks later, they plan to begin the big adventure – a 43-km trail run to Berg Lake and back in Mount Robson Provincial Park, followed by a 34-km run of the Lake O’Hara Alpine Loop. Day three will see them climb Mount Temple, while Day 4 plans include completion of the 54 Assiniboine Trail loop. Day 5 is another summit day up Mount Cascade, while Day 6 sends them back to Yoho for the Whaleback Trail run, and finally, Day 7 brings the 56-km Rockwall Trail run through Kootenay National Park.
Neither have had many chances to explore the breathtaking highlights of the mountain parks, but feel they are fit enough to survive the challenge. Bertrand said he let his imagination run wild when planning the journey, which includes more elevation gain than Everest, and is the equivalent of running from Montreal to Quebec City.
“When you’re an athlete and focused on performance, you want to do the right thing. Sometimes the right thing isn’t the most epic or fun thing.
“Rockwall is the most imposing, and Assiniboine – the long runs. For me, I know the shape is good. The problem is not going that long. The problem might be running specific. That scares me the most – injuries and blisters. My preparation is working on running technique, stretching and making sure I don’t injure myself on the run,” Bertrand said.
Along with the big mountain days, they plan to film the trip.
“We will make sure we are well prepared to get good pictures. We want to post photos, a video and download info from our watches every day on social media,” Bertrand said.
