Adventure and endurance racers employ various tricks and mind games to keep their legs moving through the long hours. Staving off pain, fatigue and exhaustion tends to separate the top performers from the rest.
Few know that as well as Peter Graul. Participating in last year’s 2011 SkiFest, a 24-hour cross-country ski challenge, he managed to make it through 310 kilometres in 23.5 hours.
“The trick is you don’t think of the hours. After six hours you’re only a quarter of the way through, and you don’t want to think about that,” Graul said. “And don’t take big breaks.”
Graul will have a chance to reach his 24 hours of skiing goal again this year, as the 2012 SkiFest is set to go ahead. This year’s event will take place March 24-25 at the Canmore Nordic Centre, leaving a mere 78 days to prepare for the ski endurance test.
“Training requires long endurance at low intensity,” Graul said.
The race is the creation of Biathlon Training Centre coach Richard Boruta and retired biathlete Kamila Borutova, who wanted to bring endurance ski races to the Rocky Mountains. Borutova holds the world record for longest ski in a day by clocking 333 km in 24 hours. To put that in perspective, Borutova skied a 2.2-km course 150 times through a range of conditions, much of it on her own. She hopes more people will challenge her record, which was set in 2000.
“My body was aching after a certain amount of hours. I wanted to quit at 2 a.m., but I took a 45 minute break and finished at 333 kilometres,” Borutova said.
It took a month for her toes to defrost, however, she’s happy she took the challenge.
Last year’s event attracted several racers, and organizers hope to increase the numbers for this year’s event. Boruta said the event is a way to celebrate the end of the ski season. Shorter distances are also available, as there will once again be a children’s component to the event.
For more information, go to canmoreskifest.com or email [email protected]
