Oak Lake resident Cindy Branum has just completed one of the world's toughest ultramarathons.
“I have completed the Canadian Death Race, 125 kms of hardship and beauty,” exclaims Branum.
“I knew it was going to be hard, well now I multiply my hard by 10 and that's what it really was....”
Branum trained for months for the 24-hour race of hiking, climbing and running over high mountain peaks and through forests in the August long-weekend race.
Setting out from Grande Cache, Alta. the course began and ended on a plateau at an elevation of 4,200 ft. Branum made it to the boat on time to present her ‘coin’ of passage for the major river crossing at the spectacular Hell's Gate canyon, at the confluence of the Smoky and Sulphur Rivers.
She beat all the cut-offs (times required for each leg) except the last one, to finish the marathon in 24 hours and 24 minutes, giving Branum an OTL (over time limit – 24 hours).
“I finished 177th and 97 people DNF (did not finish), I feel very lucky with my OTL of 24 minutes.”
“Around midnight my feet started feeling like paper mache”
She had no idea if she could actually stay awake hiking and running for 24 hours.
“I started slow because I know myself to usually start too fast and then fade away quickly and since I had never been up on my feet for 24 hours, I really didn't know what to expect.”
Analyzing her performance, she knows she ran a conservative race, facing unknown terrain.
“I raced against cut-offs, making them by eight minutes, six minutes, ten minutes.
“It was nuts and I never got the chance to change my shoes and socks, the trails were very wet, puddles and mud that you could not escape. My feet were wet from probably 9:00 a.m. to the next morning.
“Mid-leg four, around midnight my feet started feeling like paper mache.”
Branum regrets not bringing socks to change into on the trail.
She didn’t use her trekking poles on leg three, which she says was a mistake. This leg took her, not over mountains, but over higher hills than anything she was used to. These decisions cost her time.
“If I ever want to do it again… remind me not to”
“As I was persevering in the last leg, running in the woods to make the last boat for 6:00 a.m., I made it with six minutes to spare, it was amazing. After the boat, there was another 15 km, but to the end, this race is a killer and the hills and puddles never quit.
“Between my feet and the fact that I have been up for over 29 hours straight, I still crossed the finish line with some of my best girlfriends waiting and cheering for me. It was awesome!”
Her toughest test
Branum categorizes this marathon as the hardest thing she has ever done.
“I told everyone that if I ever want to do it again, to remind me not to.”
So, it has been over a week since she crossed the finish line. Will she tackle the Death Race again?
“All I can think now, after a good week has passed, is how much faster I could do it with everything I learned this year... Maybe in a few years....”
