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    • On sharing

      Bikes are coming out of storage and hitting the streets and sidewalks of town, which leads me to think about how we share our lanes of transport. I’m proud to be part of a family who values biking, and love taking 2 wheels (x5) to the park, or feeling the fresh air rather than AC…

      May 7, 2025
    • Old Tom Backyard

      Last year we went in unawares, most of us having never running a Backyard Ultra before (as my race plan might have suggested). This year, we’re smarter, though possibly not wiser. Old Tom Backyard enters its second year, and we look forward to nearly endless loops around the barns and through the woods, followed by…

      April 27, 2025
    • No time to spare in Beaudry

      “You’re late.” In 2019 I signed up to run loops of this beautiful little trail along the Assiniboine River west of Winnipeg during the annual Beaudry Fall Classic. This particular year, the race was preceded by a couple weeks of heavy rain, and as I drove out on a dark fall morning, the windshield wipers…

      April 23, 2025
    • The Barkmans 2025 Recap

      On a beautiful spring day, almost too nice by Barkman Marathons standards, 28 runners gathered at KR Barkman Park in Steinbach to look for books. When the dust settled, 16 kissed the rock to finish their mission, 12 were ceremoniously tapped out for failing to finish. Thanks David (Awaken Collective) for both participating and putting…

      April 13, 2025
    • Meet Klaaz

      In a town who’s favourite traditional pastime is “The Mennonite Game”, it’s rare to find anyone who’s family history, not to mention whereabouts, is largely unknown. Enter Klaaz, the mind behind the Barkman Marathons. We know little about Klaaz, and it seems he wants to keep it this way. When he started dropping notes about…

      April 5, 2025
    • Walking Distance

      “Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.”– Steven Wright I read this quote a few years ago, and in my memory attributed it to Thoreau. If Thoreau said it, of course, it was automatically profound. Now Thoreau did write a book called Walking, and did have profound things to say on the topic,…

      March 16, 2025
    • Barkman Marathons 2025

      In his last year as mayor, Klaas Reimer Barkman hid his favourite books around Steinbach. Now you’re going to find them. 7:49am at KR Barkman Park (by the fire hall) in downtown Steinbach on Saturday, April 12. Rain, snow, or shine. Registration starts 7:00, runner meeting 7:39. You won’t want to miss it. To be…

      February 25, 2025
    • Actif Epica

      I’d been curious about the Actif Epica, an annual race along the Crow Wing Trail, for several years, and 2025 was my year to finally be part of it. As the day approached, the forecast continued to promise “classic Manitoba winter” temperatures below -20° C. The race bills itself as a “celebration of human resilience,”…

      February 19, 2025
    • Drifting

      Believe it or not, each of these techniques have been personally tested. And all in one fateful day. My regular running route includes a stretch of park path along the north side of a shelterbelt. Depending on snowfall and wind direction, this path can vary from day to day as snow piles in before plow…

      February 1, 2025
    • Reasons to Run in Deep Winter

      Deep winter divides runners into two camps – those who turn to the treadmill, and those who layer up and brave the cold. Then there’s a third camp, those who hang up the shoes till more reasonable temperatures return… Which are you? For myself, I started in the third camp, avoiding winter running. Then I…

      January 14, 2025
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    BrentManke.com

    Words and doodles about running and adventure.

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