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,” but I was hoping to be able to celebrate the resilience of the insulation on my water bottles as I layered up alongside my friend Greg and bunch of other crazy high-viz-clad runners and bikers to set out on this winter adventure on the prairies.

The early miles came easy, even when we missed the first U-turn in the course, tacking on an extra couple kms to the 50km course.

Despite the cold, the bright sun coupled with conversation were invigorating, especially considering most of my running during the dark winter months happens before sunrise and by myself.

The first tough challenge came as we turned away from the Rat River to head straight north for several miles. I’m not a huge fan of the “feels like” temperature suggestions provided by our winter weather forecasts in this part of the world, but as we turned straight into the moderate north wind, without a tree in sight for miles, it felt like we were beginning our approach on the North Pole.

Finally we reached the second U-turn in the course, where we were to pick up a token to show we’d reached the northern-most point of the route. We looked into the token bag at the sign to discover these “tokens” were actually chocolates, a cruel joke to give hungry athletes. I resisted the temptation to pop it into my mouth instead of my pocket as we turned south, grateful to finally have the wind at our back for the remainder of the day.

After a warm reception and some snacks at the aid station in Crystal Springs Colony, Greg ran ahead to finish the race, while I continued on at my steady pace, gutting out what is always the hardest part of any long adventure.

I recently read Michael Crawley’s To the Limit (thx Greg for the recommendation), which looks into why an increasing number of people are doing crazy things like, I dunno, running 50km in the prairies in winter.

In it he introduces the term “collective effervescence”, which I first heard from Brené Brown in describing the power of attending things like concerts, football games, and worship services. There’s a spiritual value to collective events, a feeling of connection that’s difficult to replicate, which has only become more precious since 2020.

Even though the Crow Wing Trail was sparsely populated, the race itself making only a small footprint, there was a connection between racers, volunteers, and spectators alike that boosted everyone’s spirits. I felt it as I cheered on bikers and runners I passed all along the way (some of whom were in the middle of a much longer day and distance than 50km).

I felt it again as I finally dropped my pack at the St-Pierre-Jolys Museum and had some snacks, surrounded by friends, my family, and strangers with whom I now shared some small connection.

While I mentally “retired” from long-distance running forever during the last part of this race and am now ready for springtime temperatures, I’ve also started dreaming about Actif Epica 2026. See you there?