Category: Uncategorized

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Mantario Trail

    We might have stumbled on a bit of trail history… Last weekend a couple friends and I, taking advantage of the lingering autumn conditions, ran the Mantario Trail, from the North Trailhead at Big Whiteshell, and finishing at the South Trailhead near Caddy Lake. This was my second experience of the trail (read about the…

  • Mennonite Marathon NL

    Following the tradition established in August 2020 to commemorate the arrival of the first Mennonites in Manitoba, in 2023 I took the opportunity while visiting my wife’s family in the Netherlands to run to the birthplace of Menno Simons himself. Fortunately my in-laws live only a half-marathon distance from Witmarsum, so the mission could be…

  • The Fire Inside

    In her characteristic weaving of old and new texts from a wide variety of sources, Maria Popova of The Marginalian first brought this quote from Vincent van Gogh to light, framing a discussion of the myth of normalcy from Alain de Botton’s book. Here’s her quote: “Does what goes on inside show on the outside?”…

  • Public Poetry on a Friday Night

    Join us Friday, April 21, 7:30pm at The Public in Steinbch for some poetry! I’m excited to hear words from some incredible local poets, including Sarah Ens and Luann Hiebert and others! I’m also honoured to be able to share some words of my own. We’ll be bringing back the Beer Haiku challenge for big…

  • Barkman Marathons

    If the ultrarunning world’s annual obsession with the Barkley Marathons shows us anything, it’s that people love running around with their friends while looking for books. On Saturday, April 15, 2023, in the spirit of Barkley, a new comunity- and book-loving event is being hosted in the most unlikely of locations, Steinbach MB. Organized by…

  • Wolves Don’t Want to Eat You

    Last week we went on a Wolf Howl Hike in the Whiteshell and learned a bunch of things about wolves, including how they can’t huff or puff, nor can they blow your house down. I also wrote about our experience on the same hike last year (and made a zine about it, we didn’t actually…

  • The Blank Slate

    It’s January 1. Happy new year. This morning I skied in the Sandilands with friends. Beneath the low gray sky, the world was white. Thick snow from a couple weeks back still caked to tree branches and needles and a thick layer of hoar frost made for a beautiful scene to take in as we…