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Memories of Mantario
When Greg, Cory, and I finally snuck in a Mantario run on a rare warm November last fall, we had no idea what would happen to this wilderness area just a few months later. Six months later, half of the trail has burned, questions abound as to the future of the trail, and so many…
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Old Tom Backyard Poster
The day(s) of the Old Tom Backyard quickly approach, and maybe you, like me, are feeling all the waves of excitement and dread that come with this epic adventure. If you’d like to commemorate the race, or maybe point to the exact spot on the course where, after 47 or 25 or 2 yards you…
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Senkiw Bridge – Soggy and smiling
When I joked about racing across the river with two teams, a bridge team and a swimming team, it really was just a joke… Our family joined a few friends in exploring this little gem of a trail with an interesting history. In 1947 the Senkiw Bridge replaced the hand-powered cable basket system in getting…
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Whiteshell River Trail
Off the east side of the Mantario trail parking lot lies the trailhead of the Whiteshell River Trail. Much less intimidating at only 2.7km, I thought this would be a great taste of the area for my family. And it was. Indeed, with toddlers in tow we experienced all the euphoric highs, as well as…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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,”…
