Tag: manitoba

  • Why I didn’t PR at Race the North Face 2026

    Race the North Face is one of those annual reunion races for the Manitoba trailrunning community. So many familiar faces among the 470+ runners, volunteers, and associated friends and family. I had the chance to run the 25k this year for the first time since 2022. I learned lessons back then, and still had more…

  • Birds Hill Trail Series

    On Thursday summer nights, a group of runners gather to chase the trails. The Birds Hill Trail Series, hosted by Joel Toews, offers up a great change of pace for the running routine – midweek race (taper?), in the evening (it’ll be how hot? what do I eat??) and short-ish distances (meaning, everyone starts off…

  • Mantario in Winter

    I’ve started referring to adventures into the unknown as “experiments”, because it can turn a failure into a success, because learning is the goal. And if learning was the goal, our winter trip to Mantario was a big success. (Seems like adventure and challenge are common themes on Mantario trails, regardless of the season.) This…

  • Actif Epica 115km

    As I drove home after 2025’s 50km Actif Epica, I looked out over the frozen fields to the south, curious about the southern half of the route. In 2026, my curiosity was satiated, as I took on the full loop. Setting out from St. Pierre in thick morning fog which hung around for nearly the…

  • Honey Run

    The Kleefeld Honey Run, now an annual tradition among the Manitoba running community, was given an interesting twist this year, as rain fell across the Southeast all morning of race day. The neighbourhood streets of Kleefeld swelled, introducing two new water features to the course, each of which had to be tackled twice in the…

  • Falcon Lake Loop

    “I’m only worried about one turn.” As we piled out of the vehicle on the foggy and humid Saturday morning, we realized our under-preparedness in navigating this new trail connecting North and South Falcon trails along the eastern shore. (Greg had the GPX file on his watch, but if we didn’t stick together with him,…

  • Rider vs Runner

    From the moment we dropped down into the valley at dusk the evening before the race, I was hooked. Rider vs Runner is a small, intimate race exploring a hidden Manitoba gem of the Souris River Bend WMA. Drawing on inspiration of early North American trail running lore (which I wrote a bit more about…

  • Race the North Face Poster

    So many gearing up to toe the starting line next weekend at Race the North Face. If you need to plot your strategy, or commemorate (commiserate?) your accomplishment, this one’s for you! New poster hot off the press and waiting for you at Big Sky Run Co. Pick one up while making your last-minute gear…

  • 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…

  • 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…