FKT: Andreas Loken - Bank Street/County Road 31 (ON, Canada) - 2025-09-26

Athletes
Route variation
Standard route
Multi-sport
No
Para athlete
No
Gender category
Male
Style
Self-supported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
7h 47m 17s
GPS track(s)
Photos
Report

Run: I left from the Bank of Canada (northernmost point) at 6:19 AM. I went south down Bank Street, heading all the way down to Morrisburg.

It was a Friday and people downtown were heading to work and wearing suits. South of the Rideau River the road became more construction-heavy and I had to cross Bank Street at times to keep going. Road conditions got really bad at Leitrim, where construction work had removed the sidewalks and I was running very close to traffic.

I stopped at the Dollarama in Winchester (around km 48-49, just under 5 hours in) and grabbed a bottle of juice to re-fill my handheld water bottle. I also downed, on the spot, another bottle of juice from the store. This was my only break, around 10 minutes.

I continued going down Bank Street/Hwy 31. Honestly, not that pleasant. It's highway running and since it was a weekday there were a lot of trucks. As well, while there is technically a paved part of the shoulder, most of the shoulder is unpaved with loose gravel and – even worse – at a camber. And there's not much to see.

At km 65 I was nearly done with my freshly-filled bottle, just 15 km after the break. I mentally powered through the remaining 10 uncomfortable thirsty kilometres. I eventually reached the St Lawrence Seaway and dipped my foot in the water. Then I texted my girlfriend and she drove down and picked me up.  

Overall: I targeted 6 min/km throughout the entire run. I was feeling it in my legs toward the end, but I managed to keep a consistent pace.

If I were to ever do this again, I would make sure to either stop more often for water or carry more water (e.g. a bladder). Stopping more often is a possibility. I passed by convenience stores every 20 km or so, plus there are houses along the road where you could likely ask for water.

Gear: I carried a large 1 L water bottle with a handheld strap. The bottle was mixed with lemonade powder. I carried my food in my handheld strap and various shorts pockets. I wore a hat, sunglasses, a singlet, and running shorts. It was 15-20 C and an overcast day with a couple spritzes of rain.

Food: I ate three Clif bars, two Gus, and a baggie of Dollarama cola gummies. I ingested 100g of lemonade powder (mixed in 1L of water) and then 1L + 0.5L of juice. The 2.5L of water were not sufficient and I got very thirsty toward the end.