The Team: Francois Caron- long time friend was the organizer for mapping, stops, technology, the captain guiding the ship.
Scott Clark: running support for decades and no shortage for this endeavour started me off and showed up to push me along in the final kms
Clarke Petty: met through swimming and was a great bike support for where I always have a tough time 5-9 hours
Steve Reeves: a trail running guru and best pacer through the night.
John Brennan: provided so much research and points to consider as well as took the night shift for the vehicle providing the aid.
Chris McCarthy: picked up from Steve and provided huge confidence and patience for when things got slow
John Van Ekris: A well seasoned ultra runner and his experience came in big a couple of times. Once in Summerside and again in the later stages.
Thank you, this was not possible without these people.
On Saturday August 2nd, with family and friends cheering him on, Mike MacKinnon of Summerside finished his tip-to-tip run along PEI’s Confederation Trail in a remarkable time of 33 hours, 34 minutes and 55 seconds. For Mike, this adventure was all about the camaraderie that the running community provides and an appreciation for those who supported him to complete this incredible feat of running 273.4 kms across PEI.
After an earlier attempt was called off in June of this year, there were a lot of conversations with his training friends and support crew about what was needed to be able to attack this challenge. There was talk about nutrition, hydration, clothing, footwear and tracking equipment, which were all important aspects of the preparation but in the end the most important thing was the mindset that this was going to be an adventure Mike was going to share with his friends.
At 2:30 am on Friday Aug 1st, long-time friend and running partner Scott Clark’s alarm went off. He grabbed his gear bag, jumped in the car and drove to meet Mike at the trailhead in Tignish. Mike walked the 100 Meters from his parents-in-law's house to meet him and shortly before 4:00 am the adventure began – two buddies out for a run with their headlamps on, hoping they wouldn’t meet any animals on the pitch-black trail.
Pretty near the same time, Francois Caron left Summerside with the goal of getting to trail crossing number five in St. Louis by 5 am to meet them. The trail was divided into 83 road crossings where a support vehicle would provide whatever nutrition, hydration or equipment requirements were needed. At this point, it was completely clear this attempt was going to be different than the first one, with Mike being less focused on running and more focused on having fun with his friends while running. This was a slight change in mindset but one that would pay great dividends.
Once the runners arrived in Alberton, Scott headed back home and Mike took his first rest stop which involved checking his weight, noting his average heart rate and answering a series of questions about how he was feeling. This was a change from the first run and designed to allow for a quick rest, deal with nutrition and hydration and make whatever adjustments were needed every 20-25 kms.
For the next 38 kms to Portage, Mike settled into his rhythm of running 1.6 kms followed by 400 meters of walking until he met Clarke Petty. Clarke joined the first attempt at this same location and carried out the same role by transporting food and hydration and giving Mike someone to chat with along the trail. Once again, Clarke noted the change from the first attempt, in that there was much more time spent chatting and sharing stories on the trail.
Scott rejoined the group on his bike in St. Nicholas, and Clarke bid farewell as the group passed through Miscouche on their way to Summerside where Scott sent Mike on his way. The same plan of running, walking and a quick rest stop every 20-25 kms carried through to Breadalbane where Chris McCarthy joined Mike for some company. He stayed with him until John Brennan and Steve Reeves arrived in Fredericton to carry out the night shift.
With the sun setting and Mike 150 kms into his run, John and Steve were waiting to take on a critically important part of the expedition – guiding Mike through the next 8 hours of darkness. John, who co-led the support crew planning with Francois took over the support car and Steve, a long-time endurance runner, helped keep Mike awake and light the way along the trail. Francois left the group in Hampshire to get a few hours of sleep while the others dealt with the darkness, the night-time animals and an unseasonably cold night where the temperature dropped to 4 degrees Celsius at one point.
Francois rejoined the group just after Mt. Stewart and Chris rejoined in West St. Peters while John and Steve finished over 70 km of trail travel through the night in Morell. Mike continued to run and walk and was treated to the most beautiful sunrise over St. Peter’s Bay where Chris’ dad Dan was waiting to provide some running company over the next 5 kms.
As the kms ticked along, the ratio of running to walking distance changed with Mike spending a lot more time walking than running. John Van Ekris did a few legs with Mike in King’s County and mentioned to his wife Loretta at one of the road crossings that although Mike was walking quite a bit, it was a very fast walking pace.
With a few final road crossings and Mike still wearing the same secondhand shoes he purchased at a thrift store (they never came off his feet) covered with a pair of gators worn by previous tip-to-tip runners Mike Gaudet and Allison MacFadden, he was cheered on by a few friends and his wife Janice. Scott joined him again for the final 20 kms of the run.
When he crossed under the Elmira sign that marks the end of the Confederation Trail with Chris, Scott and Francois by his side, he thanked the small group of friends in attendance before he sat down in a chair for the first time since Midgell, as he feared if he sat down over the final 50 kms, he might not be able to get back up.
In a sport that requires many hours of solitary training, Mike was quick to speak about the fellowship he shared with each of the people who were involved in both his first and second attempt at running his tip-to-tip run. The running community is such a positive community, and he considers himself so fortunate to have so many amazing individuals who supported him in running, in crewing and in cheering him on. 273.4 kms in 33:34.55 is an incredible feat but having family and friends be a part of it is what makes this adventure way more special.
Run Details
Departure from Tignish - Friday Aug 1 – 4:00 am
Arrival in Elmira – Saturday Aug 2 – 1:34 pm