Body image issues and ultra runners

During the Sinister 7 weekend, a friend and I were having a beer when he said something strange. He mentioned that if he was as lean as me he'd run much better. I said "Shut up! That's how I feel about you!" We both thought we could lose 5-8 more pounds. The fact is we both don't have any real weight to lose but when I look in the mirror I see a very different image than what others see. The rest of the weekend I went around having (sometimes awkward) conversations with fellow runners about weight loss and realized that nearly everyone I spoke with had most of the same issues. To be honest this is an issue I've been struggling with for awhile. When I think of ultra running I think of lean and efficient. However what happens when a runner gets carried away and loses too much? Dietician Samara Felesky-Hunt explained to me that endurance athletes face a serious dilemma when it comes to performance and nutrition. We simply think that cutting calories will lead to leaner bodies resulting in more efficient running. Felesky-Hunt warns that an endurance athlete's performance is only equal to the quality of nutrients and sustainable amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats a person takes in. When we become nutrient or source deficient the byproduct can appear in different forms. Injury to tissue when the depleted structures can no longer take the gruelling load we ask it to take. Recovery can be compromised when the rebound effect becomes delayed. Exhaustion during training can make high quality sessions nearly impossible. Even if those symptoms don't give you a red flag, continuing to lose weight will conjure up more negative side effects that pertain to having a body fat percentage that is too low for a person's health. That is exactly what happened to me in the fall of 2013.

I went to Samara with a large list of symptoms including irritability, mood swings, lack of energy, night sweats and many other symptoms. Samara asked me about my diet and was shocked to hear of how little I was eating. After simply increasing my intake and the addition of a few other nutrients my symptoms, one by one, disappeared. We concluded that I had fallen below 6 percent body fat at 150 lbs and that was a significant tipping point for me (FYI - I'm 5'11"). I'm happy to say I'm now sitting at a healthy 156 lbs.

But…the problem still persists. When I look in the mirror I see a very different me than what others see. Case in point: At the Blackfoot 100K, around the 95K mark I decided to take my shirt off (in an earlier post I explained why I love running topless) but knowing the finish line was shortly approaching and there would be plenty of spectators there with cameras, feeling embarrassed I put my shirt back on. When running I look down at my body with exaggerated eyes and see all the flopping and flipping of a guy that could afford to lose a few pounds but when I see pictures of myself at a distance I'm shocked to see myself and how skinny I've gotten. So, I guess you can say that this is a healing mechanism and shine on reality for me.

This post and the numerous conversations I've had since the Sinister 7 weekend brought me and others to realize that we probably are leaner and better looking than what we think. Leaner isn't always better and we all have a tipping point. Accept compliments and believe them to be true as a distant eye (even if you just think they are being kind) has a wider lens than your own and simply start the discussion with your running community. I believe this is a much wider spread issue than what we make it and if I've learned anything about the ultra community, I've learned that it's a very close knit group with shared experiences and goals that the support knows no end. The choice to run is something we can easily support so lets also not forget about the other health components that go along with our sport.

Vincent Bouchard's Sinister 7 race report

Vincent Bouchard

It's been almost a week since Sinister 7 wrapped up and I'm sure you've heard by now but my weekend didn't go as planned. After dropping I had the pleasure of following fellow runners as they navigated this brutal 100M course. Along the way runners would come across obstacles they couldn't overcome, the heat and exposure being the most common. 75 percent of runners that toed the line that morning fell victim to the course and did not finish but as racers one by one cratered Vincent Bouchard seemed to gain strength as he went along. Vincent ended up winning in a time of 19:10:01 with a commanding lead over his second place competitor. His first major win and easily his best finish ever.  With all due respect Vincent has been known to struggle 2/3 into races and have a hard time regrouping, in fact, I remember telling him earlier this year that I can't wait for the day you put it all together and I'm soooo happy to tell you, that day has come! Vincent was nice enough to send me his race report and bare in mind: in a sport where the question isn't will you suffer but how do you endure the suffer, you might be surprised to read (take some notes)what drove him to such a feat.

Vincent writes:

Sinister 7 2014. 100 miles in the beautiful mountains of Crowsnest Pass. 5687m of elevation gain. An incredible race, perfectly organized and run by hundreds of awesome volunteers. An unforgettable experience!

Me and Vincent moments after finish

I finished the race in 19:10:01, for first place overall, by an hour and a half on the second finisher. My first 100 miler. I had definitely not foreseen this, not even in my wildest dreams. I'm bewildered! What just happened?

I could go through the different legs of the races, how I felt, the ups and downs, the numerous creek crossings, the crushing heat, etc. But to be honest, it would be rather boring; I really just felt great pretty much the whole way. Whatever was coming at me, I was taking it with a smile. Not to say that it was not difficult, but my state of mind was positive for the whole race. I have raced a number of ultras in the last three years, and it is the first time that this happens to me. So the question is: what did I do? What was different this time? I feel this is the most interesting aspect of my race. How did I manage to stay upbeat for 19 hours, how could I stay focused for 100 miles?

I think it really came down to one thing: mental focus. The one thing that has been my weakness in the last few years suddenly became my strength. How did I turn the tables around?

In previous races, this has always been what killed me. Every ultra runner knows that in the course of a long race one goes through successive ups and downs. A goal is to prevent the downs from being overwhelming, and keep pushing through. I have always managed to push through the downs (fortunately I have yet to DNF from an ultra race - I knock on wood!), but I know that they have very often prevented me for performing at my best. For Sinister 7, I was determined to try to overcome this weakness.

The week before the race I started reading a book on mind control in martial arts, which was fascinating. I still haven't finished the book yet, but I took one idea from it that turned out to be really inspiring.

One thing that they talk about in the book is the idea of associating the mental feeling of strength to a particular gesture, or a particular mantra. Once this association is ingrained in your brain, the idea is that whenever you recall the gesture or the mantra, you feel the strength going through your body, which enables you to stay focused and powerful.

So I decided to find a mantra that I would keep repeating myself during the race to stay focused. I didn't know what mantra to use, but in the end I went with one sentence that I remembered from my trip to Nepal many years ago, the famous Sanskrit mantra "Om mani padme hum".

My original idea was to recite this mantra whenever I felt bad, to help me push through the lows. But I ended up repeating this mantra in my head non-stop for pretty much the whole race. 19 hours of Om mani padme hum! (well at some point my brain was a little numb, and what I was repeating morphed into a song that I sing with my son - Petit poisson, petit poisson, nage nage nage - but it fluidly morphed back into Om mani padme hum .

While this sounds perhaps ridiculous, I am convinced that this mantra is the main reason why I felt great the whole race. Basically, whenever thoughts came into my mind (any kind of thoughts), I let them go, and refocused on the mantra. Thoughts of pain - Om mani padme hum. Thoughts of winning the race - Om mani padme hum. Thoughts of Oleg or Joe catching up with me on leg 6 - Om mani padme hum.

The result was that I remained focused in the present moment for the whole race. I never got ahead of myself. I never thought about winning until I was actually in the parking lot racing to the finish line. I never really let the thoughts of giving up, or the pain of running for 100 miles, get to me; as soon as they appeared in my head, I let them go and refocused. Basically, I never let the typical highs and downs of a long race get hold for me. I remained calm, peaceful, and focused. As the race progressed, Om mani padme hum became a refuge, a place to let my mind rest while my body kept moving. It became synchronized with the rhythm of my feet hitting the ground with metronomic regularity. I even composed a number of rhythmic variations of Om mani padme hum, to synchronize with the pace; the uphill power walking, the slow jogging, and the faster pace running.

Of course none of this has anything to do with the particular sentence Om mani padme hum; in fact I don't even remember what it translates to. The key was to find a primal chant, a mantra, that would allow my mind to rest and prevent thoughts from taking control of myself. The way I see it, is that I ended up doing 19 hours of meditation, which happened to be while my body was running. This is really what the race was about for me; a long running meditation in a beautiful mountainous setting. And this is the key difference with my previous races; I wasn't there thinking about who is in front, who is behind, what my pace is, what splits I am doing, how can I make it to the next aid station, etc. I was meditating, in the present, focused on the moment. My mind wasn't controlling me; on the contrary. It was at rest, calmly letting my legs and core muscles propel my body forward.

In retrospect, I think this is the key lesson that I learned from this race. Running long distances is not really about running. It is about letting the mind rest. The actual running is secondary. It happens because we have been training for months and running has become a normal state for our bodies. The difficulty is not that much in keeping running for a long time, but rather in letting our mind allow our body to run. The mind is both the obstacle and the enabler. Once it finds a peaceful, quiet place to rest, it opens up possibilities that did not exist before. A quiet mind brings incredible strength and focus.

And that goes way beyond racing. This race was a true life lesson for me.

Finishing strong

$H!T happens

The chickens have come home to roost. The past several months I've lied to friends, family and even myself. I'm coming clean...my ankle sucks ass. I've gotten away with murder really, first running the R2R2R with friends in early May. I was so close to pulling the plug envisioning my ankle blowing up on the canyon floor and me riding shamelessly atop a mule back out to safety. Alas my ankle behaved and the adventure was stellar. Then two weeks later at the Blackfoot 100K and National 100K trail championships I gave myself a 50/50 chance of completing the race. Not only did I finish it, I feel I ran one of my better races to date winning the damn thing and setting a CR. So hell, if a guy is batting 2 for 2 with a rusty, tattered ankle why not Sinister 7 right?

Wrong!

After dropping from the race

Twenty two kilometers into the 100M trail run the technical single track trail took the worst possible pitch for my ankle and the tall grass and brush nearly blocked all sight of my foot fall; as a result making my ankle scream bloody murder. The throbbing pain made me extremely tentative making running these rock blanketed descents downright dangerous. Any trail runner could guess what happened next, not one but two rolls of my ankle both accompanied by a prepubescent school girl screech. The voice of reason told me to stop but the ultra runner inside me reminded me of the pain I felt at the 45K mark of Blackfoot followed by the eventual numbing from flooding inflammation. Needless to say I was conflicted, that was until I found myself at the first creek crossing. Plunging my ankle knee deep in that glacier cold water erased all feelings of pain and in its place a smile came upon my face. I remember telling myself, "I'm tired of running in pain." I chilled in that creek for awhile very happy with my decision of dropping from the race.

Being really good at lying to ourselves makes us equipped with the best tool it takes to run ultras but it also sets us up to disregard proper sign of injury. I'm exhausted! I'm tired of telling people "Hey, my ankle is good." I'm tired of grimacing every downhill step of every run. Somewhere along the way I forgot the reason why I run. It's tough to enjoy a run when you're in pain.

Hi, my name is Dave and I have a lying problem.

BIG congrats goes out to Vincent Bouchard and Caroline Mcilroy for two earth shattering performances making hard to beat S7 course records.

Look mom, I'm on television!

I've never been on television before…until now! Cara Fullerton from Global news contacted me last week wanting to interview me about what it takes to run an ultra marathon. I was nervous because I heard the camera adds ten pounds but at the end I have to admit, it was a lot of fun.

Top 7 at Sinister 7???

It's safe to say that this year's Sinister 7 has the fastest, most accomplished field in its history. That being said, it's time to get our ultra geek hats on and start geeking out. Let's make some predictions shall we?

I've compiled a list of what I believe are the top runners on July 5th soloing the 100M journey over 5687m of trail goodness called Sinister 7. Now keep in mind, there is always some young unknown that shows up on race day and knocks it out of the park. Sometimes racers fly under the radar and one big race will announce their presence. Off hand I can think of a few in that position that are running this year. But this list is made up of the seven men and women that, in my opinion, I think it's safe to say will have big days barring in mind injury, epic fails or running off course. You'll notice as well that I'm not placing these runners in order from one to seven. That takes all the fun out of it…that's for you to do. Another reason I'm not predicting the placing order is I'm putting myself in the list. I hope you don't think this is an arrogant move on my part but I do believe I have a place in the top seven. So, here it is, ladies first:

Michelle Barton

Michelle Barton (Laguna Niguel, CA): A quick click on ultrasignup and you'll see that Michelle runs fast, races a lot and obviously recovers well from race to race. Specializing in 50K/50M races (and winning most of them) Michelle has a knack for carrying speed over tricky terrain. After last year's win at the Javelina Jundred100K in 9:50 she is an obvious force to be reckoned with at Sinister7.

Dennene Huntley

Dennene Huntley (Edmonton, AB): A strong downhill runner with great speed on roll sections, Dennene has the strength and definitely the attitude of a seasoned ultra marathoner. A three time podium finisher at the Canadian Death Race, momma told me never bet against a 9:04 100Ker.

Tracy Garneau

Tracy Garneau (Jasper, AB): A legend in our sport Tracy won Western States in 2010 with a time of 19:01. She returned the next year and ran 39 minutes faster but found herself in 4th place. She has won the HURT100M 3 times and has won the TNF50K proving not only does she have crazy endurance, she also has incredible speed.

Deb Russell (Calgary, AB): For the past few years I followed (aka stalked) Deb on Strava and I have to tell you, this girl is the real deal! She climbs like a beast, descends like a gazelle. Deb had some bad luck at last years S7 with a fall and eventual DNF. Placing 2nd at Sun Mountain50M earlier this year, Deb looks raring to go.

Deb Russell

Naomi Humenny (Kimberley, BC): Naomi is consistently placing in the top 10. She DNF'd at S7 in 2012 enroute to winning the Fatdog70M so she may have been using the S7 as training. Having a strong race at the mountainous Fatdog sets her up for a great finish at S7.

Abi Moore (Fernie, BC): The hometown fave and reigning 2012 and 2013 S7 champ, Abi has stood on the podium at every ultra she has competed at. Some say that Abi has just got started. The sky is the limit for this gritty runner.

Joanne Schmidt (Calgary, AB): Already claiming a victory at Blackfoot50M in May Joanne is looking in fine form. Finishing in 5th at S7 in 2012 Joanne knows this course well and will look to improve this year.



And now for the boys:

Oleg Tabelev

Oleg Tabelev (Calgary, AB): With a 2nd in 2010, 3rd in 2011 and a 1st in 2012 Oleg has shown time and time again his dominance on the S7 course. Starting the 2014 season with wins at both the Frozen ass50K and Elk Beaver100K Oleg is a stone cold killer who'll always make you check your rear view mirror.

Hal Koerner

Hal Koerner (Ashland, OR): OMG!!! When checking ultrasignup I found this 'little' resume: 1st 2006 Angeles Crest 100M, 1st 2007 Western States 100M, 1st 2008 Angeles Crest 100M, 1st 2009 Western States 100M, 1st 2010 Lake Sonoma 50M, 1st 2011 Javelina Jundred 100M, 1st 2011 Rocky Raccoon 100M, 1st 2011 Hardrock 100M, 1st 2013 Javelina Jundred 100M. Shut the front door! While your at it go to the back door and shut that too!

Vincent Bouchard

Vincent Bouchard (Edmonton, AB): Finishing 3rd at last year's S7 and winning the Blackfoot100K that same year Vincent (in my opinion) is sooo close to breaking out from his cage. Look for a strong leg 6 from this up and comer.

Joe Huising

Carl Pryce (Calgary, AB): The list of podium finishes is too long for these skinny, old fingers to type. Mostly sticking to Alberta ultras Carl has been a dominant force in the Alberta Ultra Series since 2007. If you notice an animal rip past you up a steep hill its most likely a Carloileus Prycianus.

Joe Huising (Edmonton, AB): This bad mamma jamma gets better year after year. With a 2nd place finish at S7 in 2012, a 1st place finish at the Lost Soul100M in 2012 and a 3rd place finish at the Canadian Death Race last year it's obvious Joe is amongst the leaders in every race.

Carl Pryce

Dave Proctor

Dave Proctor (Black Diamond, AB): It's kinda weird writing about yourself. I've been on a roll since 2012 winning 5 out of 6 ultras I've completed including 2012 Blackfoot100K, 2013 ElkBeaver100K, 2013 Lost Soul100M and just recently the 2014 Blackfoot100K. I feel a steady improvement and look forward to testing myself at S7.

Philippe Lagace (Calgary, AB): Okay, here's my wild card for this year. As an unknown racing his first ultra Philippe ran a 8:51 and finished 2nd at the Blackfoot100K this past May. After the race I asked him if he was running S7 which he replied "Yes, but it'll be my first 100M." To which I say, yeah, but this was your first 100K and you kinda whipped this race like a rented mule.

First attempt at being a pace bunny

     Earlier this year I registered for the Calgary Marathon 50K to run with the MitoCanada team. After registering and taking a better look at my race schedule I realized this race was only one week following the Blackfoot100K, an "A" race and this year's National 100K Championships. Fearing I would show up at the Calgary Marathon 50K and race the damn thing, I emailed the organizing committee and begged them to take me on as a pace bunny. The finishing time I was given to pace was 4:30, a 5:24 min/km pace which isn't a normal pace for me but isn't painfully slow either. Approaching race day I knew of a few runners that would be joining me, one of which was Dennene Huntley who has run an average pace of 5:24 min/km over 100K so I knew we'd be surrounded by good energy and fresh legs.

     I arrived on the start line 15 minutes before start time. Immediately runners started surrounding me, some friends (Frank, Mark, and Greg) and some pleasant strangers all about to embark on a 50K journey through Calgary's finest neighbourhoods. Surprisingly, my friend and running icon Ryan Twa approached me and announced he would run with me that day. Ryan is a sub 2:40 marathoner and a recent victim of a hard fall off his road bike. Road rash everywhere and a possible cracked rib he couldn't see himself racing, so instead he took it easy with me for the day. 

     While most of these runners were about to take on the new and scary experience of running an ultra marathon, what was new for me was being a pace bunny and ultimately being responsible for maintaining said pace for 50K. That being said, the energy and the positivity shot us out from the Stampede grounds, through the Calgary Zoo and eventually towards the city's SW. Now, I'm biased but hot damn we had an awesome group! The next 25K were spent laughing, high fiveing children and carrying on a steady even split pace. At times I'd look back and see 25-30 runners latching on to the energy and spirit of the group and boy, in a sport where pain and focus reign supreme, positive energy is the nectar of the gods. 

     As we ran north on 14th Street the runners in my group grew quiet. This was the typical timeline within a race the "suck" bleeds in, so even more so I tried to be more positive and encouraging. We circled onto Memorial Drive which I later called the 'Pain Cave'. The heat  seemed to absorb into the asphalt and one by one the runners slowed their pace. It seemed like every time I looked back the group was thinning out. During the beginning of our first out and back on Memorial I relished in the glory of being passed by all the faster 50K runners, all of which I'm quite good friends with. Even Oleg Tabelev stopped to give me a back massage, shouldn't that be the other way around? As the crowd of now struggling runners grew quiet I got louder. But I wasn't alone, both Ryan and Dennene played the part of cheerleaders the rest of the way. The last 5K of the race was a very interesting experience for me. Besides the cheering from supporters on the sidelines it was as quiet as a morgue and it seemed like there was a sniper hiding not far, occasionally shooting out someone's hamstrings or lower legs with a cramping bullet. I would get passed by one then I would pass twenty. I felt horrible as I passed because they'd look up and see a fresh pace bunny bound passed them, look up and see the 4:30 time on my sign, most likely the time they wanted to beat. I'm proud to say when my GPS clicked 50.0K my time was 4:30:06, SNAP! I crossed the finish line in 4:31:?? and spent the next while hugging and high fiving the runners I tried helping that day.

To any runner that hasn't been a pace bunny before, do it! I thought it would be a rewarding experience but it's fair to say this was definitely the most fun I've ever had at any running event. The final 10K was spent with a smile plastered on my face. I got a solid 50K supported training run in, made new friends, spent time with old ones and I'd like to think I helped others in achieving their goals.

Oh yeah, you maybe asking yourself after seeing me in all these photos carrying the sign. Aren't you supposed to only run with the sign the first few km and discard it at an aid station? To that I ask you, "What else would I ride like a horse through the finish line at the 2014 Calgary50K?!?!?"

Blackfoot Ultra 2014 National 100K Championships

Andy and me after 50K

      The race weekend started with a prerace dinner with friends Joe and Karon Huising. We ate plenty and over dinner we discussed my game plan for the ultra the next morning. The Blackfoot Ultra attracted a very fast field this year given the fact that it was designated the 100K National Trail Championships for 2014. A couple of the top runners Oleg Tabelev and Andy Reed had raced hard only two weeks prior. Knowing that it takes me longer than two weeks to completely recover, I thought my best strategy was to push the pace early in hopes they would follow and eventually wear out. This was a risky plan knowing I could bury myself instead.

John Hubbard, Joe Huising, me and Oleg Tabelev

       Saturday May 24th 5:00am the gun sounded and my plan to push the pace started immediately. The temperature was 12 degrees Celsius at race start and we ran out into a very rolly 25K loop in beautiful Elk Island Park eventually running 4 loops, each one proving to have their own challenges. A couple K into the race I noticed that Andy was the only chaser and boy were we moving. At times running 4 min/km our opening splits were crazy fast: 10K (0:43:30), 21K (1:31:00). At this pace a blow up was sure to happen but was it gonna be me or him. Around the 42K mark (3:11:00) there is an equestrian section of the course that my ailing ankle just hated. The pain set in, my lower leg started to tighten and my pace started to drop. Sensing an opportunity Andy blew past me. It took everything I had to keep pace with him to finish off that loop all the time telling myself "All I need to do is make it to the third loop, Sammy's loop."

New Balance 1400's

       In my last blog post I wrote about the four loops at the Blackfoot Ultra and how I was dedicating each loop to my wife and each of my kids. Two years ago the third loop was when I really suffered. This time around I knew that thinking of Sam would help me a ton. Upon finishing the second loop I was in big trouble and the pain in my ankle was getting worse. I was thinking while I run away into the third loop, I would stop and walk back to the start but the opposite happened. I sprinted out onto the course and said "Sam." My pace picked up, my pain diminished, spirits rose and every couple minutes repeated my son's name "Sam."

Me and Philippe Legace

       The dude that was winning the 50M at the time Mack Kont was back and forth with me and when I looked back, Andy was nowhere to be seen. Awesome this was the gap lap. I loved running past spots I remember suffering at two years ago, now breezing right past. The heat of the day was setting in and Mack was having stomach issues which made his pace drop and for the first time in the race I was all alone. Alone with Sam.
       For the third time that day I ran through the damn equestrian section of the course, once again putting more torque on the ankle. The mood started slipping yet again until I heard a familiar "Whoop whoop!" behind me. My buddy John Hubbard, who was
running the 50K, had caught up with me. He mentioned he was already suffering and we should run together…done! John and I ran the remaining third loop together and I have to admit, finishing 75K with 25K left to go I felt pretty bloody good.

       I learnt I had a solid 12 minute lead over Andy and knew a solid first half of the fourth loop would solidify the win. The fourth loop was different than all other loops since all 100K, 50M, 50K and 25K runners were now out on the course. Running with all the other runners was uplifting. Ultra runners are cool people and everyone was so positive. John and I ran the 

Me and Any Reed

Me and Gary Poliquin

Blackfoot hills (which I swear get taller every lap) and put out a solid 14K when I saw my friend and killer ultra runner Joe Huising on the course. He told me if I pick up the pace a huge course record could be set and I could squeeze under 8:30. The CR was 8:49 set by Richard Webb in 2007. I picked up the pace and felt good doing so but as I started really striding out my hamstrings started cramping. I took some salt tabs, started to run faster again and the cramps crept back. I decided at this point to hold back the speed and with now only 6K left coast into the finish for the win.

       With a mile left to go, my friend Oleg Tabelev met me on the trail and ran me into the finish. Unfortunately Oleg dropped out earlier after 50K due to hip issues. I'm proud to say we've become very good friends in the past year and it was great running the remaining bit with him. 

        I finished at 8:38, ecstatic I whooped, raised my arms and most importantly kissed Sharon. I am the 2014 National 100K Trail Champion and proud owner of my first course record! I raced in the New Balance 1400's road racing flat, not a trail shoe but 5.3 oz of true running bliss.

After race beverages with friends

25K in

       Upon completion I devoured two Dilly Bars, iced my ankle, drank a cold coke, sat down and reached for a beer when I heard "The second place finisher is coming." I turn around to see this guy I didn't know come barreling down the chute finishing in 8:51 to claim second place. Confusion set in, this is not Andy Reed, not Vincent Bouchard, not Rene Castel. It was Philippe Legace and this was his first ultra! Standing there in amazement (and yes a bit of fear), myself, Joe Huising, Oleg Tabelev, Wayne Gaudet and John Hubbard all taking note of this new threat in the Canadian ultra scene. Andy finished only 9 minutes back of Philippe in third place in 9:00 hours which would have won any other year. 

Copy cat

       The rest of the day was a fun filled, fruit beer drinking day hanging with friends under the New Balance tent. Half lit, watching runners finishing one by one is good for the soul. Many thanks to Gary Poliquin for once again putting on such an amazing event. With all the hype surrounding some ultras I believe the Blackfoot Ultra is the best kept secret in the Canadian ultra scene.