Reminiscing - Polar Bear Run 2007

 

Polar Bear Run 2007 - a 30km "run" across Lake Winnipeg from Gimli to Grand Marais.

 

**A friend of mine recently completed this same run and it got me thinking back to the year when I did it. I searched through my computer and then through race reports I had written for RunningMania and it took me forever to track ti down. I decided to repost so I could go back and remember exactly what I am capable of. More than I ever thought - I have to keep on reminding myself of that...

 

Southern end of Lake Winnipeg

March 11, 2007 - The weather forecast that the day was going to be great. I got up at 6:15 and had a quicke bite to eat before going outside to wait for fellow runners Dwayne and Pam, and driver Mike. They were promptly there at 7:00 and we headed north to Gimli and Husavik Road where the run was scheduled to start. It was an access road and there were cottages all around – no bathrooms and no bushes to hide behind. Since we were early, and after checking in with the few people who were already there, we decided to drive the four miles north to Gimli to find some bathroom facilities. We met some other runners, Ian and Cheryl, who had had the same idea as they were at the same gas station as us.

Back at the start area (There was really no start line as this was not an official race) we had a group picture taken and someone yelled out, "Shall we go now?!" Someone else said, "Sure!" and that was the start – no bib, no line, no chip, no mat…just a bunch of us running down the snowy shore of the lake. I started  my watch and made my way with the other out onto the frozen surface.  The footing was dicey and it was already slow going... "What had I gotten myself into?" was the first thought that crossed my mind. In about 5 minutes in we hit the official groomed snowmobile track. It was packed and fairly solid. Thank goodness for I am not sure if I would have been able to run 18 miles on something barely passable as a trail.
The first group spread out rather quickly. (I started with the slower group – those of us who had previously determined that it would take us longer than 3 hours to complete the run.) The ‘speedys’ hung back and started about an hour after us – in hopes that we could all finish in roughly the same time.

It was a surreal experience – running on the frozen lake surface. The trail was marked every 1/0th of a mile with bright orange posts, so you could see the trail clearly until it eventually disappeared into the horizon. But this was unlike any other run I had done in that there were no actual mile markers. I knew time was passing, because I had my watch on, but since the scenery didn’t change from mile to mile, it felt like I was suspended in a never-ending frozen wasteland.

Miles and miles of grey nothingness

There was a point about an hour in when I had stopped to take some Gatorade and a gel…I looked ahead, behind, to the left and to the right – all I could see was endless white. Aside from the other runners, who at this point were quite a ways either in front of me or behind, I felt like I was the only person on the planet. It was very close to one of the most humbling experiences of my life.

The time seemed to pass more quickly than I had anticipated and before I knew it, it was already two hours in. By this time I could make out the shoreline in the distance. It was interesting in that it didn’t seem to get any closer no matter how long I ran – even half an hour later it seemed to be the same distance away. So I stopped looking up…



Arriving on the eastern shore

At about 3 hours the shore had started to become distinctive and I could just make out cottages on the far side. By this time the trail had become quite ‘sugary’ due to the rising temps and the snowmobiles that had stirred up the track going back and forth. I tried to stay as close to the still frozen side as I could, but it didn’t seem to make a difference anymore – I think I may have logged an extra half mile zigging and zagging trying to find adequate footing.

Finally a skier passed me and said that there were only 2 ½ miles to shore. Those were the longest miles I have ever logged. Finally I came over a slight rise that separated the lake from the lagoon and I could see people waiting on the shore. There was no stopping at that point – I wanted to be done and see my parents and my two boys who were waiting for me on the shore. There was no finish line, no finishers medal and no schwag waiting at the end…but there was relief, pride, and a huge sense of accomplishment. 

Fellow runners who had come in before me were there with big hugs and congratulations. I found out from couple of veteran runners that conditions were the best they had been in years. I couldn't imagine running in worse conditions than the final half an hour out there.

I completed the just-under-18-mile run in 3 hours 35 minutes. 





Building forts under the drifing snow blown in from the lake

 It was a was gone in a couple of hours and I was already thinking of the next one.wonderful run, the soreness

My kids had a great time playing on the shoreline waiting for me to arrive. They were also treated to a "tour" of our bombardier that carried gels, water, power bars and gatorade back and forth along the trail.

**I have not done this run since then - that was 6 years ago and after listening to my friend Bob's experience it made me want to revisit this amazing experience.