Beginning the Adventure of a Lifetime

A year ago, Ray Zahab ran across the Sahara Desert in 111 days. Next year, he plans to run all the way to the North Pole. Not bad for a former pack-a-day smoker who went for his first training run barely four years ago. And if he has one message, it's this: You can do it too.

My friend Pat showed up at my place in December 2003, all geared up and ready to go for a run. He was wearing these funky-looking shoes with shocks on the bottom and he totally looked the deal. I, on the other hand, was not looking so ready. My running experience amounted to the grand total of four or five runs I had done between 2000 and 2003. Running just wasn't my thing.

But after giving up a pack-a-day smoking habit and a life of non-stop partying, this was my new identity: Mountain biker and adventure racer. The mountain-biking part was fine. I was doing lots of off-season training, riding an indoor bike trainer. But the only times I had ever tried to run, it was more like speed hiking through Gatineau Park in preparation for an adventure race. I felt comfortable on a bike. Running was not fun - it was torture.

Pat sized up the shoes I had bought for my new career as runner and said they'd do the trick. Then he explained how this first run was going to go down. We would take a left off my front doorstep and then run for eight kilometres. Eight kilometres! Where I live, in Chelsea, Quebec, it's pretty hilly. As in big hills.

"Much easier to use a bike," I thought as I tied my shoes, trying to figure out a way to delay the run. I think I re-adjusted the laces a hundred times.

I loved mountain biking - enough to bike sometimes ten times per week. I also loved to race. And I had discovered that the longer the race, the more fun it was. I attempted a few 24-hour mountain bike races and really enjoyed them. The pace was slower than conventional racing, and I didn't have to rely as much on my technical skills, which were lousy.

At one point I was biking so much that I started getting overuse injuries, mostly with my hip flexor. I was being treated by chiropractor, adventure racer and elite cyclist Duane Smith for chronic tightness in my left hip, and it was on one of these visits to Duane's office that my life would change forever.

In December 2003, on one of my usual visits to his clinic, I was sitting in Duane's waiting room when I picked up a copy of an outdoor magazine. I flipped the pages and landed on an article about an ultra-running race that takes place in the Yukon every February. Imagine 160 kilometres of non-stop running in Arctic temperatures, all the while dragging a sled with everything you need to survive the harsh, winter conditions.

I couldn't believe it. The people I was reading about blew my mind. One photo especially caught my attention. The runner in the photo - an average looking person - looked back at me from the pages with a look on his face that said, "I know something about myself that you wish you knew about yourself but don't."

That was it. I needed to know what this fellow knew. I decided right then that I would enter this race. Never mind the fact that it was taking place only two-and-a-half months later. Never mind the fact that I had never even run a marathon, a 10k or, for that matter, even a 5k road race.

I had no history of running to speak of at all, but I decided right then that I would run 160 kilometres in a matter of 10 weeks. I called Pat. Help! Teach me how to run!

We took off at a pace that seemed reasonable, I guess. As we ran along I got warmed up and thought maybe this isn't so bad after all. The cold winter air no longer was so cold, my feet actually warmed up and my hands followed suit. Then the wheels started to fall off. Pat seemed to pull ahead at a faster and faster pace. But he wasn't running faster. I was running slower, and at this point I couldn't help but think of what an idiot I was for thinking I would be able to keep this up for a hundred miles only a few months later.

Pat did his best to pass along words of running wisdom: "Stay relaxed." "Pick your feet up." "Look up, look ahead, look up, look ahead." Meanwhile, I wanted to puke.

On my bike I always felt like I was in such good shape. But this was different. This run was hurting my legs, and after we got to the halfway point I developed a stitch in my side that felt like I had swallowed a Frisbee. Pat looked back for me. I was now walking, and decided that perhaps I had bitten off more then I could chew.

Before Pat left my place that day he gave me some things to work on, including a plan on how to build mileage in the coming months. Three weeks later, I was able to run with Pat for much longer distances. "Wow," I thought then, "running is actually kind of fun. I think I get why people like this so much."

But a few weeks earlier, as we reached my doorstep after an 8k run I could barely finish, my last thought was, "I wonder if I'll stick with this."

Ray Zahab not only completed the 160-km Yukon Arctic Ultra, he won the race. He has since become Canada's most renowned ultramarathon runner. Beginning in November 2006, Ray and two other runners ran across the Sahara Desert in 111 days, averaging 70 kilometres per day without a single day's rest.

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How to Become an Adventure Runner

If you think ultramarathons and adventure races are beyond your capacity, remember this: Barely four years ago, Ray Zahab could barely make it through an 8k run and now he's planning to run 80k a day for almost two weeks. Here are some tips on making the transition from runner to adventure runner, from Canada's most prolific adventure racer.

1 Be prepared for something different. This won't be like a marathon run on downtown streets. You're really pushing yourself to all limits. The races are tough, they're in hard places. It can be extremely cold or extremely hot. You might be using a GPS to find your way. You might be dropped in the middle of nowhere.

2 Start with a goal. Have a race in mind and work yourself toward it. Give yourself enough time. I encourage people to dream big, but don't do what I did when I chose a 160k race that was 10 weeks ahead. Pick something that's six months to a year away.

3 Match your training to the race terrain. If your race is going to be on trail, then do as much training as you can on trail. That will give you the agility you'll need. If your race is going to be on the road, then you really want to get your body as accustomed as possible to long hours on pavement.

4 Train realistically and use a plan, but listen to your body. Train based on how you feel. Some people can take increased distances routinely. Other people need more time to adapt. Listen to your body. Really become in tune with your body.

5 Tailor your training schedule to the race. If you're doing a staged ultramarathon that lasts several days, do long weekend runs on both Saturday and Sunday. If you're doing a non-stop ultramarathon, do one long training run at a slower pace.

6 Hydration is incredibly important. You have to make sure you keep your body hydrated throughout your training and when you're racing. Get your body used to drinking and fuelling while you're running. This is even more important than when you're training for a marathon.

7 Set a budget and raise some money. Adventure racing isn't cheap. Figure out how much it's going to cost and start planning for it. The cost of the race depends on the location and the conditions. If you're going off to the jungles of the Amazon, it's going to cost you more. But it's worth it: These are life-changing experiences.

  WEB EXTRA:  Submit your question for Ray and we’ll pass it on.
  WEB EXTRA: More From Ray: Bad mistakes, I've made a few.