As a kid in elementary school, I hated exercise, especially running. In fact, I would sometimes pretend that I wasn’t feeling well to get out of running in gym class. When we had to run a 1km time trial, I struggled to finish and was one of the slowest, if not the slowest, kids to finish. I dreaded every time that we had to run in elementary school. Whenever I tried to run as a kid, I would get out of breath very quickly, my side would start hurting and my legs would fill up with lactic acid. When I was a kid, I preferred to read books or watch TV. At that time, I had no idea that one day I would fall so madly in love with running that I would do a marathon, let alone 30 marathons in 30 days and feel good doing it.
What inspired me to start running?
Honestly, I started running in middle school when I joined the cross-country team because I was cut from all the other sports teams. As a kid, I was not very athletic. However, I needed some extra-curricular activity points and the cross-country running team was my only option at the time. There was no tryouts for the cross country running team so everyone who signed up was automatically on the team. Running was not a popular activity for kids at my school, so there were only a handful of us on the running team. I didn’t do that well the first couple of years.
However, over time, I got faster. By high school, I was winning zone championships for cross country and track & field. I went to provincials for the 1500m and 3000m in Grade 10 and 11. However, I got injured in grade 12 and had to stop running for a couple of years. I returned to running in my second year of university. I registered for the TC10k that year intending to finish under one hour. However, I surprised myself with a 43:31 finish and got inspired to keep running. Then, I wanted to do the Victoria Marathon just once as a bucket list item. That same year, I completed the marathon in 3:28 and qualified for Boston. After that, I did several marathons including Vancouver, Boston, New York and Berlin. I completed each of the marathons well under 4 hours. Now my bucket list items include finishing the six World Marathon Majors and complete 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days, among many other things.
What lead up to the 30 Marathons in 30 days
In 2020, I was supposed to run the Chicago Marathon but the coronavirus pandemic resulted in the race being canceled. With that in mind, I challenged myself to complete 10 marathons in 10 days for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation during my mandatory summer vacation. The reason I chose to fundraise for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation was because the nurses and doctors saved my friend Ian Simpson’s life back in 2019 and it was my way of giving back to the frontline workers for the amazing work they do. I ended up completing 12 marathons in 12 days and a number of local runners joined me. It was one of the best ways to spend my summer vacation. Towards the end of that fundraising period, a generous man named Dennis Hoy donated $25,000 to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation after seeing me on the news. Unfortunately, he passed away shortly after that which made me sad because I never got a chance to say “thank you” in person.
I wanted to honor Dennis Hoy’s contribution to our hospitals and, therefore, in May of 2021 I embarked on a journey to run 30 marathons in 30 days. Originally, I was going to do 25 marathons in 25 days to symbolize his $25,000 donation but 30 was a nicer round number. My plan was to work as much as I could after each day of running.
Saanich News front page
How the 30 Marathons in 30 Days went
The first day was fairly uneventful. I felt alright and finished just under 5 hours. On the second day of my journey, I felt quite terrible. I got super tired and overheated a bit so I was really worried about how the rest of it would go. However, I picked myself up and felt great on day three. On day four, I had a bit of a stomach ache which lasted for half the day. On day five, I woke up feeling the best I felt since starting the journey. On day six, I was alone for most of it but the weather was perfect for doing a long run. On day seven, they were calling for rain so I dressed for it. I wasn’t too excited about the possibility of getting cold and wet. My friends joined me for 25km and then I ran the remainder by myself. On day eight, I didn’t sleep very well and was tired the entire day, so I struggled through it and took it easy. I had to walk almost the entire last 10k of day 8. On day nine, the weather was bad and I had to do most of the run alone so it was very challenging. Day ten was my fastest since I started the journey and I felt pretty awesome to be one third of the way through. That day, I finished the run in 4:40:27.
Running with my crew. Photo by Joseph Camilleri.
Day 11 was another uneventful but enjoyable day. My body was behaving, so I was happy about that. On day 12, I had a good pace going until km 28 and then I eased off a lot, knowing that I still had many days left. The next day, I didn’t take my walk break until I got to 36k. Therefore, day 13 was even faster than day ten. I finished day 13 in 4:35:49. On day 14, I took it easy and finished just under 5 hours. Day 15 was great from start to finish because I wasn’t alone for any part of it and I was able to pass the time chit chatting with other runners. On day 16, I really struggled because I had a tough time getting going, was tired and had to spend most of the day alone again. On day 17, I had trouble getting out of bed and had a rough start. However, day 17 ended up being the fastest at the time and I finished in 4:34:45. On day 18, I got a call from Robin and AJ from Ocean 98.5 and had a great day overall even though I didn’t run fast. On day 19, the weather was perfect for running and I had a wonderful day even though I was by myself for a while. However, Kevin from CHEK News was there for the finish. On day 20, I ran a little bit slower to conserve my energy for the remainder of the challenge.
Saanich News front page with Dr. Jeff Eisen.
Day 21 was exciting because Tecnet donated $10,000 to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. Dr Jeff Eisen ran with me on day 21 and we had a celebratory welcome to that day’s finish line in front of Tecnet. We were greeted by Tecnet’s president Ed Life, Tecnet employees, representatives from the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, and Black Press. Day 22 was great because I wasn’t alone for any of it but I ran a little bit slower. I finished day 22 in 5:01:53. On day 23, I tricked Amber and Sarah into finishing a marathon. It was great because, once again, I had company throughout the entire day. Day 24 was a bit cold and wet but I managed to finish in 5:16:04. On day 25, it was cold and rainy. That day, my hands got cold and my feet got wet, which wasn’t fun. However, I unknowingly picked up the pace and it became my new fastest day, finishing in 4:25:50. On day 26, I didn’t want to go to fast because I had to save my energy for the remainder of the challenge. Day 27 was yet another hard day for me due to the weather and the fact that I was feeling pretty tired. I also got a bit of a leg cramp and had to do a bunch of walking to finish day 27. On day 28, I was a bit nervous at the start because the previous day was a bit tough and I wasn’t sure how it would go. Thankfully, I finished day 28 in 4:34:06 and had some media interviews. The night before day 29, I stayed up late to try to finish my work. Additionally, I needed to send some media follow ups to ensure that Day 30 is a success. In spite of staying up late, I woke up without my alarm clock and was ready to go.
Running with some awesome people. Photo by Joseph Camilleri.
Day 30 was the grand finale and it ended up being my fastest day since starting the challenge. I finished day 30 in 4:18:55 (which was about one hour slower than my personal best). I felt absolutely fantastic that day. There was a fabulous group of runners with me the entire time and the staff at Tecnet set up a wonderful finish line with balloons. Reporters from CTV and Black Press were there. A special shout out to Charles Kuyper and Joseph Camilleri for taking pictures of the journey. Another shout out to Rob Reid from Frontrunners for hooking me up with some Saucony running shoes for the challenge.
Finishing the 30 Marathons in 30 days in front of Tecnet.
We raised almost $100,000 for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, had countless media interviews and I had a mix of good and tough days. I averaged about 30 hours of work per week on top of the running. I will always be grateful for the experience and the community support received. I absolutely LOVE this community that rallied around the Victoria Hospitals Foundation to uplift our healthcare heroes.
Essentials that helped make my 30 Marathons in 30 Days challenge a success
1.Protandim Dual Synergizer. Protandim NRF1 & Nrf2 effectively reduce oxidative stress by providing antioxidants and increasing production of antioxidant enzymes (Superoxide Dismutase and Catalase) which provide antioxidant defense. With Protandim Dual Synergizer, you get two formulas that work at the cellular level to help you live a healthier life. It is a source of antioxidants that help fight free radicals in your system. Use this link to get $15 off your first order if you are interested in trying it.
2.LifeVantage Daily Wellness. It is delicious, nutritious, and packed with 5 to Thrive. Daily Wellness is formulated with 5 ingredients that help support the immune system. The 5 to Thrive include vitamins C and D, zinc, elderberry, and a proprietary fermented yeast, with clinical trials to help support the immune system. Since the immune system is a bit vulnerable when doing tough physical challenges, I think this product helped me not get sick during my 30 marathons in 30 days. Use this link to get $15 off your first order if you want to try it.
3.Axio. AXIO Locaf eliminates the need to reach for sugary drinks or unnecessary calorie-laden snacks to give you the boost you need. Sugary energy supplements, drinks, and snacks set you up for a crash-AXIO doesn’t. Reach for AXIO instead- a zero-sugar boost that includes vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Whether you sit for an 8+hour work day or run errands around town, AXIO LOCAF can get you through your day. It definitely got me through my running and work days. Use this link to get $15 off your first order if you want to try it.
4. Foods rich in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy. Since 30 marathons in 30 days took a lot of energy, it’s very important to consume enough carbohydrates to avoid losing too much weight or crashing hard during the long run. I opted for complex carbohydrates such as whole wheat pasta. I also ate bread, burgers, salads and pizza. However, I did not have any alcohol the entire month.
5. Welch’s fruit snacks and Maurten Gels. Welch’s Fruit snacks are delicious and gave me the sugar that I needed. They have no artificial colors and no preservatives. I also love the Maurten Gels for my long runs because they harness hydrogel technology to develop carbohydrate-rich and natural sports drinks and energy gels that our bodies can tolerate. You can get Maurten gels here.