Power walking the Niagara Ultra 50k

Well, more than a week after walking the Niagara Ultra 50k I have finally crawled out of my coma to write a blog entry.

Who thought up these races anyway? And who was it that said to me – “Come on Lee…it’s just 8k more than a marathon”?

Oh, yes, it’s all coming back to me. It was that crazy WoW Power Walking coach Jill Pettit. Jill has a passion for distance that is reflected on her 43k face seen here. No one should look that happy at the 43k mark of a 50k race.




Seriously, 50k is a long way. We walked all the way from Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake to the top of Niagara Falls – and BACK! Training for these distances has to be taken seriously and, sadly, I admit my training was not up to WoW standards owing to several events conspiring against me in May. Now, I’m not whining here but I do want people to know that there is a reason we coach people with the mantra “Set yourself up for success”. The corollary to that is: follow the training schedule, do the distance, and do the speed work. This is why we follow our training schedules and work out hard and fast in class. So go ahead - chide me on not following my own advice.

For my comrades in pain who met me at the start on the morning of June 20 to complete the Niagara Ultra 50k a heart congratulations. All three of them trained to perfection. They were well prepared and well rewarded with stupendous results. Jeff finished in an astonishing 5:51:49. Jill finished this race last year in 6:35:50. This year she crossed the line in 6:01:26. That’s 34 minutes faster! Jay finished he race last year in 7:17:13. This year he crossed the line in 6:37:55. That’s 40 minutes faster! WoW is an understatement! And, again WoW – good training works!

The next race on the WoW horizon is the Midsummer Night’s Run and Walk in August. We dress up in Shakespearean themed garb and have a blast walking 15 kilometers on the Leslie Street Spit in Toronto. I’ll be ready for this one – “Over hill, over dale, Thorough bush, thorough brier, Over park, over pale,
Thorough flood, thorough fire, I do wander everywhere, Swifter than the moon's sphere’

Look for me on roads and trails – I’ll be the one with wings and pink eyelashes – race specific training don’t ya know.

Join this post by telling us about your own training success or failures – we learn from them all!