Two Nova Scotia men conquer Cape Wrath ultramarathon
Two Nova Scotia men have successfully completed one of the most challenging races in the world: the Cape Wrath Ultramarathon.
Last month, Cameron Campbell and Matt Hardy ran 400 kilometres over eight days through the highlands of Scotland.
“I love the idea of doing endurance and trail running because it’s about using your mental toughness and stubbornness to do something really challenging,” says Campbell.
The long-time friends signed up for the race in 2020, but had to wait until this year to participate due to COVID-19.
The race has a reputation for being the toughest ultramarathon in the United Kingdom, but this year, the unusually cold and wet weather made the event especially treacherous.
“It was rainy and cold and just really rough,” says Hardy. “The race director said it was the toughest Cape Wrath to date.”
This year, 270 people lined up on the start line, but only 104 crossed the finish line on day eight at the Cape Wrath lighthouse.
Organizers say the finishing rate is usually about 60 per cent, but this year, about 40 per cent of the runners finished. Cameron and Hardy, both age 35, were among the successful participants, but they both admit they were tempted to give up on more than one occasion.
“You're out there for 10 to 14 hours and there were a lot of times when I was like, ‘when I get to camp tonight, I'm going to quit, I can't do this again tomorrow,’” says Hardy.
After each day of competition, participants sleep in tents. They carry their own gear, water and food while running. The daily routes vary in length from 26 km to 72 km, all over treacherous terrain ranging from beaches to bogs to mountains.
“On some days, we were doing the equivalent of climbing a quarter or a half of Mount Everest back to back. It meant you really had to dig deep, mentally more so than physically,” says Campbell.
Both men say they were pushed harder than they ever imagined, but they are already training for their next ultramarathon in Cape Breton this August.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.