Running 63 kilometres non-stop with the clock ticking is a tough slog.
Now try covering that distance on muddy off-road road trails where the hills are monsters and the water sometimes runs deep.
That task does not appear too daunting for a group ultra-distance aficionados in Sunday's Mad Moose Marathon. As of Wednesday afternoon, Michael Warr, Reid Roberts, Robin Levant, Stephen Hooker and Terri Gale had all signed up to run in Sunday's race, starting bright and early at 6 a.m. at Otway Nordic Centre. The ninth annual event also features full-marathon (42.2 km) and half-marathon (21.1 km) distances.
The course is known for its difficult terraine and inaccessible trails away from roads and it's not recommended for first-time marathoners. All ultra runners are required to finish before the 10-hour cutoff time to avoid disqualification.
"I look at the course two ways," said race organizer Richard Stewart. "There's the UNBC side above Takla Road and that tends to be drier, and then there's the Otway side and that tends to be a lot wetter. There are some significant swampy areas on the Otway area approaching the Greenway Trail.
"I've run the race and I've fallen a couple times when it's been wet and some of the ground is as spongy as permafrost and gives away like a bed. You bounce and come up dirty, it's good times. It's all dirt, all trails and no pavement so you don't have to worry about cars."
Last year's race drew 124 runners. As of Wednesday, most of the 82 runners on the registration list at strideandglide.ca were half-marathoners. The deadline for registration is Friday at 6 p.m.
"We're lucky we have a good core of volunteers who step forward to help with this thing," said Stewart. "Once you get the date set and the first-aiders lined up, most of the people who do the volunteer work seem to come back, and they've been doing it for years. A lot of them help out at other events too but the Moose seems to be a favourite of theirs."
A volunteer from the Prince George ATV Club will be set up at Takla Road aid station to help just in case somebody gets hurt on the course and has to be evacuated.
Stewart, who turns 62 on Nov. 28, is a veteran of 112 marathons and he plans to run the full marathon on Sunday. After Mad Moose, he's entered in Thanksgiving marathons in Victoria (Oct. 11) and Seattle (Nov. 29). He finished his first marathon in 1988.
The full-marathon starts at 7:30 a.m., followed at 9:30 a.m. by the half-marathon. Most of the runners are expected to cross the finish by 1 p.m.
Race packages are available for pickup at Stride & Glide Sports, 1655A 15th Ave., Saturday from 4-6 p.m. A the package pickup racers can drop off food, water or clothing they'll need in the race, to be taken to the race stations at Takla Road or UNBC.
Mad Moose Marathon course record holders
Ultra Marathon (63 km)
Men -- Jeff Hunter, 4:55:56, 2012
Women -- Rio Dinu, 6:58:16, 2012
Marathon (42.2 km)
Men -- Jim Van Bakel, 3:09:45, 2014
Women -- Shar Jackson, 3:28:25, 2012
Half marathon (21.1 km)
Men -- Brian Nemethy, 1:27:45, 2010
Women -- Shar Jackson, 1:32:49, 2009
