Sault runner promises an ultra athletic tourism experience for locals, visitors in October

The Sault’s Nick Brash has organized the first ever Ultra Trail Stokely Creek event for long distance runners, both from the Sault and area and from far away.

Heading out from Stokely Creek Lodge in Goulais River Oct. 5, taking runners on a trek across rugged terrain with dips and valleys, the adventure, depending upon the distance each runner chooses, will include a look at Robertson Cliffs, King Mountain and Buttermilk Ski Hill in the Algoma Highlands.

The event, Brash told SooToday, is the first of its kind in the Sault and area as it includes gruelling 55 and 83 kilometre runs, apart from shorter five, 15, and 32 kilometre stretches.

“As soon as you get one kilometre past the marathon distance of 42 kilometres you’re into the world of ultra marathoning,” Brash said.

The October event is Brash’s baby, brought about with the help of several sponsors.

“I want this to be more than a local race. I’m attempting to get people from out of town. Tourism Sault Ste. Marie has been fantastic, along with Algoma Kinniwabi and Destination North, they bought into my idea a long time ago, the biggest partner in all of this being the Algoma Highlands Conservancy, because this race doesn’t happen without their land.”

Experienced in such events, Brash said “the only way I could’ve travelled the world the last three years in running these competitions and qualifying for them was by training in the Highlands.”

“It is such a difficult area to train in. There’s no flat ground. Everything is up and down and climbing mountains. It’s the best place to train for this, and for the last few years I’ve had it in my mind to develop my own race, and that’s what we’ll be doing this year.”

Brash, 40, before moving to the Sault four years ago for employment purposes, was told by a doctor “you weigh 270 pounds and you’re going to get diabetes if you don’t make a change.”

Brash started eating healthy and began running for five minutes a day, then 10, then 15.

“Eventually I just start noticing, after running the Stokely trail system, ‘Wow, I’ve been running for an hour now,’ then two hours, for 20 kilometres, which is a half marathon.”

“I started pushing myself and as the pounds fell off I was able to go further and further until in February I was in Texas to run a qualifying race for France 2020 (which winds through France, Italy and Switzerland). I ran a hundred miles in 22 hours,” Brash marvelled, now weighing a trim 160 pounds.

He is currently training for his second France 2020 qualifier, to be held in Utah in May.

“I hope to get at least my lottery ticket to get into the event,” said Brash, who runs daily from his downtown workplace to the Sault Ste. Marie Golf Club and back during lunch, followed by a run later in the day for 20 to 30 kilometres “on the biggest hill I can find until my trail system opens back up.”

“My hope is that down the road, after a couple of successful years of putting on this race in our area is that I can make this a destination and a qualifying race for the event in France. If I can get a stamp from the International Trail Running Association that says it’s a qualifying race, it will be exposure for our area. It will be a fantastic tourism opportunity to bring people here, it’ll be an automatic draw for runners, to experience the Agawa Canyon tour train in the fall, see the Bushplane Museum and do all the ‘touristy’ things while they’re here.”

“I do have a couple of local runners who have already agreed to tackle the 55 and the 83, which will be great exposure. I can cultivate the data for GPS positioning to send to the International Trail Running Association to show them just how hard these races are, and if they review that data and say ‘wow, there are a lot of hills out there,’ that’s how you get approved as a qualifier, because it has to be hard,” Brash said.

There’s something in trail runners that loves pain, Brash said.

“‘Embracing the hurt’ is the way a lot of trail runners describe the ultra marathon. You push yourself past limits you thought you’d never be able to tackle. Your body will go much further than you think it will.”

“The finish is the absolute best, to know you’ve put yourself through something you didn’t think was possible,” adding the beauty of such events is the fact runners are, in large part, competing against themselves, trying to beat their own personal best.

“Overall I’m hoping for 15 to 20 people for each of the five distances for year one, to pull it off professionally. I do know I need a few people in the 55 and 83 to get the data I need to make it a qualifying race.”

Brash said committed trail runners from Iceland, Germany and Michigan have told him they’ll be here to take part in October, with approximately 40 people committed to run in the event, some in the 55 and 83 kilometre ultra marathons.

Several of those coming are experienced ultra marathon runners.

“40 people would be a success for me for year one,” Brash said.

Race packet pickups will be available for pickup at Outspoken Brewing Oct. 4, the Ultra Trail Stokely Creek event beginning Saturday, Oct. 5 at Stokely Creek Lodge.

Race start times are 5 a.m. for 55 and 83 kilometre runners, 10 a.m. for five kilometres, 12 p.m. for 32 kilometres, 2 p.m. for 15 kilometres.

An Outspoken Brewing tent will be available for all runners from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., a Solo Trattoria buffet dinner available for 15, 32, 55 and 83 kilometre runners, with an award and prizes ceremony to be held at 8 p.m.

To register for the Ultra Trail Stokely Creek event, go to the event’s website

The ultra marathon will be held regardless of unpredictable fall weather conditions.

“It could be snow,” Brash laughed.

“That’s part of the experience, being able to deal with whatever race day throws at you weather wise. Out of the eight ultras I’ve done, seven of them have been in pouring rain. I’m ready for anything.”

Brash, a Kingston, Ontario native who now lives in Goulais River, said “I’m thankful I moved here because I’ve fallen in love with this area.”