890 km Challenge
Canada's longest marked footpath and oldest trail
Like many ultrarunners, John Harrison Pockler was left without any races in 2020 when they began to be postponed and cancelled due to COVID-19, including the much awaited UTMB TDS taking place in the European Alps starting in Mont Blanc. John decided to design his own epic challenge – conquering the 890 km long Bruce Trail in Ontario, Canada to support mental health and the Bruce Trail Conservancy. His goal is to break the current supported Fastest Known Time (FKT) record of 9 days, 21 hours and 14 minutes set by Adam Burnett in 2017.
The route
About the Bruce Trail
The Bruce Trail was built in the year 1960 and is known as Canada’s longest marked footpath and oldest trail. It is considered Ontario’s most rugged terrain, spanning from Niagara Falls to Tobermory.
The Bruce Trail is marked with an abundance of waterfalls along its entire length, including the world-famous Niagara Falls. In order to accommodate the trail’s 890 km, a significant portion of it runs over private land. This required the Bruce Trail Committee to establish agreements with the land owners to allow for a challenge such as this one to become a reality.
John will be running from north to south starting in Tobermory, passing Owen Sound, skiing country Collingwood, crossing Hamilton, Burlington and continuing past wine country St. Catharines for a finish at Niagara Falls.
It would be great to see you out on the trail, so Get Involved with this epic project!