Ultimate. Bragging. Rights.
That’s what the Canadian Death Race is all about.
The Canadian Death Race (canadiandeathrace.com) is as extreme as it gets – it’s no wonder it’s named Canada’s toughest race – taking the average extreme racer or racing team something like 14 hours and 45 minutes to complete. You have 24 hours to complete it.
Aid stations are far and in between.
At $350 per head, racers can compete solo or in relay teams of 2 to 5 people. There are no refunds for chickens thinking of backing out.
There’s a reason it’s called the death race – it’s 125km’s of extreme mountain terrain in and around Grande Cache in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and includes scaling 2 major mountain summits, a total of 17,000 ft of elevation change, varying temperatures from 4 to 28 degrees Celsius, and crossing a major river.
Has anyone ever died in the race? No.
But you do have to run – from Death – literally.
The Death Race is based on Greek Myth’s Charon: the ferryman who escorts those who have died to their next destination. The dead are supposed to carry with them a gold coin for safe passage. Likewise, in the Death Race, runners must carry their coin as they run and cross through Hell’s Gate canyon at the confluence of the Smoky and Sulphur Rivers. The cloaked figure of Charon haunts the trail and its racers.
The race takes place each year during the August long weekend in Grande Cache, a mountain town in northern Alberta. What else Grande Cache has to offer, there’s white water rafting, horse riding, golf, mountain biking & hiking, heli-tours, and even paintball.
For more on Grande Cache, Alberta, visit: grandecache.ca or travelalberta.com.