Muddy trails, knee-deep puddles not enough to scare off die-hard Death Racers

Death just got a lot worse forrunners training in Grande Cache for the upcoming ultra-marathon.

Weeks of rain have created wet and muddy conditions that will hamper runners training for the 20th annual Canadian Death Race,a 125-kilometre route through alpine weather, steep elevationand remote wilderness.

Heavy rain has flooded and saturated the forest. Waterhas drained onto lower running trails causing some to be completely submerged.In some places, the water has created large ponds that are almost knee-deep.

Raineven caused the temporaryclosure of Highway 40near Grande Cachedue to a mudslide earlier this week.

It's not clear if conditions will improve for the race, which takes place the weekend of Aug. 3and 4.

Brenda Shaughnessy, a personal trainer and four-time Death Racer, noticed trail conditions worsening in the area last weekand posted photos on a Death Race Facebook group.

She said she is "quite fine" with the current trail conditions for what will be her fifth foray into the race.

"Perfect running conditions are not really my jam," said Shaughnessy. "I like the real crappy stuff.The water keeps you cool and I really don't mind being wet."

But wet trails make racing harder. Mud slows runners down, there's an increased risk of ankle injuries and hypothermia can happen at night, said Death Race director Brian Gallant.

Earlier this summer at the Sinister 7 a100-mile (161-kilometre) race held in theRocky Mountains of southern Alberta Gallant saw runners with wet feet experiencing skin chafingand other weather-related injuries.

"Runners will typically lose toenails in a big race like this, it's not uncommon at all. But racers are saying they lost all their toenails this time because their feet were so wet."

Despite the potential hazards of running through a mountain thick with mud and riddledwith puddles, Death Racer Shaughnessy is taking it all in stride.

"I've lost all my toenails," Shaughnessy said about her previous racing experiences."That's just a factor of going downhill. I don't really stress about it. I've learned to just live with that."

Participants can choose between running the full 125 kilometres solo, with a relay teamor as a marathon for the first two stages.

• Running the Death Race

Depending on the number of seasoned runnersand course conditions, only 45 to 50 per cent of runners who signed up for the full 125 kilometres are expected to finish, Gallant said.

Registration has increased this year to almost 1,200 participants, a fact that isn't surprising toGallant.

"These aren't what you call, average people, they have some kind of special spark in them," Gallant said. "And they're so passionate about these runs, very little stops them.

"The pain, and some of the injuries, are in a way inconsequential to the drive they feel to complete a big race like this."

There will be a medical team and search-and-rescue crew on site during the race, Gallant said.