Day 23: Crossing Into Southern Saskatchewan

61 km ran today; 1,139 km total

Day 23: Tuesday, June 16th, 2026

Distance Today: 61 km
Total Distance Completed: ~1,139 km
Projected Total Distance: ~1,570 km
Progress: ~72.5% complete
Remaining Distance: ~431 km

After camping at Langham last night, I woke up knowing I would likley finish the Central Section of Saskatchewan and officially begin the South today.

This morning started at Langham Campground with a little bit of trail-side maintenance.

Sandy once again stepped into her role as trail nurse, helping tape up my shin before we packed up camp and headed out for another day on the road.

Along with Sandy, Dr. Alyssa and Dr. Marty have been there to help me navigate some ‘health situations’ along this journey. I’m super thankful for them for being willing to meet with me and share information via text and phone calls.

Every ultra-runner needs a good crew. Sandy has been my trail nurse and problem solver all rolled into one.

While Sandy taped me up, I was talking on the phone and sorting out some details before I go into Saskatoon tomorrow to meet up with my students and to have a couple of interviews.

Curt then drove Dylan, Dakotah, and me back to where I had finished the previous day, about 20 kilometres north of Langham where we picked up Gnome and Froggie.

The plan was simple: run into Langham, finish the Central Section of Saskatchewan, and officially begin the South.

Eventually we reached the spot where my parents had set up a finish-line ribbon to mark the end of the central section and the start of the south.

Finishing the Central Section and beginning the South.

Officially into the South Section of Saskatchewan.

After crossing into the South, and running a bit more, we stopped for lunch.

A few drops of rain started to fall while we ate, but nothing serious. Warm spaghetti on a cloudy day tasted perfect.

Sandy served me up lunch number one in South Saskatchewan and had a visit with Dakotah while I delighted upon my spaghetti

After lunch we took a series of different backroads, trails, and small adventures as we zig-zagged our way through the countryside.

Along the way we stopped to visit some miniature horses and their foals.

Tiny, curious, and cute.

One of the more adorable animal encounters of the journey.

We ran some more and a few hours later we stopped for a second lunch.

Fuel stop number two with Sandy, Dylan, and Dakotah.

Between kilometres, I also squeezed in a little "office hour" where I responded to some emails, messages, and dealt with some logistics.

Sometimes the office just happens to be a foam pad on a gravel road.

The mobile office continues to operate.

In the afternoon, Dakotah and I headed out together for another stretch.

Dakotah ended up covering roughly 30 kilometres with me throughout the day, sharing conversation, stories, and plenty of gravel-road miles.

Dakotah joined me for another section of the journey. Dakotah is a super strong runner - she ran a 50-mile ultramarathon in May at the Reesor Ultramarathon.

We didn’t see much for wildlife today, but there were plenty of wild roses.

Wild roses in full bloom.

Saskatchewan's floral emblem putting on a show.

Not every roadside discovery was quite as beautiful.

At one point Brad stopped to inspect a tent caterpillar making itself at home among the roses.

A tiny resident of the Saskatchewan roadside.

As the afternoon rolled along , the sky began to change.

Dark clouds started building to the northwest.

Earlier in the day Darryn had been sending weather updates to the crew, and it looked like his predictions were right.

The storms were coming.

Watching the weather move in from the northwest.

Eventually Dakotah finished her day.

After spending so many kilometres together, it was time to say goodbye.

Thanks for running with me today, Dakotah!

I continued running for a while as the clouds grew darker and darker.

The crew kept a close eye on the radar while I kept moving south.

By late afternoon, Curt decided to join me for the final stretch.

Good timing.

Reinforcements arriving just before the weather did.

Together we ran through scattered rain showers, watched lightning flash in the distance, and listened to thunder roll across the prairie.

The storm seemed determined to catch us.

Fortunately, we managed to stay just ahead of the worst of it.

By the end of the day I had completed 61 kilometres.

Dakotah ran about 30 km with me, Dylan paced me for around 23 km, and Curt joined me for roughly 8 km.

We packed everything up and headed to Pike Lake to camp for the night, grateful for another day of progress and another day together on the road.

As good as the day was on the road, the evening might have been even better.

When we arrived at Pike Lake, three new crew members officially joined the adventure: my Auntie Chris, Uncle Garth, and cousin Kalim.

And they certainly know how to make an entrance.

The newest crew members don’t mess around when it comes to making sure we’re well-fed and taken care of!

They greeted us with an incredible supper spread that included barbecue chicken, homemade buns, coleslaw, potatoes, macaroni salad, and tuna casserole.

It tasted every bit as good as it sounds.

A feast fit for an ultra-runner and the entire crew! Look at those perfectly fluffy buns Auntie Chris made!

And then came dessert.

Auntie Chris made her famous monkey balls - a sweet, gooey, cinnamon-filled treat that disappeared very quickly around camp.

Kalim took his hosting duties seriously, making sure everyone had enough food, enough dessert, and enough seconds and thirds too.

It was a wonderful way to end the day.

Thank you, Auntie Chris, Uncle Garth, and Kalim, for joining the crew and helping carry this journey forward over the next several days.

My husband, Chad came out to Pike Lake and spent the evening with us before heading back to Saskatoon in the morning to teach.

Having a chance to visit around the campsite together was the perfect way to finish another great day.

61 km today. 1,139 km completed.

~72.5% complete.

~431 km to the Saskatchewan–Montana border.

Today marked the start of the South Section.

The finish line is still a long way off, but we’re moving towards it one step at a time.

I'm grateful for every person helping me carry this journey forward as I run in memory of my mom and raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada.

Thank you

This daily update covers day 23 (June 16th, 2026) of this adventure.