Day 31: Grasslands at Last!

65 km ran today; ~1,560.5 km total

Wednesday, June 24th, 2026

Day 31 At a Glance

Distance Ran Today: 65 km
Total Distance Ran: 1,560.5 km
Projected Total Distance to Run: ~1,597 km (our original estimate was 1577 km)
Progress: ~97.7% complete
Remaining Distance: ~36.5 km

Tomorrow will be my final day on this adventure.

There was something different about waking up this morning.

For about a month, every day had begun the same way: wake up, eat breakfast, tape whatever needed taping, lace up my shoes, and head south. But today carried a different feeling. We had finally reached Saskatchewan's southwest corner, Grasslands National Park was waiting for us, and after today there would be just one final day of running left on the route.

Like every other morning, we eased into the day around the picnic table.

Second-last breakfast. It's hard to beat a raisin bagel with butter

The morning started simply at Ponteix campground.

Auntie Chris and Uncle Garth whipped up the breakfast and coffee for everyone as they always did in the south section.

A raisin bagel with butter, some quiet conversation around the picnic table set the perfect stage to reflect on the fact that this will likely be the second-last running breakfast of the entire project.

Ponteix Campground

The mornings had a flow. Coffee was poured, breakfast slowly disappeared, and everyone chatted while the campground woke up around us.

My dad is getting my flasks ready before we head out.

My dad was already busy getting my hydration ready for another day. After several days together, everyone had settled into their roles so naturally that very little needed to be said. Bottles were filled, food was packed, phones were charged, and it all came together again.

Time to take down camp. Tonight we'll be sleeping at Val Marie Campground. Matt and Kalim are taking down Matt's tent.

It was time to leave Ponteix behind and make our way towards Val Marie, where we'd spend the next couple of nights.

Another morning, another tape job. Thanks, Sandy!

Matt joins me for my morning warm-up walk.

Before every run came my warm-up walk, and this morning Matt joined me.

By 11:00 a.m., I had about 35 kilometres of beautiful rolling pastureland before reaching Grasslands National Park.

My dad pointed out this sign and said my grandpa Toby would have appreciated this sight. He loved cowboy lore.

This country felt like something straight out of an old western.

Open pasture, grazing cattle, old ranch buildings, and endless rolling prairie stretched toward the horizon.

Matt and Dylan joined me for the next few kilometres

We had some spectators for our parade.

As the kilometres rolled on, our family group chat became busy with preparations for tomorrow. Friends were coordinating arrival times, drivers were making plans to head south early, and Sandy was working with Canada Border Services Agency to make sure everything at the Monchy border crossing would run smoothly.

There would be lots of details to think about tomorrow, but today my main job was to keep moving south - thankfully, my crew was dealing with those logistical things.

Lunch alongside a beautiful coulee.

We found a spot overlooking a coulee. I stretched out, then iced my right leg for a few minutes while my dad refilled my bottles. We ate lunch, and enjoyed the peaceful prairie landscape before getting back on the road.

Then something pretty cool happened.

Can you see the plane I’m waving at? It turned out to be my friend, Devon, flying by!

Just as we were eating, I got a message from my Joggers and Lagers friend, Devon - he’s from Saskatoon.

It was quite surprising to hear he was about to fly by our lunch spot in a little airplane. I didn’t even knew he could fly planes! He was flying home from Montana.

A surprise fly-by from Devon!

Seeing Devon fly by us a few times was such a fun surprise!

Devon is also one of the generous guys who lent us his Starlink plus unlimite data. Mike from Con-Tech lent us a second Starlink along with unlimited data.

Having Starlink allowed us to stay connected through northern Saskatchewan and other areas where there was little to no cell service.

Thanks so much, Mike and Devon!

Sometime in the afternoon, we spotted this interesting rock and a prairie mallow

Dylan and me at a monument marking the North West Mounted Police Trail between Fort Walsh (Cypress Hills) and Wood Mountain Post.

We stopped briefly to check out this monument marking part of the historic North-West Mounted Police Trail before continuing south.

Dylan and I high-fived as we entered Grasslands National Park

I'd been looking forward to Grasslands National Park since planning this run months ago.

I definitely picked up the pace out of excitement to get to the park!

By late afternoon, Grasslands National Park was no longer something I was looking forward to - we were there!

We spent the evening in the Grasslands badlands

We made our way through the badlands while the sun slowly dropped toward the horizon. We hiked from around 6pm until 8:30 pm in the Park.

The landscape was so interesting to explore in Grasslands National Park

The badlands were unlike anywhere else I'd visited during the run. Every trail led to another incredible view.

It was so much fun to explore these landscapes with my Auntie Carol, Auntie Lorri, my dad, Dylan and Matthew.

For a couple of hours nobody was running, driving, or cooking. We simply wandered the trails together and enjoyed being there.

While we were hiking, I hope Auntie Chris, Uncle Garth, and Kalim were able to chill for a bit before prepping a late supper for us.

A beautiful evening for a hike.

We spotted plenty of prickly pear cacti during our hike in Grasslands National Park.

The weather couldn't have been better. Warm evening light, almost no wind, and plenty of time to explore.

We were kind of sad to finish our evening hike - it was so gorgeous out there.

We hiked until about 8:30 pm before finding a place to tuck Gnome and Froggie away for the night and making our way back to Val Marie Campground.

Tomorrow's run would begin at the 70-Mile Butte Trailhead where we finished our hike.

We had a late supper at camp. Auntie Chris prepared wing night with chicken wings, baked potatoes, and a really delicious salad.

Today's 65 kilometres brought the journey to 1,560.5 kilometres.

After about a month on the road, just 36.5 kilometres remained of this 1,597-kilometre adventure.

Why I'm Running

This run has always been about much more than covering kilometres.

I'm running the length of Saskatchewan in memory of my mom, Louise, who passed away from leukemia at just 38 years old - the same age I am now. Along the way, I'm raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada while encouraging people to prioritize movement, mental health, and community.

When I first announced this project, my fundraising goal was $15,597. Thanks to the incredible generosity of so many people, we reached that goal on Day 1. That gave me the confidence to share my dream goal of $38,000—one thousand dollars for every year my mom lived.

As of day 31, together we've raised more than $35,000.

Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared a post, followed the live tracker, read these daily updates, sent encouraging messages, honked as you drove by, stopped to chat on the side of the road, joined me for a few kilometres, supported our crew, or simply believed in this project from the very beginning.

Every act of kindness has helped carry this journey farther than I ever imagined.

Thank you so much!

Every step is good!