Day 7: The Landscape Is Changing
60 km today; 390 km total.
Day 7 - May 31st, 2026
We woke up to another beautiful northern Saskatchewan morning at Courtney Lake.
We are 390 km along this adventure.
I ran 60 km today. I know that sounds far, but it felt more challenging than my past runs that were similar distance prior to this adventure.
We woke up at Courtney Lake Campground
After breakfast, Joey joined me on the road again. The plan was simple: keep moving south and hopefully put in another 60 km.
The weather forecast from my amazing crew chief, Darryn Dyck, suggested this would be our last really hot day for a while.
Temperatures were expected to climb into the high twenties before cooler weather and strong northeast winds arrived later in the week.
One thing I've noticed lately is how quickly the landscape is changing.
I love the north. I should be running, but I can't help myself from stopping to take photos as the scenery slowly changes around me.
The farther south we go, the greener everything is getting!
Sometimes it's worth stopping for a minute to look around.
The route today passed through areas affected by last year's wildfires.
Some sections are still black and bare, while others are already showing signs of new life.
New growth pushing through last year's burn.
Recovery happens at different speeds across the landscape.
Joey and I settled into a good rhythm early. I've been experimenting with smaller meals throughout the day instead of larger stops, and that seemed to be working well.
After 20 km, lunch number one consisted of spaghetti, cheese, and sauce.
A little later, a local fellow pulled over while we were getting ready to head out again.
"She made it this far already?"
One thing nobody tells you about a run like this is how much driving happens behind the scenes.
The support crew is constantly leapfrogging ahead, finding safe pullouts, preparing food, hauling water, scouting campsites, and keeping everything moving.
There are a lot of kilometres being covered by more than just running.
The generosity of people continues to amaze me.
First, a southbound trucker stopped and handed over a $50 donation.
Then later in the day, another roadside donation appeared.
The kindness of good people we’ve just met continues to amaze us.
Those moments mean a lot.
Not long afterward, we realized the fundraising total had climbed past $25,000 and more than $10,000 beyond the original goal.
After 35 km, it was time for another quick stop.
A quick hydration stop before lunch number two.
Getting ready to go run another 20 km.
The afternoon was definitely warm, but the kilometres kept ticking by slowly, slowly.
Back on the road after lunch as the afternoon heat settled in.
Forty kilometres done. Twenty to go.
One of the highlights of the day was crossing the Wathaman River.
I was just saying to my husband, Chad - one of the challenging things about this run, is that it’s a long gravel road and sometimes I do crave seeing something different. I sure love seeing the rivers along the run!
Joey taking in the view from the Wathaman River bridge.
I don’t want to leave just yet…a couple more seconds on the bridge before continuing south
Feel the heat as we crossed this bridge
Joey having a very quick cool down
Brad continues his search for fish.
The geology started changing too. After days of sandy roads farther north, more exposed rock began appearing.
A noticeable change from the sandy terrain farther north.
By late afternoon, 60 km was in the books.
The day ended at a camp near Davin Lake, a site used by people from Stanley Mission as a fall hunting camp.
It turned out to be one of our favourite camps so far.
Nice camping spot on Davin lake complete with play structure!
Home built picnic table and luxury with two clean outhouses to choose from!
The playground made a surprisingly good stretching station.
The campsite beach where Jack and Joey had a quick swim in 41 degree water
Joey cooled off with a swim while I chose the less ambitious recovery plan.
The campsite sat beside a beautiful lake with a sandy beach.
The evening was quiet and relaxed. We had some new friends who weren’t afraid to hang out with us too.
Have you seen these guys before?
The Day 7 crew. Jack is in there too - he’s taking the picture for us
Dinner featured pancakes, nachos, and cheese.
Supper was a combination of pancakes then nacho and cheese. Variety is the key!
The day isn’t complete, until we’ve found a good spot for Froggie
Sixty kilometres today.
Three hundred and ninety kilometres completed.
The weather is supposed to cool down tomorrow, the landscape keeps changing, and Saskatchewan continues to surprise me.
I’m running the length of Saskatchewan in memory of my mom, Louise, and to raise money for leukemia research and support.
This journey is my way of honouring her life while supporting the researchers, healthcare teams, donors, advocates, and families who continue to move leukemia treatment forward one step at a time.
Thank you for following along.
These updates are shared one day behind the run as we travel south.
