Day 9: Adventures Happen on Adventures

Less than 1 km today; 442.9 total

Day 9: June 2, 2026

Posted three days behind the adventure.

Well, this wasn't the update I expected to be writing.

The plan for Day 9 was simple: wake up, eat breakfast, and continue running south.

Instead, the day started with 0.9 kilometre run and ended with a 230-kilometre drive to La Ronge and a visit to the hospital.

Nobody panic.

It all started about 900 metres into the run. I wasn't feeling quite right, and after a short discussion with my dad, we decided it would be smart to get things checked out instead of trying to push through and hope for the best.

So rather than spending the day leapfrogging down a gravel road with the crew, Dad and I pointed the truck north and headed for La Ronge.

It was a bit of a shock to the system.

For more than a week, every day has revolved around running, eating, camping, and moving south.

Suddenly I found myself sitting in waiting rooms, talking to healthcare professionals, and trying to wrap my head around a completely different plan for the week.

The good news is that it doesn't appear to be anything serious.

In fact, there's a good chance this is related to a pre-existing issue rather than the run itself. I do have a small procedure scheduled in Prince Albert on Thursday, which means the journey will be paused for a few days while I get things sorted out.

As a result, the run will have a three-day interruption.

I'll share my updated running plan once I know exactly what the next few days look like.

One thing I've learned during this project is that even the best plans sometimes need adjusting. I knew there would be challenges along the way. I just assumed they would involve weather, wildfires, flat tires, bears, or something equally northern Saskatchewan.

Hospital parking lots weren't high on my list.

I'd also be lying if I said I handled the news perfectly.

There were definitely some tears.

Wearing my ‘day-off’ Altras in the hospital bed

Not because the situation is serious, but because I care deeply about this project and wasn't expecting to hit pause. After spending months planning, training, and dreaming about this run, it was hard to suddenly step away from it.

At the same time, I felt incredibly grateful.

Grateful that we caught things early. Grateful for the healthcare professionals who helped me. Grateful that the people around me encouraged me to get checked out. And grateful that this appears to be something manageable.

The adventure may be paused, but it certainly isn't over.

One unexpected silver lining was that we were still able to meet up with Chad's parents, Barb and Cam, along with Charlotte in Missinipe. Even on a day that looked nothing like we had planned, it was nice to be surrounded by people who care about this journey.

Over the last few months, so many people have shared messages, encouragement, advice, and inspirational quotes with me. I didn't expect to need those words quite this soon, but they've been surprisingly helpful over the last couple of days.

Thank you for that.

For now, the focus is simple: take care of the issue, follow the advice of the medical team, and get back to the starting line as soon as it's safe and sensible to do so.

The road south is still waiting.

And I fully intend to get back to it.

Thank you for following along.

And again, just in case anyone skipped to the end:

Nobody panic.