Day 32: I Finished Running Across Saskatchewan

36.5 km ran today; ~1,597 km total

Thursday, June 25th, 2026

Day 32 At a Glance

Distance Ran Today: 36.5 km
Total Distance Ran: 1,597 km
Projected Total Distance to Run: 1,597 km (our original estimate was 1,577 km)
Progress: 100% complete🎉
Remaining Distance: 0 km

When we first mapped this route, we estimated it would be about 1,577 kilometres.

By the time I reached the Saskatchewan–Montana border, it had grown to 1,597 kilometres.

I was curious to know how many marathons that worked out to.

The answer surprised me.

Thirty-eight.

Since we started last month, I had run the equivalent of 38 marathons.

That number felt fitting because this project seemed to keep coming back to 38. I ran the equivalent of 38 marathons, but we also surpassed my dream fundraising goal of $38,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada, all while honouring my mom, Lou, who passed away from leukemia when she was 38 years old - the same age I am now.

Today was the final day of running.

Lacing up for one final day on the road.

It started at the 70 Mile Butte Trailhead, where Gnome and Froggie had spent the night. From there, only 36.5 kilometres remained between me and the Saskatchewan–Montana border.

The weather couldn't have been much better for a finish. It was mild with a mix of sun and cloud, a high of about 23°C, and a steady southeast wind.

We’re not sure when Gnome got that dirt on his face and beard. We figure Froggie and him got carried away one night.

My husband, Chad, made the trip south after teaching so he could be part of the finish. He’s made many trips up to meet me through out this adventure. Whenever I had low points during this adventure or needed to talk, I called Chad.

It meant a lot to have him there for the last couple of days of this adventure.

Chad joined me for the first kilometres of the day.

Chad walked with me to start the morning as my legs loosened up.

Crossing the Frenchman River.

It was a beautiful stretch of Saskatchewan to finish the adventure.

A few more pronghorns in the distance.

After hiking with Chad, I ran some solo kilometres.

Before long, more company joined me.

Thanks for joining me, Caitlin!

Caitlin had been following the adventure online and came out to run a few kilometres with me. She's a fellow endurance enthusiast, and it was great to finally meet in person. Thanks so much for being part of this day, Caitlin!

By late morning, my second cousin, Bryce had joined Caitlin and I as we made our way toward the lunch stop.

Approaching lunch with Caitlin and Bryce.

Lunch felt a little different than most days.

There were more familiar faces waiting.

Some had driven for hours that morning just to be there for these final kilometres.

A pretty special lunch crew.

Terri, Darryn, Theresa, and Svieda met us for lunch after making the drive south early that morning.

It's hard to overstate how much these four contributed to this adventure behind the scenes.

Terri is a prominent meteorologist in Saskatchewan - she kept us updated on changing weather throughout the project.

Darryn spent countless hours over the course of a few months helping plan routes, organize the central section, and served as crew chief for nearly two weeks on the road with us.

Theresa and Svieda helped organize the fundraising night back in May and joined me as pacers in the north, central, and southern parts of Saskatchewan.

This project wouldn't have looked the same without any of them.

A roadside visit with Eddy and Andy.

While we were eating lunch, Eddy and Andy, two Hutterite gentlemen, stopped to visit with us. We enjoyed a great conversation before they wished us well on the final stretch.

Another lunch prepared with love by Sandy

Sandy made macaroni for lunch, and Darryn made sure I had a full bowl before heading back out for the last 10 kilometres.

Looking toward Orkney.

From our lunch stop we could see the old elevator at Orkney - Andy and Eddy pointed it out for us.

My mom (Lou) spent part of her childhood there after being born nearby in Climax.

It felt meaningful to be able to see that landmark with only about ten kilometres remaining before reaching the finish line at the border.

Auntie Kathy and Auntie Mary Ann, my mom’s sisters, catching up with an old family friend, Darrell Stan.

Darrell Stan stopped by and joined us at the lunch spot. Darrell stuck with us for the last kilometres of the adventure.

Darrell had been good friends with both my mom and dad years ago. It was really awesome that he was able to join!

After lunch, there wasn't much road left.

Just a couple handfuls of kilometres separated us from the Saskatchewan–Montana border.

The afternoon passed quickly with good company and plenty of conversation.

Darryn, Svieda, and Theresa joined me for some kilometres leading up to the border.

There’s nothing quite like running friends. Darryn, Svieda, Theresa and I have shared many adventures together in a relatively short amount of time. Endurance sports have a way of bonding people, bringing out the best in us. Beautiful places, tired legs, and lots of laughs is the recipe for some of my most treasured friendships. It meant the world to have these three share some of the final kilometres. We didn’t talk about big things, just chatted, laughed, and caught up like it was a regular Saturday morning run.

And then, I ran the last few kilometres by myself.

Part of me thought I should finish the adventure running with others since this project was such a team effort. But after talking with my crew, we decided I’d finish the run solo while my friends and family waited together at the finish line.

Seeing everyone gathered there made those final steps pretty special.

Crossing the finish line.

After 32 days on the road, I crossed the finish line at the Saskatchewan–Montana border.

1,597 kilometres.

From Stony Rapids in the far north to the southern border of Saskatchewan - the journey I set out to do was complete.

The monument marking the border between Saskatchewan, Canada and Montana, USA.

It was hard to believe the run across Saskatchewan was finished.

The monument marking the border between Canada and the United States had been the destination on the map for months.

Standing there made everything feel more real.

Gnome and Froggie made an appearance too.

A few moments to take it all in before the celebrations began.

After arriving at the border monument, I spent some time visiting with everyone who had made the trip south before chatting with CBC about the adventure and everything that had led to this moment.

Once the interview wrapped up, we found a spot nearby for an informal roadside celebration.

Erin made this beautiful cake and wouldn’t even let us pay for it - she gifted it as a donation to the project. Thank you, Erin!

Erin Cassidy from Peggy's Bakery in Swift Current surprised us with an incredible cake to celebrate the finish.

Thank you so much, Erin, for your generosity and for helping make the day even more memorable.

It tasted as good as it looked.

The cake was almost too nice to cut into...

...almost.

It disappeared pretty quickly during our roadside champagne celebration, and everyone agreed it tasted just as good as it looked.

With cake shared, photos taken, hugs exchanged, and a toast to the journey, we headed back toward Val Marie.

The running was finished.

The celebrating wasn't.

I love Saskatchewan!

Before heading back into town, we stopped at the Saskatchewan sign for one more photo.

After spending about a month crossing this province and adventuring through Treaties 10, 8, 6, and 4 on foot, it felt like the perfect place to pause for a moment.

I was pretty stoked on this Zero Six Zero app that served as a live tracker throughout this adventure.

Time to celebrate. I’ll bring the Doritos and Chinese food!

It started to rain on us a bit during our celebration so we decided to meet at Cam and Barb’s Air B n’ B instead of the campground to continue the celebration.

Everyone joined for the celebration - it was so fun to chat and hang out without any sort of pressure to be efficient.

This Air B n’ B was pretty perfect. It even had two bathrooms across the hallway from one another

The wind-up party was a wonderful way to end the adventure.

There were plenty of stories, lots of laughs, an abundance of Chinese food from the restaurant across the street, and time to look back on the past month together.

For the first time in weeks, nobody had to think about tomorrow's route, the weather forecast, where lunch would be, or how many kilometres were left to run.

We could simply enjoy being together.

As the evening came to an end, some people headed home and the rest of us headed back to camp.

One Final Thank You

Thirty-two days ago, I stood in Stony Rapids with a simple goal: run the length of Saskatchewan in memory of my mom, Lou, who passed away from leukemia when she was just 38 years old.

The route was originally estimated at 1,577 kilometres.

It ended up being 1,597 kilometres.

After I finished, I wondered how many marathons that worked out to.

Thirty-eight.

The equivalent of 38 marathons.

That number made me smile because it quietly became part of this entire project.

Together, we also surpassed my dream goal of raising $38,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada.

Thirty-eight marathons.

More than $38,000 raised.

All in honour of my mom, who passed away at 38 years old.

When I first announced this project, my fundraising goal was $15,597.

Because of your generosity, we reached that goal on Day 1.

I never imagined where things would go from there.

To every person who donated...

To every crew member and crew chief...

To every pacer that shared some kilometres, on foot and bike…

To every sponsor...

To every family member...

To every friend…

To everyone who shared a post or the story…

To everyone who followed along…

To everyone who honked, waved, joined me for a few kilometres, welcomed us into their home, cooked a meal, filled a water bottle, taped my legs, or followed along each day...

Thank you.

You didn't just support this project.

You became part of it.

When I first stepped onto the road in Stony Rapids, I hoped this adventure would honour my mom, raise money for families affected by blood cancers, and encourage a few people to get outside and move.

Somewhere along the way, it became so much more than that.

Thank you for making this journey what it became.

When I named this project Every Step is Good, I hoped those words would prove true.

Now I know they did.

Every step is good.

This won't be my last post - there is lots to reflect on and much more to say about this adventure!