Our MEC Envoys are a group of athletes and ambassadors who inspire people with their active lifestyles, and strive to set benchmarks and innovate within their fields. Jim Willett from Newmarket, Ontario embodies the values of the Envoy Program, and has completed an incredible achievement by setting the record for running the entire length of the Bruce Trail.
As part of an MEC Big Wild Challenge, Jim has raised nearly $2500 for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). Beginning his run in the second week of September, it took Jim 10 Days, 13 Hours and 57 minutes to run all 855km of The Bruce Trail, shattering the previous record by nearly 2 full days.
Jim kept a captain’s log along his journey, posting updates through his Facebook for increased visibility and engagement. He sent over a few examples:
Captain’s log, Bruce Trail Run, 3.5 days in
I’m stopping to take a little break so I thought I’d share a few thoughts and points about the first three and a half days on the trail.
- The terrain on the first day was so challenging that I was actually cursing the earth for forging such awe inspiring geological landscapes. The earth and I have since come to peace.
- Yesterday, along a muddy section of trail, I was literally running in the fresh footprints of a bear.
- No matter how tired I feel, I’m still pretty fast with the right motivation.
- Three small vertical lines on the Bruce Trail maps basically mean; hey dumbass, that’s a sheer cliff, please don’t plummet to your death.
- When tripping over rocks and roots and such, try and find a soft part of the world to land on.
- I found an enchanted forest, and I think there may have been trolls and Pixies and things in there.
- I’ve been singing to myself a lot…I’ve realized I don’t actually know the full lyrics to many songs, so I’ve been making up my own.
- I think I can I think I can I think I can.
Captain’s log, Bruce Trail Run day 10.5…Mission Complete.
- That was *!@#%$* hard.
- I strained my Achilles tendon with 75km to go, and I averaged about 14 swear words a minute afterwards trying to run on it… You do the math.
- With a piercing war cry, and a mighty punch at the air, I was only a few short km from the finish….*insert screeching tire sound here*.. But then my light went out, I got lost in the woods, had to scrabble down a cliff and my crew had to pick me up.
- Reset.
- New light, back on track; with a war whisper, a half-hearted swipe at the air, I shuffled off to the finish.
- Thank you to every single one of you who supported me in any way!
- This was never about just breaking the record; this was about doing something that scared me.
Congratulations on your achievements, Jim! The amount of training and hard work you put in to complete your goal is incredibly inspiring. By making it a DIY MEC Big Wild Challenge, you have embodied MEC’s long-standing partnership with CPAWS, where both organizations constantly look for ways to conserve the wild places where we adventure!
This is also a great call to action for all MEC employees. With the MEC Big Wild Challenge continuing in 2015, it’s never too early to plan your challenge and participate in this great fundraising effort next year. It doesn’t have to be 855kms on your feet either, simply bagging a peak that’s been on your bucket list, or taking a friend hiking for the first time are perfectly acceptable challenges. The goal is simply to get outside and help protect the places we love. See you out there!
Learn more about Jim’s successful Big Wild Challenge and new Bruce Trail record:
- Jim’s Big Wild Challenge Donation Page
- Canadian Running Magazine Article: Cancer Survivor Jim Willet Breaks Bruce Trail Record
Follow Jim is social media:
- Instagram: @TheOptimismRevolution
- Twitter: @OptimismNinja
- Facebook: The Optimism Revolution
- Blog: Run Jimmi Run