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57-Year-Old Smashes
Multi-Grouse
Grind Record
On June 21, Wilfrid Leblanc, 57,
broke the Grouse Grind record,
finishing 19 ascents in approxi-
mately 18 hours, and gaining
15,295 metres over 48k (almost
double the height of Mount
Everest). The Grouse Grind trail
ascends Grouse Mountain in
North Vancouver. Every summer
solstice, Grouse Mountain hosts
the Multi-Grind Challenge,
raising money for BC Children’s
Hospital. Brooke Spence, 37,
and James Stewart, 40, also
completed 18 Grinds. Spence
beat her previous record of 17
ascents, set in 2018.
The Multi-Grind Challenge is
unique as it relies on the Grouse
Mountain tram system. For the
solstice, the tram is scheduled
every 10 minutes. Participants
begin as early as 4:00 a.m. and
start their final Grind at 9:59:
p.m. Leblanc met the legendary
Spence a few weeks prior to
the event and determined that
“19 (ascents) were possible by
doing 45-minute Grinds all
d ay. 19 is not c r a zy.” L ebla nc’s
plan of attack was to “stay with
Brooke. I know she’s strong. I’m
just gonna stay with her, until I
can’t,” he said.
RIGHT Natasha Wodak crossing the
line at the Vancouver Half-MarathonWodak Wins Fifth Race of 2019
at Vancouver Half-MarathonC
anadian elite Natasha Wodak is on a tear.
The distance runner from Vancouver
has racked up five first-place finishes in the
2019 season and a bunch of impressive times
to go along with the wins.
On Sunday, June 23, Wodak was the first
to cross the finish line at the Scotiabank
Vancouver Half-Marathon in 1:11:20, only
1:17 off the course record, which was set in
2003 by Lioudmila Kortchaguina.
Wodak has also been named to the World
Championship team for the 10,000m, and
won the Canadian 10k championships, the
Vancouver Sun Run, the P ioneer 8k and the
Canadian 10,000m championships. Suffice
to say, she’s having a great 2019.Elite Marathoners’
Gut Bacteria Help Mice
Run Faster
Nature Medicine journal published a study
recently on a special microbe found in runners’
stool samples: veillonella. Veillonella is a
lactate-processing microbe that was much
more prevalent in the stool samples of elite
runners than the general population, espe-
cially post-exercise.
The researchers isolated veillonella from
the stools of elite marathon runners and
transferred it into the guts of mice. Then they
had the mice run on treadmills. npr reports
that when compared to the control group,
the veillonella mice won by a pretty sizeable
margin of 13 per cent.
Gut microbes are a very hot topic right
now, with many runners already taking
various pro- and pre-biotics to help with
digestion and overall gut health. A 2015
study even suggested that exercising while
young alters microbes in the gut, which in
turn strengthens the immune system and
improves brain health.
The brain function which they can inf lu-
ence includes anti-depressant effects. The
study’s lead author, Monika Fleshner, says
that this is the first time they have looked at
how much these microbes can be changed,
and her research group found that there is a
window of time when regular exercise can
alter these microbes.
It’s unlikely that runners will start taking
veillonella supplements as a performance
enhancer, but there’s certainly a developing
link between the gut and exercise.—CRRaptors Dietitian Gives
Nutrition Advice
Applicable to Runners
Jennifer Sygo is a registered dietitian
and the performance nutritionist for
the Toronto Raptors. Sygo also works
with Athletics Canada and Swim
Canada, and she recently spoke to the
cbc about her nutrition philosophy
for the Raptors players. While a recre-
ational athlete doesn’t need to be as
careful as a professional runner or nba
player when it comes to diet, there are
some key pieces of advice from Sygo
that are applicable across the board.
Sygo told the cbc that while quality
food is important for performance, so
are treats: “It’s not uncommon for me to
put something like dark chocolate or a
treat or some ice cream into an athlete’s
plan intentionally, because otherwise
you create this white-knuckle behav-
iour of ‘I have to do it right’ or ‘it has
to be perfect every day’ and that’s not
realistic for anyone.”
Sygo says the trick is to find balance
and to destigmatize food so that you
don’t feel guilty if you eat something
that isn’t the most nutritious.10 Canadian Running September & October 2019, Volume 12, Issue 6Des^ Iles/^ Canada^ Running^ Series,^ Uncreditedthe warm-up