Le Blog Ultra Distance

In early October (2021), Näak Ambassador Marc-Antoine Forand crossed the finish line with an amazing time of 23:22:55 to take 2nd place in the annual Bromont Ultra.

Part of Marc-Antoine's victory happened not only during the race, but also in the process of raising awareness for #runfornoah, a social media movement aimed at increasing awareness about Down syndrome.

We talked to him about his experience at Bromont Ultra, and he gave us an inside look at his mindset, nutritional strategy, and the reason why he has been pushing himself to such great heights. Enjoy!

After months of travelling on the longest North to South crossing of Canada ever attempted, the team of Expedition Akor is finally on the last days of their journey. It's a journey that has been stretching for more than 7 months and one which required a lot of resilience and patience from our adventurers. Our friends have just passed the city of Sudbury, after which they cut south into the greater Toronto area. They still have about 500 km to go before they reach their final destination. They should complete this distance in 5 days, and their arrival date is officially scheduled for November 8th. We would like to thank everyone warmly, deeply, passionately, on behalf of the entire Akor 2021 team, for the support you have given to the expedition.

In the past week, the team has crossed the dividing line separating the vast Arctic watershed from the Atlantic watershed - where they have been since the beginning of the expedition. Now, when they see water, it no longer flows north but east! This is a very symbolic step for our adventurers. Another pinnacle point of progress has been made; they can see the US across the water when cycling. In 178 days of skiing, canoeing and cycling, they have finally reached the American border. They are closer than ever to calling their mission complete!

Bone broth is an ancient recipe dating back 2,500 years, when it was used in Chinese medicine to promote kidney and digestive health. Today, this recipe is used all over the world. Bone broth is rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids, and the addition of cricket powder adds protein to this vitalizing soup.

On this year’s labour day weekend, Nicolas Dickey, one of our proud ambassadors, and 19 other notable cyclists embarked on a 285km ride from Montréal to Quebec for the 3rd edition of the Rouler Sur Le Tabou cycling event. We received the opportunity to speak to Nicolas about this incredible cause dedicated to suicide prevention.

"It feels like it was three years ago. As if there had been three separate expeditions in this improbable journey." This week, Nicolas and Guillaume celebrated a special anniversary: their seventh month of the expedition! They are stunned when they think of how far they have come since Eureka. After some brutal days biking, they are finally out of Winnipeg. they entered the boreal forest and thus left the prairies with their winds and big trucks blasting past the group at 130 km/h. They have been occupied with steep and sometimes very long, unforgiving hills for the past few days. Yet, they say it is mentally much less difficult to bear than a headwind on the prairies.

Apart from some small repairs on the bicycles, such as a broken luggage rack, the team has been experiencing an exceptionally smooth journey. The people who cross the path of Expedition Akor are very kind and generous. Of course, when the expedition members tell them where they are from, the reaction is always the same: "oh sh***t, you guys are crazy" - which is not wrong. At the moment, two uncontrolled forest fires are raging near Hudson Bay. The day before yesterday, the smoke was so concentrated (the wind was blowing it west towards our cyclists), that they spent the day being engulfed in smoke. This, of course, does not make it easy on the team. However, they keep trudging on.

On September 16, 2021, one of Näak’s elite ambassadors, Luca Papi, crossed the finish line for what is called to be the ‘world’s hardest endurance’. With a time of 134 hours and 10 minutes, Luca claimed victory at the Tor des Glaciers, a truly unforgettable event for ultra trail runners. Our team at Näak proudly congratulates Luca for his amazing accomplishment and asked him to share about his journey to the finish line.

Elite triathlete, and Näak ambassador, discusses the benefits of yoga for endurance athletes. From strength training, to breathwork, learn how she believes incorporating yoga into your training schedule can help benefit your importance. We also give a small list of activities for those who are new to yoga to try for themselves at home.

Our team of Expedition Akor is officially making moves in the bicycle portion of their journey. They have also brought in two new team members for the last part of the journey: Béatrice Lafrenière and Isabella Donati-Simmons. Both are good friends of Étienne, and they were welcomed, of course, with open arms. They are currently riding between 60 and 80 km per day, even though they are on a dirt road where large ore trucks sometimes speed by. The sight of cyclists can be assumed to be very seldom, so the team is on high alert. They will be in the town of La Ronge in 2 days and expect to be in Prince Albert in 5 to 6 days. At the time being, it is still difficult to give a precise arrival date in Pointe Pelee, which is at the very end of the course. However, it should be between October 25 and November 5.

Vitamin B12 plays a vital role in helping your body break down nutrients to energize you for your day to day activities or tackling your next training session. Read more about the B Vitamins, sources of Vitamin B12 and the benefits of B12 for endurance Athletes. We cover the B Vitamins, what is Vitamin B12 and where to find it, signs and consequences of Vitamin B12 deficiency and its benefits for endurance athletes.

No doubt, your lifestyle has a direct impact on more than just your body, athletic ability and performance. All of the small decisions you make also have a lasting impact on our planet. In this article, we address lifestyle decisions that have a great impact on the environment that are often overlooked. Don’t worry, we also cover simple steps you can practice to become a more sustainable runner! We cover areas of textile waste, dietary lifestyle, food waste and all the steps you can take to decrease your carbon foot print on our planet.