Dag Aabye, an acclaimed ultramarathon runner who is now 82 years old, relocated from Norway to Canada at a young age and developed a deep affinity for the rugged wilderness. Choosing to live off-the-grid in a bus on a mountainside in British Columbia, Aabye has gained recognition within the ultra-running community for being the oldest person to ever complete the challenging Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache, Alberta. In an extract from his book “Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain and the Search for a Hidden Past” published in The Walrus, Brett Popplewell recounts how Aabye’s journey into the race began when someone provocatively placed a promotional flier for the Death Race on his table, insinuating that he was too old to participate. This seemingly innocuous action would change Aabye’s life forever.
Aabye has since taken on the formidable challenge of the Canadian Death Race, a grueling course spanning nearly 78 miles (125 kilometers) filled with arduous mud-sloped inclines and draining switchbacks. Remarkably, he has completed the race seven times within the designated 24-hour time frame, each time setting a new record as the oldest person to accomplish this feat. Even when he could no longer cross the finish line in the specified window, Aabye refused to give up and instead challenged himself to complete the Near Death Marathon, the first half of the Death Race. Participants must finish this approximately 30-mile section within 9.5 hours. Aabye managed to complete it in 8 hours and 45 minutes in 2010, shaving off 28 minutes from his time in 2011. However, in 2016, he finished in 9 hours, 29 minutes, and 31 seconds, leaving him with only 29 minutes to spare. Surprisingly, rather than being disheartened by this performance, Aabye remarked, “Look at that. A new record to break.” For the full captivating account, read the article on The Walrus.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
