The 17th Annual Trail Run in Haliburton Forest - great photo finish

Annual Haliburton Forest Trail Run only for the brave

By Terrance Gavan  -at Haliburton Forest Preserve

Gailanne Joachim was a tiny speck in the distance as the clock ticked inexorably to noon.

   High noon.

   Important spot on the clock for the gritty Mississauga runner, who after 29 hours and 55 minutes on the trail was still minutes away from the finish line of the 17^th Annual Haliburton Forest Trail Race.

   Two yellow clad volunteers were pacing Joachim, urging her through the triple threat of seeping hypothermia, aching legs, and burning lungs.

   She was the final person on the trail last Sunday, and the last runner in the 100 mile challenge race, which began at 6 am on Saturday morning in the Haliburton Forest Preserve.

   The final participant still on the course was struggling.

   Word trickled through the woods and camping area at the Haliburton Forest welcome center, the finish line for this incredibly grueling run.

   Suddenly like ghosts, other racers appeared from the woods, and began to line the road.

   Over 100 of Gailanne’s fellow competitors and friends started to clap and yell encouragement.

   Joachim was obviously spent, but hearing the crowd, even in the distance, about 500 meters away, the shouts seemed to inspire her to pick up that grueling pace.

   As race organizer Helen Malmberg watched Joachim’s progress still far off down that dirt road, she glanced quickly at the watch.

   The look on her face said it all.

   “I don’t think she’s going to make it,” said Malmberg.

   By make it, she was referring to the time restriction posted in the pre-race guidelines.

   All runners who came in after 30 hours – 12 noon – were subject to a no time.

   In other words, if Joachim didn’t cross the line before high noon, her name would not be registered as a finisher.

   The rules are in place for the best of reasons.

   Thirty hours is installed as a safety measure.

   And every one of those competitors knew the rules; with every tick of the clock, their shouts became more insistent; and louder.

   As she jogged toward the final few steps to finish line, shouts of congratulations were deafening.

   Joachim slumped with her head on her knees as support staff ran for blankets.

   She was visibly shaken, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. She buried her head in a towel and didn’t move for a full five minutes.

   Meanwhile, Malmberg announced the official time.

   29 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds.

   How’s that?

   Don’t believe it?

   “Frankly my dear, they don’t give a damn.”

   When she was able to concentrate, about ten minutes later, Joachim managed to muster a brave smile.

   Later on, the 35 year old former high school track and field and cross country runner was able to put some perspective on the whole ordeal.

   “It was tough, everything hurt, and I finally got to the point where I just wanted it to end,” laughed Joachim, sitting in her car and preparing for the four hour ride home. “I pretty much had a screaming match with myself at one point trying to get myself to move it,” she added.

   She’s been running the Haliburton event for the last 7 years and has participated in all four of the distance events – 100 mile, 50 mile, 50 K and 25 K – that make up the 17^th annual trail run.

   “This is my third 100 miler and I’ve also done four 24 hour runs and several 50 mile runs,” said Joachim. “This is my seventh Haliburton trail event.”

   This year was perhaps the toughest race ever. Made more challenging by our friends the beavers, whose Calvinist work ethic conspired to flood some of the trails. The mud clung like quicksand in parts of the course.

“Ah yes, les castors,” chuckled Joachim. “The beavers didn’t help.”

And as she prepared for the long trip back to

   James Demer  from Portland, Maine won the 100 mile event in an astounding time of 19 hours and 17 minutes.

   It’s only the fourth 100 mile event he’s participated in and the 41 year old says he only got stuck into the sport back in 2007.

   “It’s my first Haliburton and my fourth 100-mile race,” smiled Demer. “The arrangement I have with my family is that I do one a year. I try to pick somewhere that’s beautiful and interesting and heard a lot of good thing about this race.”

   He was also intrigued by the beaver’s lovely if somewhat untimely engineering projects.

  “They dammed up a lot of places and that created some challenges because it formed the kind of mud that could pull the shoe right off your foot.”

   But he was unerringly impressed with the personality of the track.

   “The terrain is varying and every little section of trail is different than the one before,” said Demer. “It’s not monotonous.”

   Bang on – Highlands: not monotonous.

   Just ask Gailanne Joachim.