marathonmike

Well...It wasn't my year. It was a brutally hot and humid day and the non-success rate was extremely high. I made it to the end of the 3rd leg of 5 legs. 68 km. in total. Dehydation was the number one factor why I couldn't finish the race. I would drink as much fluids as I possibly could but it was impossible to keep hydrated. But the other factor was the fact that my hiking poles broke on one of the steep downhills at the start of leg 2. Not using poles on a course like this is hell to your legs. Thanks to everyone for their support and encouragement. I'll be back out there next year. After a couple weeks of rest, massages and physiotherapy, I will be back on the pavement getting back to my road running and getting to the form I had back in '03. I want to run my Boston qualifier. Mike

Thanks dude. Just so you know, I'm from Winnipeg. haha.

Here goes everyone. I'm off to Grande Cache to do the 125 km. Canadian Death Race tomorrow. I'll let you all know how it goes. Heat is going to be a factor again this year. There are 400 soloists trying this year. Probably only 100 will finish. I hope to be in the middle of the pack. It'll be tough this year as I've been having a nagging hip injury. We'll see how my legs hold up tomorrow. Vegan Power! www.canadiandeathrace.com

Hey guys. Just thought I'd let everyone know that I'm registered to do the North Face Canadian Death Race as a soloist again this summer. For those of you unfamiliar with this race, it is a 125 km. race that goes up and over 3 mountain summits (17,000 feet of elevation change) and needs to be completed in 24 hours. There are 5 main legs to this race; most people do the race as part of a 5 person relay team. Participants also need to be at the end of each leg in a specific time to avoid being disqualified. There are roughly 250 of us who attempt the thing solo. Last year 231 people started the race, 76 finished. This race is known as Canada's hardest race. I came in at 38th place at 22 hours 0 minutes 57 seconds. I'm hoping to crack the top 25 this year. It's going to be a pretty competitive year as its the races 10th year anniversary. Dean Karnazes came in 2nd place last year so I think with the publicity he brought to the race, it might bring some bigger names this year. I know for a fact that the womens category is going to be very competitive. I'd like to see if I can break the 20 hour barrier. My first half of the race last year was very strong but the last half was painful and slow. I'm really concentrating on the nutrition aspect to my training this year. I've been a vegan for 17 years but I still have alot of learning to do especially in learning how to fuel my body when I'm running 100+ km. weeks leading into the race, as well as fueling myself during the race. My support team will be busy this year. Anyhow, check out the website if you're interested: http://www.canadiandeathrace.com Vegan Power!!! Below is the Finishers Coin that all the soloists receive with our name and time engraved. It's worth it just for this!

My quads were pretty trashed. The main river that we cross is glacially fed so the next day, I always go soak my legs in that cold water. That always helps. The main problem was with my feet. Black toes are normal for me but my right big toe got pretty banged up. It's taken 2 weeks for it to be almost back to normal. I figured the toe nail would have fallen off for sure but it hasn't. Well, I'm off to do a quick 20 km. right now so we'll see how my toe holds up. I'd be interested in getting my toenails surgically removed forever. My toes cause 50% of my problems when doing an ultramarathon or even just a half or full marathon. I can thank my mother for my deformed toes. haha.

Hey guys. Haven't been on here in a while. Anyways, here are my results from the North Face Canadian Death Race in Grande Cache, Alberta on August 1st. I have been training hard for this race for the last year. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this race (everybody!), the Canadian Death Race is a 125 km. endurance ultramarathon that goes up and over the summits of 3 mountains, has many creek crossings, and one major river crossing. There is 17,000 feet of vertical ascent in this race. The race needs to be completed in 24 hours. Most people who compete in this race do it as part of a 5 person relay team. There are a few of us crazy ones who do the whole thing solo. This was my first attempt. It is typical that most of the people who start the race, do not finish. Hence why it is called the Death Race. It is known as Canada's most difficult race. There were 231 soloists at the start line. Only 75 of them finished the entire race under 24 hours. Heat was a factor on this day at temperatures were near 30 degrees C. I came in at 22 hours 0 minutes and 57 seconds. Good enough for 36th place overall. Vegan Power!!! http://www.canadiandeathrace.com

I have no idea how to upload a picture on here so you can all see. I finally got off my ass and got my first vegan tattoo. If you have a myspace account, you can find it on my page there: http://www.myspace.com/mikewinnemuller It is kick ass. It was done at Well Done Tattoo Studio in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It took 6.5 hours to do and was the most painful thing I've ever experienced but so well worth it. I've already got my design for my other leg (Power) to be done at a later date. hehe. You can all find me on Facebook too. Just search Michael Winnemuller in the Edmonton network. I'm doing my first ultramarathon in 3 weeks in Calgary, Alberta. It's a 50 km. race called the Frozen Ass 50. Should be fun! Vegan Power!!! p.s. I lied. I think I did attach a picture of it on here.

Hey everyone. I haven't been on here in a little while. I'm surprised my account is still open. Well, Vegan power is back. I've been pretty dormant the last few years while I was in school. And I got quite tubby. But since moving to Alberta, Canada in May, I've lost 30 lbs. and I've been getting back into my running. I was doing 1:30 half marathons before going back to school and I was on the verge of qualifying for Boston. But now, this goal of mine is back in reach. I'm become more of a raw foodist and I've cut out all soy out of my diet. This has helped me immensely on losing the extra weight on my body. I'd still like to lose another 20 lbs. and that will happen within the next 6 months or so as my mileage goes up. So this is my planned racing schedule for the next year or so. I live in northern Alberta in Grande Prairie. I will be doing all local races (road and cross country) next summer to help get me in competitive mode again. I will be running my hometown marathon in June (the Manitoba Marathon). This will be my Boston qualifier as I need to break 3:10 for the full marathon. I'm working my way up to 120 km. running weeks. I'm at 80 km. right now. Over the winter, I will also be doing some cross training in the form of Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. This past summer, I've been working on a program based out of Grande Cache, Alberta called the Passport to the Peaks. It is a program where one carries a passport in which you hike up a mountain and at the top of every mountain is a cairn box. You place a sheet of paper into the cairn box and stamp your page as proof that you've summitted the mountain. I've completed all of the 6 Bronze mountains and I also did 3 of the Silver mountains. I've pretty much done all of the mountains that can be reached on a day trip. Next summer, I'll have to do some backpacking and camping in the wilderness to finish my Silver and Gold level mountains. Check out this website. It is a pretty awesome thing. I'm on the bottom of the list of mountaineers. Sometimes it takes individuals a few years to finish a certain level. It took me 2 months to do the Bronze's. Pretty much every day that I had off of work (I work 65 hour weeks in the summer), I went and climbed a mountain. http://www.passporttothepeaks.ca Grande Cache is also the site of the North Face Canadian Death Race. I will be entering it next year as a soloist. It is a 125 km. trail foot race up and over the summits of 3 mountains (3 Bronze's I completed this summer for the Passport to the Peaks program) with one major river crossing and it needs to be completed in 24 hours. Training for this will take alot of time and dedication. I will be attending the training camps that they hold during the summer. Anything to help me get an edge. My approach is simple. Finish it in under 24 hours. I'm not going for any record time or anything like that. Being a first time soloist, it's silly to have an approach like that. Most people who enter this race as a soloist (most do it as part of a 2 - 5 person relay team) do not finish it. It is difficult. Hence the title (Death Race) of the race. http://www.canadiandeathrace.com But yeah, that's what's going on with my training for the next year. Vegan power is back and I plan on kicking some ass while at it. Michael Winnemuller XXX p.s. Oh yeah, I guess I'm supposed to include how long I've been vegan. Since 1993.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Hey Robert, you know me already. haha. I bought your video a couple months back. For anyone who cares, here's my myspace page: www.myspace.com/marathonmike I use it mainly as my training log. Take it easy fellow vegans!

Hey everyone, my name is Mike Winnemuller. I'm from Winnipeg, Manitoba but I currently live in Grande Prairie, Alberta. I'm a marathoner and I also do some shorter road races as well. I've been vegan since 1993. I'm currently training hard for my next marathon which I'm planning for next June in my hometown. I've run 4 full marathons and about 10 half marathons (I've lost track on how many of those I've ran). I've done probably close to 30 - 10 km. races and about 10 - 5 km. races. I also did my first triathlon earlier this summer. My goals for the near future is to break 3 hours on my next marathon and qualify for Boston. It's been about 3 years since I've last done a full. I ran a 1:30 half marathon last summer (my PR). I work alot during the summer and still manage to put on 60-80 kms. per week around my 70 hour a week work schedule. I'll have alot more time in the winter when I move back to Winnipeg and continue my schooling. Once I qualify and run the Boston Marathon, I'd like to get more into triathlons. I currently swim twice a week and usually do about 30-40 laps (1500-2000 meters) each swim. I'm going to buy a good road bike next summer and get more into that (if I have time). I'm about a 50% raw food vegan. I've been trying hard this summer to get my body pH level more alkaline. I find I have alot more energy when I eat more raw. I used to be a really unhealthy vegan (as compared to how I am now). I used to weigh close to 200 lbs but now I'm a much leaner and more muscular 170 lbs. Take it easy everyone and good luck with your training or whatever you do!