Two things can be true at
the same time.
You can train for years, but if there
isn’t a higher reason, can you complete the race?
These are points on which Michael Rouleau,
a member of Greater Sudbury Police Service, finds himself
reflecting after finishing second Canadian in the Big’s
Backyard Ultra World Team Championships in Sicamous, B.C.
on Oct. 20 (and beyond).
In backyard ultra events, runners complete
that 6.7 kilometres in an hour, until one runner remains,
standing — literally.
Rouleau completed 81 hours, laps or backyards
(a 6.7-km loop) for 542 kilometres and a new personal
best.
He was second to teammate Michael Serani,
the last of his countrymen left standing. Their placings
helped Canada finish ninth of 67 countries: wtc2026.bigsbackyardultra.com/#team/CAN/CAN-michael-rouleau.
At nationals, the 15 best ultra runners
from each nation compete. The winner earns entry into
the Individual International Competition held alternative
years at Bigs Backyard in Belt Buckle, Tenn.
The qualifying period runs until August
2027. Rouleau is currently qualified for individual worlds,
but doesn’t yet have a spot secured and won’t
know until August. It’s possible others could run
further than him and bump him off the list.
Literally, the last left standing.
Rouleau is proud of the accomplishment,
both for himself and for Canada Beyond the Blue. Rouleau
ran for 57 police officers who have died by suicide and
to raise awareness and funds for Canada Beyond the Blue,
which provides practical and compassionate, empathetic
support to police force members and their families to
best fulfill their roles in the police life.
He is equally proud of the process it
took to get to where he currently isn’t running,
and is recovering.
“The result is what everyone sees,
but often what gets forgotten is the years of self-belief
and early mornings and hours of running and strength training
and nutrition and all the things that go into make something
like that possible to give it a try.”
His goal was to be the last person standing
and complete more than 81 laps.
“That being said, I’m happy
with the result. I think it happened the way it happened
for a reason. Of course, there’s the competitive
side of me. Could I have done more? For sure, all of that
exists. But I’m happy and content with how it all
it went.”
Developing the ability to be satisfied
with an achievement and inspired to do more is a skill
he has developed more recently, he says.
“I think we’re often one or
another. We have to strive for more or be satisfied. I
think both could exist and I think that’s the most
beautiful place to be at. To have that desire to want
to want more and do more. But also, be proud of what you’ve
done.”
Rouleau’s race ended on the 81st
loop, when he tripped after kicking a root. Despite the
sharp pain in an already hurting ankle, he tried to run
it off.
“But the pain was more severe and
acute in terms of things I think I actually hurt something,
instead of it’s ‘hurting.’ ”
He had set out with Serani, but let him
go.
“If he had waited for me, he wouldn’t
finish the lap in time.”
Rouleau called the race director to say
he was done and to tell his crew where he was.
“I remember sitting down, because
this is going to take a little while. All I remember is
my crew waking me up. I was fully snoozing in the middle
of the trail, which is cool to me,” he laughs. “I
went far and I truly pushed my body.”
He credits his team, including Marshall
Hutchinson, Andre Dumais and Dave Crockett, physiotherapist
Sulabh Singh and videographer Neil Deschamps. Vanessa,
his wife, and their daughter Lily, and his parents who
also were in the support crew.
“It was truly a team effort.”
Michael Rouleau
poses for a photo with his team. Supplied
The pit crew serves as backstage assistants
for a singer in quick-costume-change mode. Rouleau would
finish the loop, collapse in a chair and sleep for five,
six minutes.
In the meantime, the crew, rotating on
and off over the ultra event, did everything for him:
foot care (socks, lubricant, taping), bathing.
“They’re putting sunscreen
where sunscreen needs to go.
“My responsibility when I get back
to the tent is to sit back and rest. They take care of
everything else.”
His ability to sleep, behind a sleep mask
and earphones, also helped.
“Some people can’t do this
but I can probably fall asleep in 20 seconds.”
Beyond the Blue
And his crew would also give him a photo
to join him on the course. Rouleau had printed photos
of the 57 Ontario police officers who died by suicide
due to their work.
Having that inspiration was the most important
part, he says,
“There will come a time, and, by
time, I mean numerous times in a race of this length where
you question yourself. Can I do it? Am I able? Is it worth
it? All these normal self-doubt words come in.”
Rouleau has his own reasons for running.
But that why, that inspiration of the 57 faces, “I
can’t express how much it helped me.
“You tell an organization and a
family you’re going to do a thing. Then you’re
10 hours in and ‘woah, I don’t know if I can’t
do this.’ That’s stressful. (The photos) helped
me.”
He would pull out a photo, stop running,
stare at the face, maybe read their name, and remind himself
“that I made a promise to bring this police member
back and I would sit there and I would cry. Or I would
sit there and stare at them.”
He’d finish the course, hand the
picture back to his crew, who would then hand him another
photo.
“I don’t know if I can make
it to 81. I don’t know if I can make it to 57. All
I know is I can finish this one hour and let’s just
do the one hour.”
That’s why the backyard event resonates
so well with him, he says.
“It just mirrors life, right? Especially
at a time in my life where I openly struggled with post-traumatic
stress because of work.”
And he didn’t know what the future
looked like.
“To me one hour at a time, one day
at a time. Get up, one foot in front of the next, finish
the hour, just like finish the day and let’s reassess.
It’s such a beautiful reflection.”
Laura Young’s sports column, Personal
Best, is featured regularly at thesudburystar.com.
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