When Megan Wotherspoon made the pact with herself to tackle the incredible challenge of running 1,500KMs from the TOP of Saskatchewan to the BOTTOM of the province, she knew one undeniable fact: she was going to need a small army of remarkable people to help her achieve something that nobody has ever done before.
“It couldn’t happen without them,” said Wotherspoon of the 25-member team (people and sponsors) behind her, led by her dad (Brad) and brother (Matthew) – who will help her navigate more than 600KMs from Stony Rapids to La Ronge.
“The propane (tank) on my dad’s camper will be a life saver,” quipped Wotherspoon when thinking about the logistics of trying to eat on the roadside in northern Saskatchewan – when she will be without services for seven of those 10 days.
It’s now almost five weeks until Wotherspoon starts the journey on May 25th from Stony Rapids to the Montana/Saskatchewan boarder near Val Marie. (Click the link to read last week’s intro to her story.)
Her small army also includes a nutritionist, who is helping dehydrate food/fruit to pack for that northern stretch. “Looking at how many calories I need a day, it’s 400 grams of carbs in the morning and then 400 more grams of carbs in the afternoon. It will be a lot of pasta, chili and Kraft dinner (at supper).”
That support team also includes as physiotherapist, doctor, a pack of “four powerhouse women” who will guide her from La Ronge to Prince Albert, then several family members – aunties and her step-mom Sandy. “She (Sandy) helped raise me since I was eight years old. I’m honoured to have two moms.”
Wotherspoon estimates it will cost about $8,000 to make the 30-day journey. The 37-year-old is very grateful to several companies for stepping-up to cover most of the expenses so far.
Now, it’s just the small task of getting to that start line in remote northern Saskatchewan as healthy as possible – and managing the impact of the journey. “Overuse injury,” are the two words that came out Wotherspoon’s mouth when asked what worries her. “We want to be respectful of our body.”
It will be a delicate balance as she honours her mother’s courageous journey 31 years ago when she lost her battle with leukemia. You will be able to follow Wotherspoon’s journey via her Instagram account @meg.runs.south. She is also looking forward to people joining her along the road to run portions of her daily routes – once she is south of La Ronge. Watch her Instagram account for her locations after May 25th.
