Logan Beaulieu: Embracing Life Through Running

You started running after a near-fatal crash when you were sixteen. Can you tell us what inspired to run after such an ordeal?

I actually started running at the age of 11 while living in Penticton, B.C. As a family we ran with the Penticton Pounders, a group formed by the renowned race announcer, Steve King. This included a series of races that were held around the Thomson Okanagan and the Okanagan Similkameen ranging from 3 miles to 10 miles (5km to 16km) I recall several fun races I participated in. The Survivor, held in Kelowna, B.C., which was 11 miles. A race that was held in Merritt, B.C. also stands out in which a mountain man that everybody called ‘Nature Boy’,  would come down from the hills yearly to run the race..

I was the passenger in a near-fatal car accident. The Doctors told me that I had a 10% chance of walking again. I know Doctors give the worst-case scenario, but never the less the news was bleak. Recovery would be a long and arduous road. The physical and mental trauma that I had experienced radically changed my life. In many ways I am a stronger and better person today and for this I must acknowledge the medical and rehabilitation staff as well as my family who were very supportive throughout my recovery progress. My father played the largest roll in pulling or was it pushing me through. He was almost like a drill sergeant. He knew how easy it would be for me to fall into a trap of self-pity and take the easiest way out. Because of his encouragement and support I was able to avoid that trap, although I must confess, sometimes I would question my ability to succeed and I would go along with him simply to please. Like any good partnership it required the strength and will of both to believe and prove that the odds can be beaten. The accident was the summer before I was to go into grade 11. Instantly my school curriculum was replaced with by rehabilitation because of my sudden diminished capacity. My test was how I would overcome the physical and mental challenges I faced. If I listened to the people that said I can’t and I believed their words, I would have given up and I know I wouldn’t be where I am today. Running ultra-marathons has given me the courage to pursue and achieve many of my goals. This is not to say that I haven’t had failures because I’ve had many along the way, but I kept persevering.

You also traveled quite extensively after the accident. What have you learned from your travels, and how have those experiences helped shape you?

I travelled for several years after my accident. I felt the desire to see the world, experience new things and in all honesty, escape the new reality that was my life at the time.

I traveled up and down the East Coast of Australia, picking up odd jobs to support my travels. This included construction in Sydney, being employed as a hairdresser in Byron Bay and Cairns, working in a Flour Mill in Toowoomba, and setting up for stock car races in Surfer’s Paradise. I served coffee in the first Starbucks in the UK, Piccadilly Circus in London and I worked at a Pineapple factory in Brisbane. I worked in a pub in Belfast and taught Conversational English in Tallinn, Estonia and Riga, Latvia. Being around people in different countries has taught me to be more compassionate and understanding of those less fortunate. The biggest lesson that surviving an accident and traveling abroad has taught me is ‘empathy’. I try not to take life too seriously and I always look for the best in people. Everyone has a story to tell and a separate set of challenges to overcome.

What are some of the most memorable stories from those travels?

Traveling not only allows one to experience a country but also provides easy accessibility to neighboring countries. While I was in Fiji I was invited to stay with a family away from the city. There I enjoyed the local customs as well as horseback riding and plenty of hiking. We drank plenty of Kava. Kava is consumed throughout the Pacific Ocean cultures. I would run, hike and scramble in Australia and Fiji in temperatures more than 45C.  At the end of one of my runs in Fiji, I tried to walk into the ocean to cool off. Not only was the water like a warm bath, but it was also shallow and dense with salt. The coral was so sharp on tender feet that I could not get far enough or fast enough out into deeper water to experience any relief. There I was, walking out from the beach and into the water.  The water was finally up to my mid-thighs, surely relief would soon follow. I continued to walk a few more steps only to come to the realization that the water was getting shallower again. How was this possible? I accepted defeat as I submerged myself in the shallow water, warm water and went back to my room where I was forced to console myself with a tepid shower.

While in Byron Bay, Australia, I completed plenty of stair repeats up a staircase to the top of a lookout to a sign that read, ‘The Easternmost point of Australia’s mainland’. I found trails and paths in every location I stayed, some hidden and some well-known, from Vilnius, Lithuania, to Sydney, Australia. Even Taipei I managed to find some green space. Taipei is reportedly one of the most densely populated cities in the world.

Some of the most memorable locations that I ran or hiked in Australia are, the Tablelands, Cape Tribulation and on Magnetic Island. I recall great hiking and scrambling on both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. I also had great adventures on Gotland, which is Sweden’s largest Island.

The island of Gotland and the other areas of the Province of Gotland make up less than one percent of Sweden’s total land giving it very quaint feeling.

I fell in love with the Baltic Counties. I enjoyed the time I spent with the people who live there; Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians. Helsinki, Finland, was just a short ferry ride from Tallinn, Estonia, so I was able to visit my brother who was living there at the time. From Helsinki I took a train to Lulea, the Northern most city in Sweden. I experienced their very short summer and even managed to squeeze in a run or two. Everywhere I traveled, I acquainted myself with the landscape and sights by walking or running.

I also took a train to Narvik, Norway, 209 km or 130 miles past the Arctic Circle. There I was, lacing up my shoes and heading out for a run despite the locales telling me in their limited English, “I don’t see people running out there.” I recall an incident when I had my eyes on was a large clearing. Away I went to embrace the soft surface of the greenspace. As I ran further and further out I started to sink in past my ankles and before I knew it I was up to my shins. Yikes! Was this going to be the end of me? I thought on no uncertain terms that I was going to be swallowed up by what might be quicksand or a bog. I guess that didn’t happen because I’m here to tell the story!

While living in Riga, Latvia I took a bus to Valga, Latvia to go for my  a long run on a few occasions. From there I started and finished my run in the two border towns split down the middle which joined two countries, Valka, Latvija, and Valga, Estonia. The meaning of the name means ‘walk’ in both languages. Valka and the Valga are twins, separated by the Estonian/Latvian border, but using the slogan “One Town, Two Countries”. The downside of this run was I spent a minimum of 20 minutes in customs at each crossing. I enjoyed a local drink called Kvass after runs and hikes which is a traditional Slavic and Baltic beverage commonly made from rye bread, known in many Eastern European countries and especially in Ukraine and Russia as black bread. I also drank the refreshing drink after or during runs and hikes, called, Irn-Bru when in the UK which is a Scottish carbonated soft drink, often described as “Scotland’s other national drink.”

Another memorable experience was my foray into diving. It was surreal seeing all types of fish and ocean life; large and small and a plethora of colors that I cannot describe. The enormous schools of fish swam in organized patterns like synchronized swimmers. On another note, it is truly a pity that the oceans and reefs around the world are being ruined due to industry. One trawler destroys everything on the ocean floor and much of the underwater life gets thrown back into the ocean…dead. Year-round irresponsible tourists (snorkelers and divers) ruin reefs and underwater habitats not to mention all the litter in the world’s oceans. Over five trillion pieces of plastic are floating in our oceans is stated in the most comprehensive studies to date on plastic pollution around the world which in turn kills underwater life that ingest this plastic. I came across an article in the Guardian titled, Whales are starving – their stomachs full of our plastic waste, effecting their digestion.  Thirteen sperm whales stranded on the German coast had ingested enormous amounts of plastic. They are symbolic of our shocking disregard for marine life. We are killing the oceans at a very alarming rate.

On another very shocking note ‘more animals are killed by cars each day than we ever could Imagine’ More deaths than poachers, deforestation or pollution and when it comes to hunting, well… hunting destroys families.’ Like many fellow adventurers I am sickened with sadness and very concerned about these things.  Two great Charities that are worth taking a look at are CPAWS and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

My father paved the path for me or rather ‘groomed the trail’. We are running buddies. Today we share stats, training tips, diet, etc. In my early years of running I would run for the sheer enjoyment of it. I would run shorter distance races from 5k, 10k and half marathon. In 1992 I skipped the traditional marathon distance and I ran my first ultra, a 50k. The following year I ran a 24 hour track race and continued from there. After moving to Edmonton in 2003 I began to think more about my placement in races. In my younger years I loved the adrenaline rush and the excitement of the race. I was addicted to trails, the sound of rushing streams, birds, wind, etc.