Training and Preparation for the Canadian Ski Marathon

In my last article, I described the Coureurs des Bois gold experience at the Canadian Ski Marathon. If you’ve never participated in the marathon before and are interested in trying it out, here’s a bit of information on what’s involved and how to prepare.

TOURER

Firstly, you should know that the Canadian Ski Marathon is not a race, but a distance event, and that there is a category for everyone. Therefore, anyone can participate, and it is not required to ski the whole distance (160km). For someone who wants to try it out for the first time, and does not want to commit to skiing the entire distance, it is possible to sign up as a Tourer. In the Touring class, participants can chose to ski any number of sections (the marathon track is divided in 5 sections per day -10 in total). Between each section is a checkpoint where food and refreshments are served free of charge and a waxing station is provided. Most importantly, however, each checkpoint is serviced by a shuttle bus. This allows participants to start and finish skiing at any checkpoint of their choosing, and allows skiers to call it a day whenever they want.

As a Tourer, you are spared the pre-dawn start time of the Coureurs des Bois. Your start time is at 8am, or whenever you take to the trails thereafter. Once on the track, you can ski as much of the trail as you are comfortable with, which allows you to judge for yourself whether you think you are up for the Coureurs des Bois challenge next year, or whether you prefer staying in the Touring category.

BRONZE

If you decide to try the Coureur des Bois event, you will attempt the entire distance (160Km) of the marathon over the two days of the event. (You can, of course, always give up at any checkpoint.) You will first start in the Coureurs des Bois Bronze category, which involves skiing the whole distance of the marathon, unimpeded by a backpack, and stopping halfway to sleep at the dorms or hotel in Montebello.

To prepare for this event, you will mainly need ski training. How much training you will need depends on your overall level of physical fitness and your ski experience. For an adult occasional cross-country skier in reasonable shape, I would suggest getting between 200 and 400 km of skiing done before the date of the ski marathon. This can and should be done in small increments of 30-50 km. If you’re masochistic, you can attempt 80km days, like in the marathon, but this is probably not useful and can lead to stress injuries if you haven’t yet had a lot of training. Running at least 5 km three times a week or more for the three months preceding the ski marathon will also make a huge difference in your level of preparation.

I found that the best training for myself consists of skiing 30-50km trips once or twice every weekend, and occasionally doing 7-10 km at the park near my house on weekdays after work. These distances are not only very pleasant, but they are also sufficiently long for most people to get the physical training needed for the marathon. Since the marathon is skied mostly on a classic track and on a varied terrain, it is best to train in hilly forest trails rather than on flat skate tracks. Morin Heights and Val David both have perfect training trails that are also very beautiful.

SILVER

Once you’ve done Bronze, you can contemplate the Silver category. For Silver, the challenge is the same as Bronze but with a pack on your back. Make sure you train with at least a 20lb bag, and make sure that come the day of the marathon, you have enough weight in your bag to remain above the requisite 5Kg, even after you’ve drank all your water. But don’t bother carrying actual weights; since you have to carry a backpack, you may as well carry things that can be useful in an emergency, like a warm parka, mitts and extra food.

GOLD

For Gold you will have to carry all your gear on your back and sleep outside. You should prepare a bag and make sure it doesn’t exceed 30lb on marathon day. Every pound you can shed will make a huge difference over the marathon’s 160km, and many people carry very light bags. If you’re like me and you carry a lot of fuel, try to calculate it so that you just about run out by the end of the marathon, and remember that food is available at checkpoints.

Take nothing that is not strictly necessary. Tents are out of the question. And if rain is not on the menu, I wouldn’t even take a bivy sac. Instead, opt for a very warm sleeping bag (-29 or warmer). I go for synthetic insulation at the cost of extra weight because it keeps its warmth even when wet from snowmelt. I also go for an extra long bag so that I can stuff my ski boots and mitts at the bottom to keep them from freezing overnight. Extra length also allows me to tuck my head in below the face hole if it’s really cold.

In order to save weight, consider not carrying a spare set of clothes (even base layer) for the second day. There are showers at the finish line. Also, don’t bother with a camping stove. For food preparation, I bring an empty coffee can, outfitted with a holding wire, which I stick directly in the fire to boil water There’s no need to carry it the second day; leave it behind. Plastic cutlery and Starbucks cups are equally disposable and extremely light. Dinner is freeze-dry stuff, but bring a lot of it… you need to eat as much as you can. Camp booties are one luxury that may be worth the weight… they allow your feet to stay warm while you dry your ski boots on the camp fire. Also, don’t cheap out on insulation; when exhausted, you’re body doesn’t self-heat very well and a warm parka is absolutely necessary.

For training, you should do the same kind of skiing as for Bronze or Silver, but train with a weighted pack -35lb is what I train with. Never get on your skis without it. Besides strengthening your core carrying muscles, you must also get used to the unbalancing effect of the pack and re-calibrate your muscular memory accordingly.

THE MARATHON

How do you know if you’re ready? If you can ski 40km comfortably at 8km/hour average (including stops) and feel the next morning like you could do it again, you may be ready for the marathon. More training is still suggested to make the marathon experience easier and more pleasant.

On the last weekend before the marathon, only light training is prescribed. By now you should have thoroughly tested your equipment, hopefully in most weather conditions, and you should know what clothing works best for you at all temperatures. Your boots must be thoroughly tested and be very comfortable –they will be severely tested. You should also have an intimate awareness of how much water your body needs and how often it must eat.

In the last 5 days before the marathon, maximize your glycogen buildup by sleeping 12 hours a night and eating and drinking as much as possible.

You should now be well-prepared to take on the marathon challenge. Things to keep in mind during the event include:
• On the morning of the marathon, wake up well ahead of the start time and try to eat a large carbohydrate-rich breakfast 1.5 hours before the start.
• Throughout the day, eat as much as you can at every possible occasion... your body will use it all. At checkpoints, try to get carbohydrate-rich high-glycemic index foods, but also carry high-sucrose foods for when you hit the wall. In particular, I bring Tang which I mix into my Gatorade for a disgustingly sweet, highly-absorbable sugar rush.
• Drink more than is comfortable. Drink before you’re thirsty. Drink as much as you can, whenever you can. Even mild dehydration will seriously slow you down in this long-distance event. Never pass a water station without drinking. Don’t worry about electrolytes depletion; as long as you keep eating, it’s not a likely danger.
• Re-wax as soon as you feel the need for it. If you are slipping too much, or not gliding enough, you are wasting precious energy at every step. Over 160km, this energy loss become very significant. Therefore don’t wait until the next checkpoint if you need to re-wax, do it now.
• Waste as little time as possible. You need to start the last section before the 3pm cutoff time. Stop for nothing except to eat, drink, re-wax and to answer the call of nature. As much as possible, try to combine these activities in a single stop to save time. It is easy to loose track of time in the jovial atmosphere of checkpoints, but don’t. Stuff your face, fill your water bottle and leave as soon as you can.
• Don’t rely on others to set your pace. Resist the temptation to follow someone else. While this might allow your mind to rest, the best pace for you is your own; and you have no guarantee that the person you’re following will make the 3pm cutoff.

The Canadian Ski Marathon is a true Nordic challenge and an act of defiance against winter blues. If you have a taste for adventure, a love of the outdoors and a stiff upper lip, this challenge may just be for you. Why not try it and see?

For more information on the marathon, including shuttle services to and from Metropolitan areas, baggage transport services, and to sign up, visit csm-mcs.com.

Jean-Yves Domenjoz