FREETOWN, P.E.I. — A passion for running and a kept promise are what motivates Steven Reeves to pursue challenges most people would reason are unattainable.
The 43-year-old dairy farmer from Freetown emerged victorious recently in an event for the second year in a row that would make running a marathon seem like a stroll in the park, after he became the first repeat winner of the Sonofa Gunofa Run in Five Islands, N.S.
“I’m not sure how it all snowballed into going this far,” said Reeves in explaining his motivation to participate in ultra-running events. “I really enjoy it.
“I find it’s good for your mind to get out and exercise.
“After a hard day’s work, I find if I can get out and have a hard run you will forget about any problems you had during the day.”
The Sonofa Gunofa Run attracted a sellout field of about 130 participants.
“The loop has 600 feet of vertical elevation gain, so it’s like a single-track trail with lots of roots, rocks and those types of things,” explained Reeves. “If you can get around the (5.8-kilometre) loop and be back in the starting corral in one hour, you are eligible to continue to the next loop.
“It just goes on until everybody quits, or they cannot get back to the starting corral in time.”
Once the field is down to only one competitor remaining before the race’s cap, that athlete must run one final loop to clinch victory.
It’s a course Reeves has become very familiar with the last two years. In 2018, he ran 24 laps to break the previous record of 18. This year, with the race capped at 28 loops, it went the distance and, for the second year in a row, it came down to Reeves and 30-year-old Jean-Marc Boudreau of Memramcook, N.B.
“What happens (on the final loop) is it turns into a regular race and you run as fast as you can and whoever gets back first wins,” explained Reeves. “That was pretty interesting to have an all-out sprint after roughly 155 kilometres already in your legs.”
Total distance
Overall, Reeves and Boudreau ran a total distance of 102 miles – or 164 kilometres – with a total elevation of a little over 16,000 feet.
“It’s been fun to say the least,” said Boudreau. “I met Steven for the first time at the race last year and I had only heard who he was. I heard he was this strong dairy farmer from the Island who is a really good runner, too.
“He’s a super nice guy and in these races you get to chat a lot. We kind of became friends slugging it out at the race last year. Last year, I had to pull the plug on the 23rd loop and he won it by running the 24th loop.”
Click here for story on Steven Reeves winning the 2018 Sonofa Gunofa Run:
Veteran P.E.I. runner Scott Clark described the accomplishments of Reeves as an example of pure toughness.
“Steve is unbelievably tough to be able to endure 28 hours and 163 kilometres of a hilly course,” said Clark, who dropped out of the run after 12 hours. “He is not only physically strong, but just as mentally strong.
“I am in awe of his accomplishments on the trail running circuit.”
Reeves’s introduction to running came as a result of treatment for a back injury suffered on the farm years ago.
“It was swimming and running that helped fixed my back under a doctor and physiotherapist’s guidance,” said Reeves. “I told myself if it worked I would never be lazy and not go if I could and stay at it. I just kept on rolling.”
Rebounded well
Despite running the first loop on a Saturday at 9 a.m. and starting the final one early Sunday afternoon, Reeves said his body rebounded well and “felt really good” after Lap 28.
“I had some ups and downs along the way,” said Reeves. “With experience you get to know that when your body is sore or tired that you will come out of it again.
“It’s amazing how your body will switch back and forth from feeling really down to really good again. Probably at eight in the morning on the second day, Sunday morning, I started to feel really good again. The sprint lap was at 1 p.m., and I was feeling pretty good by that point.
“Throughout the night, probably from 2 a.m. to 5 or 6 a.m., I felt really poor, tired and sore. But I was able to come out of it when the sun came up again.”
Although they were about to enter their 28th hour running the course, Boudreau and Reeves were not lacking motivation.
“There were probably 20 or 30 people who stuck around that were waking up from having a full night’s rest and we are still running and they wanted to see the end,” said Boudreau. “We were like, ‘People are sticking around to watch the end of the race so let’s try to give them a show. We will do whatever we can.’”
They did not disappoint.
“I was typically running the loops between 48 to 50 minutes so I would have a 10-to-12-minute rest and I could not see myself running the last loop faster than maybe 42 minutes, maybe 40 minutes,” said Boudreau. “I didn’t think I could run any faster than that.”
Click here for related story on Steven Reeves:
Reeves ran the final lap in 31:11 and Boudreau stopped the clock in 31:25.
“We got up the climb really fast and kept pushing,” said Boudreau. “I don’t really know how my legs unlocked. They were stiff for the last several loops and if they stayed like that there is no way I was going to be able to run fast. But they unlocked when I needed them to.
“Steve was a bit ahead of me and there were a couple of times around the loop I could just see him, but I was trying to catch up to him and wasn’t able to. He finished about 15 seconds before me and we were flying on that last loop. I honestly have no idea how I was able to do that. We ran the last one in just over 31 minutes. I think Steve, too, was surprised at how fast we were able to run at that point.”
After a 24-hour battle in 2018, and running every hour for 28 hours in 2019, Reeves and Boudreau both admitted they plan to take a step back in 2020. In all likelihood, they say, they will be part of a crew for other runners.
“Maybe we’ll have a few beers and enjoy the show,” said Reeves. “It’s pretty tough mentally to keep getting up to do that over and over again.”
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