Beyond Running

Conquering 53 Kilometres on the Casques Isles Trail

“When you fall in love with running it seems to happen at a really deep level,” says Esker Norman, an ultra distance runner.

You have to dig deep to run 53 kilometres (33 miles) along a rugged trail on Lake Superior’s shoreline. For Norman, it’s mentally therapeutic. That’s what gets him through it—much more so than the sense of competition, though he has that spirit too. He held the fastest known time for running the Casques Isles Trail that runs through Schreiber to Terrace Bay until a group of four male runners broke it this past summer. He still holds the fastest known time for running it solo, and is pursuing more ultra distances. Regardless of the speed, it’s difficult to wrap your head around the sheer determination, grit, and will it takes to run that far that fast, factoring in all the elements and unknowns Lake Superior is infamous for.

“When you're doing something difficult like that for eight hours straight, you hit low points. You know you’re going to face adversity, whether it’s physical or mental,” says Norman. “One of the things that can be really beautiful is to remind yourself in that moment that you're choosing to do it and it’s okay that you're experiencing something difficult. Remind yourself that the outcome of that process is going to be just another celebration of how powerful you can be when you put your mind to something.”

Local filmmakers captured Norman’s run in a short film called Closer: Chasing Balance on the Casque Isles Trail, documenting not only the run itself, but also Norman’s experiences with mental health.

His wife’s miscarriage and his anger around that experience are what sparked him to start trail running. On the advice of a mental health counsellor, he tried taking a run.

He’d always been active; in his career Norman works with youth in outdoor recreation. He’s an avid cross-country skier and rock climber. However, it was the running that “took over.”

“Running is something I’m really passionate about. In the world of outdoor recreation there are studies of ‘the flow state,’ describing when you are in tune with your body and moment,” he says. “The point of meditation is to be present and aware of the things you’re feeling and being non-judgemental of those things. Trail running for me brings this feeling; like meditation, you have to pay careful attention to your foot placement, your breathing, and how you’re moving on the trail. That allows me to be so involved in that moment that I’m very present.”

However, the long distances can be a difficult balance for family life. It involves a lot of dedication, time, and early mornings to squeeze in all the training. “The goals get bigger and bigger,” says Norman, which inevitably leads to even more running. Strength training and coaching has helped him prevent injury and run longer, but the single greatest motivator for Norman remains his mental health. He was surprised to learn that’s also the case with other ultra distance runners.

“Being able to share about my difficulties with my mental health and the ways running has helped me is a big thing for me,” he says. “Different folks in the running world have told me they’ve taken solace in my story and there are all sorts of other people’s stories—people who’ve experienced similar personal experiences with their mental health. It’s about finding a way to regulate.”

For those interested in trying trail running, he recommends finding a group like the UpRiver Running for motivation, and not to be afraid to explore running short distances and noticing the effect it has on your mental health. “Work at your own level of challenge. For someone that might mean being able to run continuously for two kilometres. I think that is just as worthy, impressive, and exciting as a goal of running 200 kilometres.”

Norman says some days will still be hard. “Professional runners remind people that there’s still a lot of hard days,” he says. “But I’ve never had a day where I’ve gone for a run and thought ‘Oh, I regret that.’ It’s always been worth it.”