Ultra Runner Sets World Record Running From Lake Louise to Jasper And Watches a Lunar Eclipse Along The Way

Twenty-eight-year-old Harry Marshall left Lake Louise on Thursday, Aug. 27, bound for Jasper along the iconic Icefields Parkway. More than 30 hours later, he crossed the finish line in Jasper, having run through the Rockies under a full moon, watched a partial eclipse, endured a thunderstorm and pushed through the night to complete the route.

His final time (30 hours, 2 minutes and 31 seconds) has now been recognized as the fastest known time for the Icefields Parkway route.

Marshall’s primary goal was to finish. Breaking the existing fastest known time, set by Canmore ultrarunner Samuel Dickie in 2020 at 31 hours and eight minutes, was a secondary challenge.

“I wanted to attempt to break the record,” Marshall said, “but the main goal was just to go and do it and have a good, big adventure.”

Running through the Rockies

Marshall started the run alone, covering the first 50 kilometres before bringing in his support crew.

Six people and two cars supported the attempt, with two bikes rotating between members of the crew. Once the support team joined him, Marshall had someone accompanying him for most of the rest of the route.

The cars initially met him approximately every 10 kilometres. As the finish approached, that was reduced to roughly every five kilometres.

At first, weather conditions were hot, and dehydration was a concern. Then, about 40 km in, a major storm rolled in. Thunder and lightning accompanied heavy rain, which bounced off the pavement so intensely that Marshall said the road appeared to turn white.

"I've never seen a storm like it," he said.

Two people driving the Parkway stopped to ask whether he was OK and whether he needed a ride.

Fortunately, the storm lasted only about 30 or 40 minutes before easing into drizzle, but it was enough to leave him soaked, with ice forming across his jacket.

The original plan called for one support vehicle to drive ahead during the night, park and allow its crew to sleep for a few hours, while the other would drive next to Marshall to provide safety and light. But the plan proved unexpectedly difficult for the drivers, who would have had to travel slowly for long periods of time.

After about an hour, the team abandoned the strategy. Fortunately, the conditions made it less necessary. A full moon illuminated the highway, and traffic was sparse during the overnight hours.

The combination of the moonlight, mountains and unusually quiet Parkway made for a scene he said he won't forget.

“It just seemed so bright,” he said. “Running through the Rockies with the moonlight, it was definitely something to remember.”

At one point in the night, there was even a partial lunar eclipse. 

By the final 45 kilometres, with about eight and a half hours remaining within the previous fastest known time, Marshall knew he would be able to break the record. That knowledge may have been both helpful and frustrating.

“I don't know if that affected my ability to keep pushing and running,” he said, “because I was in so much pain, but I knew I was going to get it anyway.”

For the final 20 kilometres, Marshall could no longer sustain a running stride for more than about 100 metres at a time. “Mentally, I was still really with it and really wanted to push,” he said. “But I just physically couldn't get my legs to stride.” He finished the journey power-hiking toward Jasper as another storm began to roll in.

From trails to the Parkway

Marshall, who hails from England and is currently based in Whistler, began running about four and a half years ago. But it was only in the last couple of years that he became more involved in the ultramarathon and trail-running scene.

His first major introduction to multi-day running came last August, when he completed the Fat Dog 120 in British Columbia, a 200km race with roughly 9,000 metres of elevation gain. It took him about 40 hours to finish, without sleeping.

That remained his longest run to date until running the Icefields Parkway, which was 30km longer by distance, but 10 hours shorter by time. 

Despite Fat Dog involving significantly more elevation, he found the road harder on his body. Marshall was much more accustomed to running on trails, where changes in terrain and elevation break up the repetitive impact. The Parkway was almost entirely a long stretch of pavement.

But despite the physical toll, it was the adventure and the challenge of planning the attempt that drew Marshall to the route.

"I really like racing in official races," Marshall said. "But these kind of solo events where you're doing all the planning and you have to have a crew with you and all that kind of stuff - I just love them. It's just like a massive adventure."

For now, Marshall isn't planning another immediate challenge. “I promised myself the month of September to sit back and relax and just enjoy some time off, and maybe have a couple of beers,” he said. 

But soon enough, he says, he’ll be back out training for his next adventure.