Fredericton man top Canadian finisher in ultra marathon
Nathaniel Couture ran 168 kilometres through mountainous terrain
CBC News Posted: Sep 30, 2013 7:13 AM AT| Last Updated: Sep 30, 2013 7:13 AM AT
Ultra marathoner
Nathaniel Couture of Fredericton was the top Canadian finisher in the European Ultra Marathon, covering 168 kilometres through Italian mountains. (CBC)
A Fredericton man has proven himself to be one of the fastest ultra-marathoners in the world.
Nathaniel Couture, 33, ran 168 kilometres through mountainous terrain in Italy, France and Switzerland in just over 30 hours.
The software developer was the top Canadian finisher in the European ultra marathon Trail du Mont-Blanc on August 30. Couture’s time placed him in the top five per cent of the 2,500 racers who competed, putting him in 134th position.
The race is as long as four marathons, but Couture said its length is the only thing that makes it extreme.
“Ninety-six hundred meters of climbing. And also descending because you’re going back to where you started, which is like going up Mount Everest from sea level to the summit and back down,” he said.
“The one elite Canadian who was there didn’t finish,” said Couture. “He got sick.
“I had a rough patch earlier on, where I was sick, vomiting, like 20 kilometres into the race and I thought my race was done.”
Couture trains by running up and down ski-hills outside of Fredericton year round and is hoping to grow the fledgling sport while he prepares for another ultra-marathon next summer.
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