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Pitt Meadows man to run from 100 Mile House to Kamloops

Micah Todd wants to raise awareness about mental health and suicide prevention
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Micah Todd is running an ultra-marathon to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention. (Special to The News)

Micah Todd attempted to run an ultra-marathon from 100 Mile House to Kamloops, a distance of about 200 kms, in 2019.

The Pitt Meadows resident had just lost a close friend of his to suicide in June of that year and had decided to do the run in his honour.

However, even though he trained hard for the run – running multiple marathons a week in the lead up to it – he couldn’t finish. He became ill at around the 129 kms mark and packed it in.

On April 1 the Pitt Meadows resident will be attempting the ultra-marathon once again. This time not only is he promising to finish – he is hoping to have more people thinking about mental health and suicide prevention in the process.

Not only did he lose a friend to suicide, but Todd himself had struggled with suicidal thoughts and depression for years.

“For me it’s just important that it’s talked about,” the 38-year-old remarked, adding that he hopes others who are experiencing the same know that there are people they can reach out to.

“If we can reach one person and help them then that makes all the world of difference,” Todd said.

Todd will be starting his marathon at 8 a.m. on April 1 at a memorial bench for his friend in Centennial Park in 100 Mile House, the city Todd called home for 20 years, and finishing at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, where his friend had planned to attend. He is expecting the run to take him about 30 hours.

Since his run in 2019, Todd has learned a lot and he has also trained with other ultra-marathoners who have given him lots of advice.

“The main thing I learned is you don’t need to run the whole way,” said Todd, which is exactly the kind of pressure he put on himself during his first attempt at the distance, he told himself to keep running.

RELATED: Maple Ridge man runs for 25 hours in virtual marathon

READ MORE: Ultra Marathon running: the highs, the lows, the pain

His ultra-marathon friends advised him to stop, take a breath, and just rest if he is feeling sick, and then keep going.

“An ultra-marathon is just going from one point to the other, a very long distance, usually over 100 miles and finishing,” he explained.

“I’m not running a race. It’s going to be an event. It’s going to be from start to finish. And whether I walk some or run some, I’m going to get there,” he said.

If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide call 1-800784-2433 or 1-800-SUICIDE.

For more information on the Crisis Centre of BC, an organization that provides crisis support, suicide prevention, and postvention, go to crisiscentre.bc.ca.


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Colleen Flanagan

About the Author: Colleen Flanagan

I got my start with Black Press Media in 2003 as a photojournalist.
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