Jenny Tough: Running The Canadian Rockies

For the past four years, Canadian adventurer Jenny Tough has been dedicated to a project to run solo and unsupported across a mountain range on every continent.

Having completed four to date – The Tien Shan in Asia (Sept 2016), The High Atlas mountains in Africa (Nov 2017), The Cordillera Oriental in South America (Oct 2018) and The Southern Alps in Oceania (March 2019) – 2020 was meant to be the year for her expedition across the Caucasus, a mountain range at the intersection of Europe and Asia.

Yet due to the coronavirus pandemic, Jenny found herself back home in Canada, with the Caucasus expedition off the cards for 2020.

“The Canadian Rockies were always meant to be the final segment, as returning to the mountains where I grew up seemed like a nice way to finish the challenge that I started three years ago. The Caucasus were not going to happen this summer, and since the parks re-opened in Canada, I had the green light to safely go ahead and jog 950km across the Rockies.”

“While the past four expeditions were unknown exploration for me, this time many of the peaks are familiar skylines. These are the trails I learned to hike, camp, and love the outdoors in. I discovered trail running out here. I left a big part of my heart permanently in these exact mountains. But that’s not say they were easier than the other ranges.”

“If I remembered anything about the Rockies, it’s that they are as brutal as beautiful. I’ve been stuck in July snow and run scared from mega thunderstorms, had bears casually stroll through campsites, suffered traumatic mosquito clouds, and fallen down many, many trails. I think, because I knew how hard they could be, I was most fearful of the Rockies out of all the project. A whopping 950km with a large handful of great divide crossings will be a fair test as well.”

Jenny’s journey across the Rockies took her through the trails that she first learned to love hiking, camping, and eventually trail running on. She also went deeper into the backcountry than ever before, where the trails appeared more popular with bears and mountain lions than human footprints.

Needing to be self-sufficient for long stretches between supply points – usually 4-5 day stretches, Jenny carried all her own kit including a bivvy system, stove and food and warm and waterproof layers to manage the multitude of seasons in a day. Jenny wore our ROCLITE G 275 trail running shoes with graphene for grip over the challenging mountainous terrain.

Jenny’s route took her across the Great Divide frequently, offering incredible vistas from high altitude. For 21 days, she averaged about 40km per day, covering over 950km in her journey across the Rockies.

GETTING A GRIP WITH GRAPHENE

“My shoe of choice for this journey were the pair (of ROCLITE G 275’s) I’ve been training in since Spring. I would normally take a fresh pair, but the Graphene base appears eternal, so I didn’t worry that they were already well-used. A run like this really throws everything at my feet: scree slopes, muddy wetlands, deep snow, long gravel miles, and river crossings – so many river crossings. That the Roclites drain so quickly instantly became an important feature for me. The grip didn’t let me down as I crawled over high passes, and the minimalist fit helped me complete the heavy mileage injury-free. They are also the same colour as Lake Louise, which I thought was fab.”