09/16/2025
For 7 years, our team has supported runners attempting to cross the finish line of the iconic Prairie Sky Running Company Beaver Flat 50. Most need simple recovery efforts like cold water sponges, pickles, and morale boosting. Some need a little more effort with pause for concern, while others need compassion as they decide to pull out from the race with a DNF. We have proudly served at the stations with genuine investment in the cheers and tears!
But it has always been a subtle worry, and with anxious anticipation, that we may be faced with the urgency to access a runner in distress on the trail. We know all too well the complexities of the effort to coordinate resources, access, treat, and extract the patient. This team trains for this and thrives in this type of scenario.
The hills of Sask Landing mimic a desert-like landscape. Heat exposure, coupled with exertion, can create a dangerous mixture of stressors that strain the body beyond the ability to recover easily with simple solutions like water and electrolytes. Sometimes the body has no choice but to succumb, halting their race in its tracks. High-risk consequences like heat stroke, respiratory or cardiac distress, and rhabdomyolysis elevate our worry. Each being life-threatening, we can’t fully recover you from those medical issues on our own. Especially out there.
Going to aid a runner on the trail is NOT a simple task. There are many moving parts, and people, that may be needed to pull off a trail rescue. And all that takes far longer than we (and the runner) are comfortable with. The stark reality is that a trail rescue will demand strategy, resources, and urgency based off sparse communication and human-powered efforts.
Trucks, UTVs, and ambulances are unlikely to be able to access a runner in distress. Determining location alone and accessibility is a time-consuming effort that feels slow and cumbersome. All while everyone is anxiously worried we may not get there fast enough.
And all the while, the runner waits in the medical distress that is threatening their health and potentially their life. Very little at this stage gets better on its own, and it is nearly impossible to recover someone this sick without an aggressive strategy and supplies.
While every runner may not cross the finish line, it is imperative that we make sure every runner makes it off the trail. Most will do so on their own two feet, but we are concerningly aware that some day we may need to carry out a runner, or worse yet have one flown out.
This year we were called to the trail for a runner in heat distress. 38km total completed, and between aid stations, she was unrecoverable on her own and with the minimal support offered by her friend and our volunteer Sweep. We had decent communication between them and race headquarters, the runner was not alone, we knew roughly where they were, we could get trucks in quite close, and we were prepared with essential supplies to start the access and recovery process.
It was not easy.
She was not ok.
But the team worked hard, and resiliency was her strength.
She walked out.
And while she was assessed by EMS on site, transport was not needed. She was able to go back to her hotel, have the best pizza ever, and sleep hard after a very long and hot day. This is by far the best outcome, and a relief to us all. And it could happen to ANYONE!
After every race, we debrief the overall event and specific scenarios from a variety of viewpoints. These debriefs are vital to our continued improvement and readiness. While we want to celebrate the success, we also want to be broadly aware of any gaps in our efforts. This fuels our team to stay vigilant with training and ongoing preparedness.
For now, I want to express how unbelievably proud I am of my Back40 team, Jeff & Warren, and the entire Prairie Sky Running crew. The efforts this race organization and all its sub-divisions have taken to be prepared for a trail extraction proved themselves worthwhile on Saturday. We are also relieved with the outcome and for her healthy recovery!
As we wind down from this event and prepare for the Reesor 50, we will take small opportunities to share our lessons learned and our advice with the greater running community here at these events. Your preparedness matters; it’s the first line of defense in a future trail-side emergency for yourself or a fellow runner.
But for now, let’s celebrate another amazing Beaver Flat 50 and be grateful for everyone’s healthy return!d
