Oakville, Ont. native Matthew Munro became the youngest person to finish the Sulphur Springs 100-mile trail race in Ancaster, Ont. on May 28, 2023, at the age of 19–but he wasn’t quite satisfied. On Aug. 9, Munro, now 20, moved up to 200 miles, toeing the line at the Bigfoot 200-miler in Washington state. Crossing the line on Aug. 13 after 93 hours, 37 minutes and 44 seconds, he became the youngest Canadian ultrarunner to complete a 200-mile race.
The 333-km course traverses through the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington state, and includes 13,887 m of elevation gain and 14,289m of loss. Along the route are six sleep and 13 aid stations with hot food, medical and crew access.
Munro admits that the hardest part about the race was knowing he’d be out there on the course for days–he didn’t feel mentally prepared for the gruelling experience. “I was beginning to lose my mind at 70 miles in–I couldn’t grasp that I wasn’t even halfway done yet,” he says. He notes that the members of his crew motivated him through that first rough patch.
By the 150-mile mark, the Canadian reveals that he wanted to quit. “I felt like a zombie. I could barely talk or stand; I didn’t have enough calories,” Munro says. “I couldn’t decide if I should continue to suffer, or if I should drop out and probably regret it for the rest of my life. I thought about all of my training and the sacrifices I made–it was a very emotional moment.” After a power nap and a snack, he continued trudging along the trail to complete the final quarter of the race.
Munro took 111th place in a field of 219 racers (84 of whom did not finish), becoming the youngest Canadian and third-youngest person ever to complete the Bigfoot 200 mile.
19-year-old Ontario runner becomes youngest finisher at Sulphur Springs 100 miler
Munro says the odds of him taking on another 200-miler are good, since he now knows that he can do it physically and knows what he’ll have to fight through mentally. “I know I could’ve run that race a lot faster,” he says. “I even hope to be on the podium one day.”
