Dauphin woman to run 3rd ultramarathon this winter

The bitter cold temperatures forecast this weekend might have some Manitobans thinking about hiding, but not Sue Lucas.

Lucas, 51, will be taking part in the fourthannual Actif Epica, which kicks off on Saturday in St. Malo, Man. Over 60 people from as far away as Brazil will run or cycle over 130 kilometres, ending at The Forks in downtown Winnipeg.

For Lucas, it will be the third ultramarathon she's run this winter. The Dauphin woman has already completed the Tuscobia Winter Ultra in Wisconsin (241 kilometres) and the Arrowhead Ultra 135 in Minnesota (217 kilometres), winning both in hercategory.

• Dauphin woman nabs title in 240-km endurance test

Remarkably, Lucas finished both of those ultramarathons just in January, but while theywere longer, Lucas says Actif Epica can be far more gruelling.

"It's pretty cold when it's 30 C and you're on the prairie and there's 40-mile-an-hour winds," said Lucas.

Organizers of Actif Epica saidthe length of time it takes to complete the route varies, with cyclists taking up to 11 hours and runners up to 24 hours.

"I'm going to try and run it in under 18 hours," Lucas said. "I don't really know how it's going to go, my feet are still pretty swollen and sore from the last marathon. I might just run this one for fun with a friend of mine."

Still, when Lucas finishes Actif Epica she won't just win bragging rights. She'll also become the only woman to ever be inducted into The Order of the Hrimthurs, an elite running group whose members have all finished three ultramarathons in one season.

"I'm the only one [inducted] who's going to be running on foot, that has done all three on foot," said Lucas. "All the other guys have been on bikes."

To hear more about Sue Lucas and the ultramarathon circuit, tune in to Information Radio 89.3 FM at 6:50 a.m. Friday, when she'll be speaking with host Marcy Markusa.