Fort St. John teenager becomes youngest to complete 200-mile Alberta endurance race

CASTLE-CROWSNEST, AB — A teenage endurance racer made history this weekend as the youngest person ever to conquer a gruelling 200-mile race in Alberta.

Griffin McCue, just 17 years old, completed The Divide 200, an ultra-marathon which took place over four days, starting on Friday, September 12th, in the Castle-Crowsnest area.

He is the youngest to ever complete the distance.

McCue told Energeticcity.ca he got into running after his mom broke her foot before the 2023 Canadian Death Race endurance race in Grande Cache. 

“Somebody needed to cover her leg,” explained McCue. “[So] I did, and it went really well.

“I got ‘runners high’, they call it. The Death Race had a marathon option. I told my dad: ‘Next year, I’m going to do the marathon.’”

He did, and then was asked to be a pace runner, which means he shadowed an entrant in the 2024 Divide event, pacing for Ken Bouck and running 66 kilometres.

“The race is 322 kilometres,” explained McCue. “The first 140 kilometres you have to do alone. [Pacers] can do [20 kilometre] segments for you but they can’t carry any of your gear.

“[Pacers] are there to make sure you stay on course they also play a massive part in the mental game.”

Exercising at The Sweat Box gym in Fort St. John, McCue estimates he put 20 hours per week on strength and running training with trainer Nicki Haugan to prepare.

McCue said the first 100 kilometres of the race had 4,000 metres of elevation, a third of the course’s 12,323 metres of total elevation, which he described as “tricky.”

He added sleep was difficult, and he only had about six hours throughout the duration of the 100-hour event. McCue also stressed that just like the elevation, his emotions experienced highs and lows.

“When you have hit a high point you just feel so happy,” said McCue. “When you hit a low, there’s no faking it. Everything is so real out there.”

McCue completed the race in a time of 78 hours, 32 minutes and 58.5 seconds, placing ninth overall.

The teen said he will do it again, although he’s not sure when.

“I don’t know if I’ll do it next summer or the year after or even a few years down the line,” said McCue. “Maybe in the future, I’ll probably do another 200 miler.”

The Divide 200 took place from Friday, September 12th to Tuesday, September 16th. Further details are available at the event’s Facebook page and website.