The 61-year-old Stefani finished with a time of 19:58:58, taking first place in his age category.
He said he prefers long runs on trails like this as they are far more interesting and challenging than road marathons.
“It’s quite a different style of activity, it’s far more grassroots. I think it’s less competitive, people are far more cooperative…it’s super exciting to be in the forest, and the training is what most of us prepare for, it’s what brings most of us the most joy.”
To prepare for races like this, Stefani told NanaimoNewsNOW he would run the Mount Benson trail loop, which is about 7.1 kilometers with a 728 meter elevation gain.
Then he does it again, and again, and again…one after another, five times without stopping.
During those eight to nine hours of training, he said you learn to develop the skills to get your mind settled and focus on keeping your body going.
“You think of all different kinds of things, but it’s a neat chance to draw in the surroundings and get a feel for what your body can do. It’s hard to explain to people who don’t do it.”
Amazingly, Stefani said he was only a “little bit sore” the day after completing the Canadian Death Race.
He’s been running marathons and ultra-marathons for decades, so it makes sense his practice specializes in teaching proper running form, training and recovery to help people get the most out of their bodies while running.
“My calling is to take people who don’t normally like to run, and teach them the way running was designed to be so they actually feel really good about it and want to do it all the time.”
The next race for the Running Doctor is the Squamish 50 on Aug. 20-21, where he will run an 80 kilometer mountain race on the Saturday, and then a 50 kilometer mountain race the next day.
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On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow
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