B.C. ultrarunner Ethan Peters demolishes Canadian Death Race course record
Peters was around 90 minutes ahead of his nearest competition at the 118K race in the Alberta Rockies
Matt Westlake
Despite persistent rain, Ethan Peters of Fernie, B.C., took the win at this year’s Canadian Death Race on Saturday, finishing the 118-km course in 11 hours, 36 minutes and 52 seconds to smash the existing course record, set by Rickey Gates in 2011, by almost 40 minutes. Peters finished more than an hour and a half ahead of James Dalke in second place (13:15:52) and Ian Cleland in third (13:21:20), and went home $5,000 richer for breaking the course record.
“Overall, I just had a really fun day,” Peters told Canadian Running. “It took a lot of focus, both to stay on top of my nutrition and stay on my feet, as the slippery trails were constantly trying to take me out. My favourite parts of the course were the iconic Mt. Hamel ridge, with the added treat of sideways rain and the lush singletrack section to the river crossing … The hardest part was the last 20 km, when my legs began to shut down; luckily, I was able to keep them going to the finish!”
Peters’s next race will be the 150-km TDS at UTMB, in France, on Aug. 25. He was one of the athletes featured in the “2025’s 25 to Watch” in the May/June print edition of Canadian Running. He races for Norda Trail Team.
Women’s results
Kim Cameron of Grande Prairie, Alta., won the women’s race in eighth place overall, in 15:19:29. Jodie Stutt of Calgary was second, in 15:58:00, and Joanna Brewer was third, in 16:44:34.
The Canadian Death Race, organized by Sinister Sports (the folks behind the popular Sinister 7) in Grande Cache, Alta., is one of the few Canadian qualifiers for Western States 100, and undeniably one of the toughest ultras in Canada. Of 390 registered entrants, only 209 finished (125 recorded a DNF; 56 did not start). It involves 4,770 metres of elevation gain and strict cutoff times for each of its five legs (and 24 hours overall); there is also a marathon (42K) distance–the Near Death Marathon–and a relay.
Near Death Marathon results
Women
1. Stephanie Masur 4:55:57
2. Robyn Carignan 5:22:09
3. Kaylyn Nelson 5:26:25
Men
1. Brandon Miller 3:58:46
2. Gregory Cruickshank 4:14:11
3. Joedy Dalke 4:30:46
