Ultra Runner Dave Neal
Ultra Runner Dave Neal is not just a great sport on the trail but shares positive vibes wherever he goes. Dave Neal gives us a candid look into what makes this athlete tick as an Ultra Runner and as an individual. We are very thankful to have Dave take the time to write this interview. We are certain that you will get fired up and inspired not to mention learn a few things from this interview. This is the journey of ultra runner Dave Neal.
I first met you at Durrance / Summit Parking lot in Victoria BC. Your amazing energy filled the parking lot and made me smile driving my own sense for adventure. I could tell your journey was one to be told. Tell us a little about how you found love for trail running and ultra endurance?
That was a great day, I had just finished a hot summer run on Mount Work with Misako, and I met you and Anne. I have fun conversations with people that I meet trail running, it’s neat when you bump into people repeatedly in the same location. It’s rare that you come across people not having a good day out on the trails.
I grew up in rural Central Ontario, and I spent a lot of time hiking, riding, or skiing in the forest. I love the trails, and the forests on the Island are pretty awesome to run and play in. The forest changes so much throughout the year and I’ve grown to love running in each season for different reasons. Trail running is peaceful, quiet, and difficult. A couple times when life has gotten challenging I have found that running trails has helped to put my mind at ease and aided me with thinking through a problem. The best thing is that you always feel better after a run.
You recently rocked the Finlayson 100. Tell us about your experience running the race?
I put in a lot of work on Finlayson Arm trails this past Summer. Repeats of Work, climbs to Jocelyn, some fubm repeats - I got to know the trail. My favourite section to run is from Jocelyn down to Squally. I had missed racing and it felt good to be at the start line of a race. I enjoy the pre-race energy and chatter with other runners that have become friends, I missed that. I’m always a bit amazed at how many fantastic runners are in the area. It was great to chat and race with Simon, Fred, and Tommy - it’ll be fun racing with them in the upcoming VITRS.
I started out a little fast, faster than I thought I’d be going, but it felt alright. I tend to do well on climbs and the first ascent of Finlayson was pretty smooth and on the approach to Rowntree it was great to hear the cheers from people at the station and cowbells - I hadn’t heard these sounds for a while. Misako and Jenny (my amazing crew) had everything ready for me at Rowntree, reloading my pack was quick and I was right back on course. I was running with Greg for quite a while after Rowntree, I mentioned to him that my pace was a bit high based on my training and that I should slow things down a little (a sub 18 hour was my ‘optimistic’ race time and I was running ahead of that pace). Greg replied with a ‘why limit yourself’ remark and that stuck in my head.
The race went by quickly, and much of that is due to how well my crew set me up for success at the stations, all I had to do was run. My plan at Durrance was to drop my harness and go with a couple gels and a handheld, recharging my handheld with cold water at Munn. When I came into Munn the first time around I recall seeing Jerry’s face from under the brightly coloured lights strung about the station, I walked up to him holding my handheld out, and asked for some cold water. The stations and volunteers are awesome at Finlayson. Mount Work went well and when I got back to Durrance Misako had my harness ready and all I had to do was grab and go. It was at that point that I caught up with Tommy and we ran down to the Bight together.
The run back to Goldstream was quiet, lots of watching the trail in the beam of light, choosing my foot strikes, avoiding hazards, keeping things smooth and repeatable. The second climb of Finlayson, in the dark, on my own, had me questioning why I was doing this. I spent some time laughing at myself, thinking about all the reasons that I liked running, and telling myself that the next station really isn’t that far off and that soon I’d get to see Misako and Jenny. A race highlight was the second descent of the Cascade trail. I had been alone since Rowntree and as I turned left onto Cascade I caught a light in my left field of vision coming fast. In no time Charles was behind me and I was in a race down Cascade, in the dark, chasing my shadow created by his light. It was great, I could hear his foot strikes as we quickly descended to the Bight, I was amazed that my legs were allowing me to race downhill at that point. Once we turned away from the Bight he passed me, and he started to leave me behind as we climbed to Durrance.
At the Station, Misako had everything ready for me, and she told me what position I was in. I kept my eyes on Charles at Durrance and I left at the same time he did. On the way out Andrew walked quickly with me and gave me some words of encouragement and insight. It was at this point that I thought I could potentially podium.
On the ascent of Work I saw Ihor, he looked strong and in control, but I did not see Rob until I had almost completely descended Work - I did not see Charles again. Descending Work to Durrance the second time felt great, the sky was beginning to lighten, and with the dawn, my legs felt lighter. I was very quick at the Durrance station, I handed Misako my headlamp, and grabbed my harness and left in pursuit of third. It wasn’t until shortly after Jocelyn that I caught sight of another runner, but it was Rob and not Charles.
I raced with Rob along the ridge in the early morning light in misty air that soon turned to a steady drizzle. It was the climb to Holmes when I finally passed him. Holmes to the finish was quick, at least it seemed that way to me at the time, and I kept my eyes peeled for Charles whenever I was able to see a little way into the distance. I was pleasantly surprised at how my legs were responding at that point in the race. I started to come across the 50 km distance runners on the road section after Rowntree. It was pretty cool getting smiles and words of encouragement from them.
It was pretty quiet at the finish, a light rain was falling, there were a couple of people about, and Misako and Jenny were both a bit surprised that I was coming in when I did. It was great hearing Mike ‘The Trail Guy’ call out my finish, Misako was all smiles, and I was ecstatic with my achievement (my first running podium at 49). Shortly after Myke presented me with my beer glass I got it filled and had a short chat with Charles and we watched Rob cross the line. The idea of having a glass of beer was better than actually drinking it, after having about half of it I had to throw it up. I started to get cold, shivers broke out, and I went home to have a warm shower.
It just all happened so quickly and I’m looking forward to my next big event. I find that I am hyper-aware during long efforts and time appears to pass differently. I am looking forward to next year taking on some longer-distance races and pushing my endurance a little further.
How do you fuel as an athlete?
Plants, of all sorts. There’s nothing that I specifically focus on, I just try to get a high diversity of plants. As I started getting more serious about running and increasing my distance I also started thinking more about my diet and making changes. There are other reasons for my switch to a plant-based diet, these include a healthy fear of climate change and where we are headed, and I no longer wanted to play a part in the consumption of animal products. I read ‘Born to Run’ and that led me to ‘Eat and Run’. I occasionally make Scott Jurek’s 8-grain strawberry pancakes (the recipe is on the fridge). I make them a little different each time.
Do you have any tips for others who want to get into ultra running and outdoor adventure?
I think the Vancouver Island Trail Running Series (VITRS) is a lot of fun and the short course series is a great way to introduce runners to trail running. I kinda treat the races as a part of my training for longer races - they’re a great excuse to get your heart rate up.
Also, if you don’t have much time to spare you probably shouldn’t get into ultra-distance trail racing.
What’s your favourite gear?
Favourite gear, hard to choose, but I’m going with my bluetooth earbuds. I had the original Walkman as a kid, I made mixtapes, and having portable music when I went out was amazing. Now I have buds that connect wirelessly to a smartwatch that has a playlist I put together from a streaming service (my ‘Run’ playlist is pretty awesome) - it kinda blows my mind even though now it’s all commonplace. I love doing loops in Beacon Hill, listening to music, gapping out, and focusing on how I’m feeling.
How do others follow your adventures of Dave Neal?
I’m not that adventurous and my social media is rather mediocre, I probably wouldn’t follow me. That said, I’m on FB, IG, Twitter, and I’m on Strava. I put up race pics, occasional training pics, my cat makes it on there occasionally (she’s definitely the highlight). I might say something about the benefits of eating a plant-based diet, or post comments/info about our rapidly changing climate. If this appeals to someone then they should definitely follow me.