Ex MOUNTAIN RAM 2023 takes over the Edmonton river valley
September 14, 2023 - Tim Bryant, Western Sentinel
Physical fitness is a prime requisite of being a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.
One of the best ways the Edmonton military community has of putting that requirement to the test is the annual Exercise MOUNTAIN RAM.
Formerly named Ex MOUNTAIN MAN, the exercise returned on Aug. 30, after a three‑year hiatus, with 217 competitors pitting themselves against their peers, the late‑August heat, the Edmonton river valley and the North Saskatchewan River itself.
“It’s a good challenge,” explained Captain Eric Henderson prior to the race.
Ex MOUNTAIN RAM is a triathlon of sorts, covering four separate legs. The first leg sees the competitors do a 29‑kilometre rucksack march north and south through the river valley. Leg two is a 3.8‑km portage with a canoe on their shoulders. Leg three is an 11‑km canoe trip eastbound (i.e. with the current) along the North Saskatchewan River. The final leg is another rucksack march, but it’s significantly shorter at only five kilometres.
This year was Capt Henderson’s fifth time taking on the Ex MOUNTAIN RAM challenge. He explained it was a personal tradition when he was at an operational unit, and now that he’s back in one with 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI), it was time to pick up where he left off.
“It increases the fighting spirit,” he said when explaining the mindset that goes into competing in a race against the same peers he spent weeks training with.
The multiple legs, all of which are done either wearing or transporting a rucksack, serve to help simulate some things one would encounter when fighting against someone who is trying to beat you as well.
“It can bring up the nerves, but it can also bring up the adrenaline and the drive and make you push harder and farther than you normally would,” Capt Henderson said.
On the opposite end of the Ex MOUNTAIN RAM experience scale was 1 PPCLI’s Private Lucas Ryan, taking part in his first race. When presented with the opportunity to see if he could defeat the exercise, he jumped.
Caption
Competitors in Exercise MOUNTAIN RAM 2023 take off from the starting line at 5 a.m. on Aug. 30 in Rundle Park in Edmonton’s river valley. A total of 217 soldiers from the formations within 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group took part in the exercise.
Photo by Robert Schwartz, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
Caption
Captain Eric Henderson from 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry crosses the finish line with a time of 4:45:06 to finish Exercise MOUNTAIN RAM 2023 in first place.
Photo by Cpl JA Durrant, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
“I think the cool thing about the military is there’s a lot of people who motivate each other to do hard things and test themselves,” he said. “It was a no‑brainer – as soon as they asked, I wanted to do it. I wanted to test myself.”
While Ex MOUNTAIN RAM is an individual race, seeing as it is between people who are all on the same team, there is a strong sense of camaraderie on the course.
“When you’d run past people, or when you got into your low points and your legs were really tired, people would come up to you and you could do a little bit of small talk,” Pte Lucas said. “They’d push you along and give you tips and motivation.”
He also got a boost of motivation from above during the last 10 km of the first, 29‑km rucksack march.
“All my company and teammates were out on a bridge waiting for us and they started cheering as we came by,” he said. “I felt like I could sprint the rest of the race. It was super motivating.”
Shortly after the competitors had left the starting line, event co‑ordinator Major Jared Mellow explained his team used the results from previous years to estimate how long it would take for racers to finish the course.
“As a bit of a mean time, we’re expecting people in and around that six‑, seven‑, eight‑hour mark,” he said, adding the top racers would likely cross the finish line around the five‑hour mark.
Long before the sun rose and the late‑August heat kicked into high gear, and less than half an hour before the starting gun went off, Colonel Phil Bouque, Commander 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1 CMBG), spoke to the competitors.
“We said last year being fit and putting fitness at the centre of everything we do is paramount to what we do in [1 CMBG],” he said. “I want to congratulate you for having the guts to train and to be here this morning and to be on the start line for Mountain Ram 2023.
“I want to wish you the best of race. Have fun out there.”
Caption
A lone competitor paddles along the North Saskatchewan River during Exercise MOUNTAIN RAM 2023 on Aug. 30.
Photo by Cpl JA Durrant, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
Caption
Crossing the finish line after completing Exercise MOUNTAIN RAM 2023 is a major achievement, and some competitors chose to celebrate in their own way.
Photo by MCpl Paul McCahon, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
Caption
A near photo finish at the end of two soldiers’ Exercise MOUNTAIN RAM 2023 experience on Aug. 30.
Photo by Cpl JA Durrant, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
Caption
Getting a final inspection before heading off on the 3.8‑kilometre canoe portage.
Photo by Cpl Brandon Beers, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
Caption
Exercise MOUNTAIN RAM 2023 took place on Aug. 30 in the Edmonton river valley. The exercise consists of a 29‑kilometre rucksack march, a 3.8‑km canoe portage, an 11‑km canoe trip, and a second, five‑kilometre rucksack march.
Photo by Robert Schwartz, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
Caption
Soldiers from 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group make their way through the Edmonton river valley on one of the rucksack march legs of Exercise MOUNTAIN RAM 2023 on Aug. 30.
Photo by Robert Schwartz, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
Caption
Leg three of Exercise MOUNTAIN RAM 2023 was an 11‑kilometre canoe trip along the North Saskatchewan River through Edmonton.
Photo by MCpl Paul McCahon, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
Caption
As part of Exercise MOUNTAIN RAM 2023, soldiers must portage a canoe for 3.8 kilometres in the Edmonton river valley.
Photo by Cpl JA Durrant, 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton Imaging
Page details
- Date modified: