Local athlete to compete in 24 Hours of Adrenalin followed by the Death Race

Growing up in a town surrounded by trails and mountains, it's no wonder Dave MacDowell thinks riding non-stop for 24 hours sounds like a good way to pass the time.

Born and raised in Jasper, MacDowell is competing in the 24 Hours of Adrenalin held in Canmore, for the third consecutive year, next weekend July 25.

But in case there's not enough training involved to keep him satisfied, he also has the 2009 Death Race (a 125 km run he'll share with five other Jasperites) the following weekend.

"I'm doing the Death Race the following week," he said casually, "so I'm trying to fit in those runs too."

All in a days work, MacDowell thinks he's just like anyone else in his mountain home.

"People here are super active. As far as I'm concerned, I'm just like any number of people in Jasper doing what I do... I think there (are) piles of people who ride and run as much as I do."

A local business owner and pillar in the athletic community, many Jasperites cite MacDowell as someone to be revered, but he's just as blase about that title as he is about his races.

"I'm not trying to be a role model, but I'm really enthusiastic about it (running/riding) and I just love it so much that maybe it rubs off on people."

"It's a lifestyle decision that I've made, so if that has some sort of effect on somebody else's lifestyle then I'm happy, but that's not my aim. I just love doing it," he added, noting that he enjoys getting people into his passion and sharing the beauty of Jasper with them.

"I love seeing something through someone else's eyes that is brand new to them... I like that, I really enjoy taking new people out. I love introducing people to what we have here in Jasper, because we're so lucky."

Somewhat disappointingly, last year MacDowell completed only six laps of the 20 km course before he had to stop due to illness after about 10 hours of riding.

"I couldn't even really talk anymore, I was just so congested. So, I pulled the pin thinking I was going to get an pneumonia or something."

This year though, he'll go all the way with a special purpose - to raise money for a young Jasperite, Julianne Shea, who suffers from autism.

"I'll be riding with a photograph of Julianne right there between my handle bars," he said.

"I'm aiming to ride for 24 hours... I find I need to take little breaks but usually I keep them short and ride as much as you can. That's the whole goal right, is to see how far you can go in 24 hours."

His preparation for the race began when he was about 19, he laughed, adding that he's not the most competitive person, but is taking part more for the training than the race itself.

"I'm not a real competitor so this is a good thing for me to do," he said, "I think the reason I go in something like this is because I just like training so much. I like riding and visiting all these different places."

"And, then you can justify it to your family - all the hours you put in on your bike," he added.

Despite his nonchalant attitude about the race, MacDowell's training is a nothing for the light hearted - averaging about ten hours a week in the off season (if you can call it that, he said) and 18 hours during the season.

Though his bike is parked in the winter his time is filled with running and cross-country skiing.

"I love the cross-country skiing in Jasper," he said.

Building up to his race, he said he aims to do big loads a few days a week - that's seven to 10 hour long rides.

"What I've been doing is that seven to 10 hour ride on a Friday then on Saturday I go for a quick spin and on Sunday I go for a 5 or 6 hour run," he said noting that his Death Race team had been out running the Berg Lake Trail a couple weekends ago.

"Then you rebuild your immune system all week and tear it down again on the weekend," he said.

After spending 48 years in Jasper, it's no surprise he can't pick a favourite trail.

"I love it all. I can't say there's a favourite," he said. Starting with Saturday Night Lake Loop, he enjoys riding all the trails that Pyramid Bench has to offer, rounding them all off with the Overlander, Trail 7 behind the lodge and out to Wabasso.

"It's hard to say, 'my favourite ride is trail six.' It really depends on the day and where you're going to go," he said, "you try to mix it up, so sometimes you'll just pick all really rugged trails and you'll do that for seven or eight hours."

"Sometimes we'll just pick easier loops and do it for longer," he added.

Although he's an avid rider, MacDowell said he enjoys his sleep and therefore has to get out at night a bit more in preparation for the ride - last week he headed out for a casual 12-hour ride.

"I'm not a real night rider, I'm a sleeper, I like to go to bed early - I'm kind of old," he chuckled.

"I do a few night rides - normally just a couple hours leading up to it, but I always seem to wait to near the end. Then I get on my bike and turn my lamp on and ride a bit," he added noting that this year he was trying to change his ways and decided he'd pull an all nighter with his buddy Todd Wolanski (also competing in both races) "to kind of be more like the race."

Although there are several other teams competing in this year's race from Jasper, MacDowell said he enjoys riding by himself, adding that the highs and lows of racing are all part of the challenge.

"I'm a team player," he laughed, "but I like riding by myself too, it's fun and interesting."

"You go through so many things when you do an event whether it's riding or running that's a super distance. It's neat to go through the physical and mental challenges and break through and keep going," he added.

Due to the fact he's "not a real racer," MacDowell said the hardest part of the race was not getting caught up in it, but also after the first 12 hours of the race is when the real mental challenge kicks in.

"Just as it's getting dark and you've been riding for 12 hours, you go through lows, right?‚" he said adding "it's physical for a dozen hours or so, and then it's mental for the next eight hours, and then the last four hours is just how badly you want to do it, it's all your heart from there."