The 2023 Prospector Challenge kicked off at 8:30 am on June 15th and saw members of Joint Task Force North, including Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP personnel competing in a grueling multi-discipline race.
Over 80 participants paddled, jogged, and crawled their way through an 18km race from Frame Lake Trail, Niven, and ending after an uphill climb in Old Town.
“The portage was definitely the most challenging part,” Captain Jordan Mathieu tells MyTrueNorthNow. “We were about knee-deep in mud trying to carry the canoe above our heads through it,” Mathieu laughed.
In addition to mud-covered trails and long paddles through Great Slave Lake, participants also competed in physical challenges such as squats and pushups soon after leaving their canoe.
One participant reported trivia questions along the trail, calling the challenge mental as well as physical.
Despite the struggle of this year’s challenge, nearly every participant says they will be competing next year if the opportunity presents itself.
“Me and my partner are already talking about doing work-up training next year and talking about how we can improve our performance,” Mathieu says.
