A man from Sudbury competed on Team Canada for the Backyard World Team Championships earlier this month in Sicamous, B.C. The event, held Oct. 20, is an international competition where every hour on the hour, runners from around the world run a 6.7-km loop. They must complete it before the next hour begins or they are eliminated from the competition. It’s a process that repeats over and over until only one runner is left. Taking part this year from Sudbury was Michael Rouleau, who began running in 2020 to keep himself occupied. At first, Rouleau ran around his neighbourhood, but now he is breaking his own records in the backyard ultras, while honouring those who struggle with mental health challenges on the police force. “I can assure you, it really made the difference in all of those moments that I wanted to quit -- and there were many -- to keep going forward or to do one more, to do one more yard (loop),” he said. He partnered with Canada Beyond The Blue and dedicated his first 57 loops to members of the force who died by suicide. He hopes to reduce stigma, raise awareness and to help the organization continue its efforts to support to those in need. In his 12 years with the Greater Sudbury Police Service, Rouleau said there have been times when he has struggled with depression and PTSD. During his run, he said he held photos of four service members and the date each of them passed away. “I carried each photo one at a time, with me dedicating each lap to them and their families running in their honour,” he said. Rouleau ran for 81 consecutive hours, completing a 540-km run, finishing in second place on his 15-person team. Not only did he manage to push himself to the limit, he helped secure a ninth-place finish for Team Canada out of around 70 countries that competed. “What I found is that these limits are often just in our mind,” Rouleau said. “When life gets hard -- and it inevitably will -- I want to remind myself -- and particularly my daughter -- that she can endure hard times. We could face challenges, pain, uncertainty and still find the strength to keep moving forward.” Rouleau said it was his goal to represent Canada in the Backyard Ultra and to represent a great cause, not only for himself, but also for his family, friends and colleagues in the police force.
