Lawley raising money for charity with daunting athletic pursuits on three consecutive days

Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – The endurance undertaking that Ryan Lawley is attempting this weekend would bring most to their knees from sheer exhaustion.

Many of us will likely get tired from just reading the following three paragraphs …

Day 1 (Sunday): 36 km Grizzly Fat Bike Marathon at the Canmore Nordic Centre.

Day 2 (Monday): 50 km Frozen Ass 50 ultramarathon in Calgary.

Day 3 (Tuesday): Bench press competition at the Canadian Powerlifting Union's national championship in Calgary.

"It's just a lifelong pursuit," said Lawley, who is a MacEwan cross-country student-athlete. "I still get injured, I still get sore. I'm getting away with a little bit more. Even though I'm an older athlete, I've got so much experience to draw on to combine three sports that don't really go great together necessarily.

"Running and cycling aren't necessarily good strength sports and powerlifting doesn't make you better at cycling or running. But in a weird way, I've managed to find a combination that works for me. It's just balancing the training and not doing anything silly."

Lawley is no stranger to a multi-sport lifestyle as he's been an amateur wrestler and boxer and even once turned pro in mixed martial arts. But he's also competed in duathlon, mountain biking and cross-country running, while being a coach and personal trainer, too.

After more than a decade working for the Edmonton Police Service, he returned to university at MacEwan last fall in a Bachelor of Arts program with the goal of one day becoming a sports psychologist.

Always on a search for his next athletic endeavor, Lawley was drawn to the unusual combination of events that he'll try this weekend. He decided to also turn his quest into a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation – perfect timing with the organization's heart month.

"As an athlete, a coach and a trainer, even if you win an event it's pretty meaningless – all glory is fleeting perspective," he said. "If you can tie any of these events or any of these efforts to some kind of greater good – in this case, a reputable charity like the Heart and Stroke Foundation – to me that makes it a worthwhile adventure beyond just your personal development."

His goal is to raise $5,000. You can check out the fundraiser here: http://support.heartandstroke.ca/site/TR?fr_id=6301&pg=personal&px=1798387

Of all of his events this weekend, Lawley anticipates the ultramarathon to be the toughest.

"I think the running event will be by far the most difficult," he said. "Powerlifting is tough, but it's like a go or no-go situation. You can either lift the weight or you can't. Mean ol' mister gravity kicks in there and you're just done.

"Mountain biking's just fun – it's just entertaining. Fat biking makes it pretty interesting. You're not setting any land speed records, but it's doable and you end up having to contend with the environment – the cold, the ice, what your handling skills are like.

"But nothing is as tough as the time on feet. Time on feet for an ultramarathon is always going to be the contentious issue. It turns into an eating contest, rather than a running contest."

"Cross-country for MacEwan – those races are fast," he continued. "It's just all out. You kind of go and at the end of it, you're pretty spent. It takes you a while to recover, but in a very different way. Whereas an ultramarathon, it's an eating contest combined with a running contest because 50K, you can't just sprint that out. You have to fuel through the whole thing. A winter ultra is going to be an interesting experience. It's 50 kilometres of trying to hit aid stations and grab water or whatever food or fluids you think you can keep down, and making sure you manage your electrolytes. People always forget that they still sweat even though it's minus-15 outside."

And when he's finally done on Tuesday, Lawley knows exactly what he's going to do.

"It's Brazilian Steakhouse," he said. "That's already on the plan.

"It will be lots of coffee during these events, and as soon as they're done, it's to all you can eat. Right now thinking about it, I'm more excited about the steakhouse than the events almost."