Derrick Spafford

blog: www.healthandadventure.com/

What are some of your lifetime running goals?:

To run further, faster and higher than I ever thought possible. Race wise, I would love to represent Canada at some international ultrarunning events.

Do you have a claim to fame?:

I have a running streak in that I haven’t taken a day off from running since December 25, 1989.



Do you have any vices?:

Beer, pizza, cinnamon buns and jujubes

What makes you tick as a runner and in the real world?:

Balance and consistency. I need my daily fix of running on the trails and in the woods for everything else in my life to make sense

What drives you to run?:

The joy of being at one with nature.

What is your favorite movie?:

We got rid of our TV a number of years ago, so don’t really watch many movies. If I had to pick one though, I’d say ‘Hard Core Logo’. Basically it’s a Canadian Punk version of the Blues Brothers.

Do you have any nicknames? Explain:

“Spaff”. Short form of my last name that probably started when I was playing hockey as a kid. Everyone had a nickname when you played hockey.

What's the longest you've gone without sleep? Why?:

The longest I’ve gone without sleep was during my first 100miler. I was exhausted but excited, so don’t think I really slept most of the next day.

If you had to be named after one of the 50 states,
which would it be?:

Since I live in Canada, I’ll say that I would want to be named ‘Yukon’.



What did you have for lunch yesterday?:

Banana Split Sandwich (banana, peanut butter & jam)

If you could hook up a thought monitor to your head,
would you see pictures, hear words or would music be
playing?:

Definitely music. I love music, but never run with it, so you’d probably hear The Pogues blasting quite loudly in my head.

What really scares you about trail running?:

Injury

If your life was made into a movie, what would it be called?:

Confessions of a Running Streaker

Where would you live if it could be anywhere in the world?:

North-Western Canada

What's your worst encounter on the trail?:

I’ve encountered a number of bears on the trail, but they’ve never bothered me as they just take off in the other direction. I've had a couple of close calls with skunks too. My worst encounter was a nasty hole caused by an all terrain vehicle resulting in a broken ankle.