Christmas carnage: Brave New Brunswickers undertake outdoor endurance test before Christmas

A group of New Brunswickers are running in the cold and jumping in a lake as part of a Christmas tradition

During the holidays, many people take the time to get intimately reacquainted with their couch, turkey dinners, chocolates, Christmas TV specials and other assorted creature comforts. Aside from a few potentially stressful family engagements, the last few weeks of December are typically a period of rest and relaxation.

Jos Eijkelestam is far from typical.

Instead of curling up by a fireplace with a warm cup of cocoa, Eijkelestam will be running outdoors come rain, shine or snow, before leaping into a chilly lake. And he’s encouraging other New Brunswickers to join him.

“I like to see myself as a trail runner,” he said. “There is something about trail runners, they like to challenge themselves in a way road runners might not. Trail runners seek out nature, they’re looking for the woods and wild and mountains.

“Trails are never paved, it’s always rocks and roots. A long trail is automatically a bit of suffering but there’s joy to be had in that suffering.”

“Suffering” is a key word for Eijkelestam, as he launched the “Sufferance Series” in New Brunswick roughly five years ago. The program organizes several runs and hikes in various parks across the province in the dead of winter. There is no registration fee and no big parade at the finish line; people do it simply for the thrill and the challenge.

“You’re out there with like-minded people and you all have this drive to be out in nature and combine your sport with other people,” he said. “The dirtier you get, the better. It almost sounds masochistic.