Samuel Dickie on Ultrarunning, Mental Battles and a Terrifying Wildlife Encounter

By popular demand, Banff ultramarathon runner Samuel Dickie joins us on the Overheard Podcast, fresh off the biggest win of his career.

Sam recently became the overall winner of the 2026 Canadian Death Race, completing 118 kilometers and roughly 4,770 meters of climbing in an incredible 13 hours, 25 minutes and 13 seconds. That victory adds to a racing resume that already includes winning the 120-kilometer Golden Ultra, placing second at the Zion 100K and finishing ninth in the Moab 240, a nearly 400-kilometer race through the Utah desert.

But this conversation goes far beyond race results.

Sam opens up about the mental battles that come with pushing your body to its limits, the addictive side of ultrarunning and why he continues choosing challenges built around discomfort. We get into his relationship with the mountains, training through Bow Valley winters, the work and expense behind competing at this level and the moment he realized he could win the Canadian Death Race.

Then there’s the wildlife encounter.

During another massive backcountry endeavor, Sam found himself alone with a predator that followed and circled him for nearly 20 minutes. It is easily one of the craziest wildlife stories we’ve ever heard, on or off the show, and you’ll have to hear Sam tell it to understand just how intense the situation became.

This episode is brought to you by Drinkshaft, the Bow Valley’s grab and go nitro cold brew, with continued support from Defending Awesome, Banff’s one stop print shop and graphic design experts.

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See you next Tuesday!!