Dedicated Carnduff firefighter Marcel McFarlane has just completed the gruelling Bighorn 100 Mile Race, but his journey was about much more than just crossing the finish line – it was a powerful message about mental health, resilience and community support.
DAYTON, Wyo. — Marcel McFarlane, a 10-year veteran of the Carnduff Fire Department (CFD), crossed the finish line of the Bighorn 100 Mile Ultramarathon on June 15 after completing two days of running through rugged Wyoming terrain.
His achievement was not just a personal milestone, but also an important step in raising awareness about mental health and fighting the stigma that comes with it.
Ms McFarlane, 52, who suffers from clinical depression, embarked on the challenge to shine a spotlight on mental health issues and raise funds for Carnduff Fire Station's mental health work.
McFarlane's journey to the Bighorn 100, her fifth 100-mile race, was marked by perseverance and a fierce determination to break down barriers surrounding mental health. A lifelong runner who has participated in ultramarathons since 2007, McFarlane decided to turn her passion for running into advocacy after her own experience with depression and the support she received from her fire department's mental health services.
In 2019, MacFarlane attempted the Bighorn 100 but was forced to withdraw due to poor weather conditions. After the race, he was unable to run for long periods due to physical injuries, completely destroying any chance of returning to his passion. Combined with the stress of his job, his existing medical condition worsened.
“I enjoy long distance running challenges but shortly after the 2019 challenge I began to suffer from a variety of running injuries that severely limited my ability to run,” McFarlane recalls. “Prior to that I was probably mildly clinically depressed but not being able to run made my depression worse.”
Luckily, CFD offers a range of mental health support and counselling services for its members, so McFarlane was able to get the help he needed at the time.
“I was using some of those things to help me combat the challenges that I was having. So as I started to recover physically in 2021-2022, I started thinking that if I had the opportunity to do another long distance 100-mile race, I'd give back to the fire department and give back to help them gather more resources for other people that might need something,” he said.
“I used to look at my clinical depression as a sign of weakness, but then I started to think more about the running situations I was in and I decided that I'm not a weak person. I can withstand a lot and I'm good at withstanding a lot of adversity,” he added.
“So I thought maybe I could set an example for other people that having this condition doesn't make you weak. Maybe then other people can feel more positive about it and not be so ashamed.”
After much deliberation and four months of training, MacFarlane presented the idea to CFD, who supported and praised it.
“They got behind me and we made this a departmental and community-wide effort. We started talking about mental health and the negative stigma that can sometimes come with it, and I was going to be open about it,” McFarlane recalled.
His run was part of a larger campaign that included a local awareness drive to raise awareness of mental health. CFD organised the community run to encourage local residents to get involved and spread the message about the importance of mental health support.
“I had people come up to me and thank me, saying, 'I have the same disease. I didn't know you had it. Now I can talk about it.' [about it]” McFarlane said.
McFarlane's efforts are also focused on raising funds to enhance the mental health services the fire department offers. Thanks to the community's support, as of June the campaign had raised more than $15,000, triple its $5,000 goal. All of this money will directly benefit members.
Thanks to favourable weather conditions and a dedicated support team, McFarlane completed the race in 30 hours, 33 minutes and 5 seconds.
“I had a team of people helping me,” he said. “My wife ran with me, and I also had friends and colleagues from the fire department and the local Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Their support was essential.”
McFarlane's team members were Brad and Eliza Boelke, Neil and Jamie Thorestad, Corey Meredith and Tammy Ignatiuk. Pacemakers for the race were his wife, Dawn Pauwelin (23 miles, 30-48 miles, 95-100 miles), Werner Ignatiuk (18 miles, 48-66 miles), daughters Leah McFarlane (17 miles, 66-83 miles) and Jen Meredith (12 miles, 83-95 miles). McFarlane said Brad Boelke, Neil and Jamie Thorestad and Jen Meredith are colleagues with the Canadian Fire Service and Werner Ignatiuk is a friend and member of the Carnduff RCMP.
Plus, the addition of a GPS tracker that allows runners to see how they move around the course means even more people, including his mother, can follow his progress online from home.
Of the 343 100-mile runners who started on the first day, about 190 finished on the second day, and MacFarlane was pleased with his 81st place finish.
“I was in a really good position with 82 miles to go, but then I had an issue about five or six miles in and dropped me down a lot of the way. But I wasn't competing for position. At my age, position is not my number one priority. And my number one priority was to stay in position to finish, because I had a lot of people donating and they wanted to make sure I didn't fail,” he said.
Townspeople expressed their gratitude for Mr McFarlane and the impact he has had on the community.
“On behalf of the Mayor, Council, staff and community members, we congratulate Marcel McFarlane for completing the Bighorn 100 this weekend,” the town wrote on social media. “Marcel trained hard for this event and seized the opportunity to raise awareness and eliminate stigma for people living with mental illness and raise funds for the local fire department. Well done Marcel, the community is proud of you.”
The fundraising campaign is gradually ending, but donations are still being accepted. You can make a wire transfer to the Town of Kalunduf or [email protected] You will be provided with a tax-deductible receipt, or you can visit our “Erasing the Stigma of Mental Health, One Step at a Time” GoFundMe page.
For more photos and videos from the event, check out RM #2 and Carnduff Fire and Rescue's Facebook pages.
