Ex MOUNTAIN RAM 2026
Lieutenant Roy Seo
On 04 June 2026, the Strathcona’s participated in Ex MOUNTAIN RAM – a 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group event held in the Edmonton River Valley. Historically, the race was held in August or September, however this year was set in early June. This event was particularly special as the event had taken a hiatus for several years. The race consisted of 4 legs: 29km run, 3km portage, 11km canoe, and 4km run – all conducted while carrying a 15kg ruck. The Regimental team was led by Lt Roy “the OPI has to do the event?” Seo, who took on the challenge of not only doing the event but having to convince other Strathconas to join the suffering. Due to the high operational tempo, there was limited interest in the race. However, 15 motivated Strathconas stepped up to the challenge and committed to sacrificing their muscles and joints for the Regiment.
A surprisingly long winter and a busy schedule made training difficult for the team. Mother nature seemed to know team’s training schedule intimately, as any time the team was scheduled to run…it was snowing or raining. With about 2 months to train for the event, the team attempted their best to fit long distance running, rucking, canoe, and portage training within the short schedule. Lt Evan “my knee hurts” Perrault was insistent that he needed knee surgery throughout training but somehow managed to finish each training session on top. Cpl Andrew “miles not kilometers” Bezanson consistently led the team runs with his quick pace, all to capsize in the river during race day. The team was training hard to show the Brigade that tankers can run and determined to beat the Patricias in their own game.
Race day was met with a mixture of excitement and anxiety as the team set off bright and early to commence their long journey of over 45km through the River Valley. 1VP did a fantastic job to setup a well-organized event and their staff helping with the on-loading and off-loading of the canoes was much appreciated by all participants. Cpl Ryan “just another Tuesday” Mylymuk crushed the race, coming in as the 1st overall for the team and 9th overall of the entire event with an impressive time of 5:17:47. Tpr Nathanael “recovery run means go fast right?” Arsenault and Cpl Justin “Fanny Pack” Desaulniers were not too far behind, finishing 29th and 30th respectively. The competitive team (top 8 finishers) showed the Brigade that tankers can run and finished with an average time of 6:17:09, unofficially coming in 3rd across the Brigade.
Ex MOUNTAIN RAM tested the physical fitness and mental resiliency of soldiers. On and off the battlefield, soldiers need to be able to push past adversity and keep on soldiering when their body and mind is telling them to quit. All 15 Strathconas stepped up to the challenge and successfully finished the race. The race was an opportunity for Strathconas to embody and exercise spirit of the Regiment, PERSEVERANCE.