Preparing for a Trans Canada FKT, with Ben Sweet

In July 2025 Ben Sweet will be attempting to set the Trans Canada FKT, riding 5,836km in 11 days, fuelled by Olway™. Those numbers are staggering, but even more so when you hear that Ben did his first ultra last year – the Colt Loop FKT. He didn't stop there, setting a Lake Ontario FKT and winning the North American Ultra Championship in 2024.

In addition to his time goal, he is also aiming to raise $30,000 for Canadian Cancer Society  – learn more and donate through the link below. As he prepares to set out on his latest challenge, we pulled out a story he wrote last year reflecting on his first ultra. Read it below.

If you told me a year ago that I would be riding 460 kilometres in 21 hours straight for fun, I would not have believed you. I might have laughed or denied it right away, but after a bit of thought, maybe I would believe you. I am an all or nothing kind of person – once I get something in my head, I am either going to do it or I am going to fail having given it everything I could. That was the mindset I took into this route after hearing about it less than a month before the ride. I wanted to challenge what I knew was possible, so I got my gear together, planned out the route and sent it.

The entire ride was a new concept for me, and I was properly pushing the limits of anything I had ever done, both physically and mentally. The longest ride I had done prior was only 226km on paved roads. The Colt Loop was not only twice as long, but was mostly off-road and would take me well over 3 times the amount of time. Even with all the uncertainty, I knew I was capable of doing this. I just had to break it down. I knew my equipment worked from hundreds of hours of riding. I knew I was fit enough. I just needed to focus on my fueling to make sure I could keep turning the pedals over, all day long.

My sweat contains more salt than normal. When I sweat, I lose a lot of salt (sodium). So, in addition to hitting 90g of carbs per hour, I needed to make sure I got enough sodium as well. Working with the team at Olway™, we created a custom high-sodium version of their Drink Mix. I used this as my primary nutrition, consuming over 1kg of mix over the effort via a homemade frame bag bladder my dad and I stitched together. I supplemented this with homemade energy balls and salty on-course pit stops like potatoes and chips. This was by far the biggest breakthrough for me. Sticking to my nutrition goals allowed me to keep hitting my power targets and get ahead of the fastest known time for The Colt Loop.

I was halfway through a 100km rail trail section at around the 12-hour mark. It was nearly unrideable at points, with deep sand and numerous hiking sections. Between the heat, fatigue, and the rough surface, I just could not get myself to eat or drink as much as I needed, and I quickly spiraled from there. Those 3 hours were some of the darkest moments I have encountered on the bike, but somehow I was able to find a way through it. After a long stop where I loaded up on carbohydrates and sodium, I managed to rally and finish the last few hours on pace.

I learned a lot out on The Colt Loop. The most interesting thing was how time can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. When things are going well, time flies, but the moment things get hard, every second can feel like an eternity (like when my lights went out at 10pm and I had to knock on strangers' doors for help). I learned that there was not much to be done other than just focusing on the moment and controlling the things you can control. Emotions eb and flow, but all you can do is relish in the good times and embrace the bad knowing that either way, they will only last for so long.

Ben set the new FKT for The Colt Loop on May 26, 2024, completing 457km and 2,081m in a time of 21:04.15.