Former Maple Creek resident wins major race

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Ryan Dahlman

Keith Harder, who hails originally from Maple Creek, won Alberta’s Divide 200 ultra-trail race, completing the 200-mile route, which includes the Castle-Crowsnest Pass region of the southern Rockies, in under 61 hours. The event started on Friday, September 12, and ended on Tuesday, September 16, although Keith completed the route on Sunday night.  Last week, Keith spoke to the News-Times about the race experience and his running career.

When the body suffers, negative thoughts can crowd the mind.

To an observer, Keith Harder had overcome the worst that the Rocky Mountains could throw at him: rain, hail, cold, strength-sapping elevations, precarious drop-offs, the worry about Grizzlies, mud-sucking clay, and gnarly terrain full of rocks, rocks and more rocks. Oh yes, those mountains, so cruel at times, are aptly named.

Glory was surely his for the taking. He was 44 hours into the biggest race of his life, far ahead of his nearest rivals, and injury-free, despite the physical punishment he had taken.

An observer, however, couldn’t know about the mental challenges.

Keith decided to take a nap in the early hours. He snuggled up in a sleeping bag, and no sooner were his eyes shut, it was time to get going again. Or so it seemed.

“Trying to get out of this nice warm sleeping bag to go out into the cold and dark, and Grizzly territory, was pretty tough,” he recalled.

The temptation to end the suffering and forego the greatest feat in his six-year running career was immense.

It took focus, determination and courage to get moving again and clear away negative thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him.

It wasn’t the first time those thoughts had appeared. During the steep ascents that made running impossible, and a fast hike difficult, he fought hard to hold fast to his resolve.

There would be other tense times in the latter stages – something he reflected on in his post-race analysis – but glory could not be denied.

When the 40-year-old crossed the finishing line on Sunday night, he was greeted by whoops of joy.

The moment was captured on video, which shows him looking remarkably self-contained amid the surrounding hullabaloo.

In a Facebook clip, the announcer cries: “Here he comes. Whooa. What a solid stride. He is so happy to be here. Congratulations Keith. Absolutely amazing performance out there.”

To Keith, those post-race moments went by in a flash.

Half in jest, he said to finish line fans: “I’d be happy if I never saw another rock again.”

It was little wonder. He had gone through five shoes over three days.

The video shows him fist-pumping someone and then embracing his wife, Heather, who had done so much to prepare him for the adventure.

His Maple Creek parents, Harold and Norma, were there too, radiating with pride at his accomplishment.

“There were so many rocks on the course,” said Harold. “It was insanely difficult.”

His pride is all the greater because he knows how much effort has gone into Keith’s success. Often his son gets up at 4am for practice runs before going to work at 7am.

The reward was a Divide 200 time of 60:55:21.7, at the lower end of the spectrum that Keith had deemed achievable at the outset.

The victory earned him $5,000, a plaque, and merrellcanada shoes suitable for rocky terrain. Much more than that, it taught him about himself and what the human spirit can endure.

“I was pretty happy with the way it went,” he said last week.

Keith, who lives in Medicine Hat, was born and raised in Maple Creek, where he stayed for the first 18 years of his life.

At Maple Creek Composite School, he took part in several sports, and while enjoying them was never a star player.

“I wasn’t a stand-out. I was okay at them, but not a big-time athlete.”

Ironically, the turning point came in 2017 while recovering from back surgery for a herniated disc, which had caused sciatic pain.

Instead of opting for a less active life, he went the other way, starting with walking and later jogging, which would morph into running. Not only did his body not protest too much, he enjoyed the thrill of movement, and lost 65 pounds.

In 2019, he took on the Red Deer marathon, before COVID-19 struck. When he returned to competitive running, he had developed a love of dirt trails, trying out the Beaver Flat 50, near Swift Current, in 2021.

Described as a hilly, hard-as-hell trail run at Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park, it proved to Keith that he could meet the challenges of distance running. He finished 21st out of 87 runners.

In the same race in 2022, he came 9th, shaving more than one hour and 40 minutes off his time.

Each year he wanted to push himself even further. After several more 50k races, he graduated to 100k in 2024, and then 100 miles.

Before this month’s victory, his running resume contained several marquee wins and high finishes:

•  • 2023: Black Spur Ultra, Kimberley, British Columbia, 1st; Hidden Oasis Ultras, 1st
•  • 2024: Whitefish Trail Blazer, Whitefish, Montana, 4rd; Beaver Flat 50, 3nd; Bighorn, Dayton Wyoming, 8th; The Oldman Backyard Ultra, Lethbridge, 2nd; Loops for Youth Backyard Ultra, Lethbridge, 2nd; Copper Corridor, Superior, Arizona, 2nd; and       
•  • 2025: Reesor 50, Maple Creek, 2nd; The Oldman Backyard Ultra, Lethbridge, Alberta, 1st;

Despite this legacy of success, the Divide 200 posed a challenge of a different order. Over 322 kilometres, or 200 miles, runners faced more than 12,000 metres of elevation.

In preparation, Keith had run seven days a week, averaging about 550 kilometres every month.

Another key part of the planning was getting gear and nutrients together, from hiking sticks to a headlamp, toque, gloves, water bottles and 1,500 calories of food. Items were fitted into a vest looped through both shoulders, and forming a small backpack.

Among those who gathered with Keith at the start were runners from Australia, Wales, Norway, and the United States. The Divide 200 has a cap on the number of registrations: 100.

Keith began at 8am on Friday, running through the night. After about 10 kilometres, he took the lead, never giving it up.

As he ran, he listened to podcast, music and books.

Through the first part of the course, known for being the toughest, he felt strong. It was the later stages that pushed him to the limit.

One of the quirks of the race comes towards end, when runners have to collect a “Divide” coin, before making the descent to the final checkpoint. Failure to pick up the coin would mean disqualification.

Keith zipped up the coin.

“Every so often I would check to make sure it was still there,” he said.

After CP13 (checkpoint), a 15-mile section awaited, with still 2,000ft of climbing, an example of how the race keeps hitting participants from all sides.

The toll on his feet was big. By the end, eight toenails had gone, and his heels were blistered. Carrying a hiking pole also meant that his elbow hurt more than his legs.

Not that it was all about exertion and overcoming physical hardship.

Keith saw the race as more than running. It was an adventure, which took him through stunning scenery, to high peaks, and gentle descents.

“I saw the sun go down three times while I ran,” he said.

Back at home, Keith has settled into the routine of shift work at Canadian Fertilizers, and being a dad to eight-year-old Hendrix and Farris, 6. His children keep him grounded, ensuring there is no chance of getting carried away by his racing triumph.

Nevertheless, he is already thinking of new challenges and plans to compete in the 2026 Oldman Backyard Ultra, a race he won this year.

Will he take on another Divide 200?

Keith hasn’t ruled it in. Perhaps more importantly he hasn’t ruled it out.