'Woohoo!' Fredericton man skis 1,000 km in 6 weeks

Bill Gould completed something amazing this week. 

Over a six-week period, he cross-country skied 1,000 kilometres — that's approximately the driving distance from Fredericton to Ottawa.

Gould, 65, passed his goal on Thursday, but he had to ski every day — sometimes up to 40 kilometres in a single day — to make it happen.

"I just feel blessed to be able to be out there every day doing that," he said.

Gould of Fredericton was motivated to set his 1,000-kilometre goal by Cross-Country Ski New Brunswick's ski distance competition, which ran from Jan. 18 to March 1.

But for him, he didn't need a competition to get him out on the Wostawea woodlot trails. 

Gould said he's been cross-country skiing for 15 years — specifically using a technique called skate skiing, which has the athlete moving from one ski to the other, allowing them to build more speed than you would with classic cross-country.

Keeping active, setting goals

There's a few reasons why he continues to ski nearly every day. As a retiree, he said it's something that keeps him going.

But he also had back surgery in 2011 on three vertebral discs. The prognosis wasn't great so he was encouraged to improve his core strength. 

For Gould, cross-country skiing was the best way to do that so he started what he calls "endurance skiing."

And while the exercise is great, Gould also appreciates being able to take in the "majesty" of the trails, admiring the flora and fauna as he skis by. 

As well, Gould said he likes having a goal. As a former lawyer and self-proclaimed numbers guy, he loves to keep track of his ski data and write notes. So, keeping track of his distance for the competition was nothing new.

"I'm always out there flipping around the data like this, trying to create a new goal," said Gould. "So as I age, I keep on doing this. And you know, as a result, I think the neural pathways in the brain are firing the same way they used to, you know, before I retired."

During the pandemic, from March 2020 to April 2022, he skied more than 3,000 kilometres. 

And while last year was a bit of a bust because of the rain, the year before that, he skied 1,819 kilometres — his longest annual distance ever. And currently, Gould's numbers for this year are on track to beat that distance.

Gould doesn't plan to stop. In fact, his 1,000-kilometre feat put him high on the competition's leaderboard.

And as he clocked that distance this past Thursday, an audible "woohoo" could be heard from within the Fredericton woods.