When Lawrence Nguyen first started planning a long run to visit all corners of Vancouver, he didn’t envision his scenic route checking off deep fryers, cash registers and the iconic golden arches.
Nguyen, a 28-year-old Calgary transplant who moved to Vancouver three years ago, had been brainstorming unique ways to explore the city on foot when he landed on an idea that would combine his love of the classic salty french fry with his penchant for running.
“I think the best way to explore a city is just getting off the beaten path, and McMarathon just had a good ring to it,” he says.
“So I thought, ‘There’s McDonalds’ all over the city. What if I ran to all of them and got to see places in the city that I would never usually see, and experience and take in Vancouver that way.’”
Nguyen says he had doubts the night before as he mapped out the locations and realized the kilometres would rack up to more than 50, but once he was on the road, it was “easy to keep going,” he says.
“I really got to experience the good, the bad and the ugly of Vancouver, and I’m really grateful for being able to see that all within a single day. “
The challenge saw him traverse 55 kilometres over eight hours and all corners of Vancouver, from Gastown to East Hastings to Marpole to Kitsilano.
Checking off 21 McDonald’s restaurants, Nguyen completed his mission convinced he had visited them all. However, a few eagle-eyed Reddit users informed him he had missed three Vancouver locations. More devastating still, said Nguyen, was the realization that those final three had been along his path all along.
“I just ran right past them. So I might have to do it again.” he says.
A small side mission on his main quest had been to confirm whether or not each location had a working ice cream machine, to see if there was any truth to the fast-food chain’s notoriety for its frozen treat failures. At some restaurants he would simply walk up the counter and ask whether the machine was working before exiting, leaving workers baffled.
Surprisingly enough, he says, every single ice cream machine was in business. More surprising still was the discovery that McDonald’s treats make for awfully effective mid-run snacks.
“I learned that small fries at McDonald’s digest super well. During a run, I had no stomach issues at all and no nausea, to my surprise. The orange juice was a great source of fuel,” he says.
After Nguyen had recovered from his ultra McMarathon – a process that involved “a lot of stretching, good sleep, good food” – he posted his accomplishment alongside his unique Strava map to social media. The response, he says, was one of bewilderment.
“I originally posted it online as a way to ask other people if they had any similar experiences with unique ways they have found to explore a city, and the reception was just mostly ‘This is so crazy.’ ‘This is bizarre.’ ‘Why did you do this?’” he laughs.
“But it has been very positive for the most part.”
Inspired by the feedback the McMarathon received online, Nguyen is hoping to give the colossal run another shot, this time as a fundraising challenge for charity.
He says he has a few charities in mind and will have to “think a bit more thoroughly” to ensure they align with his challenge, but that his own charity, Onedonate, a company that works with other charities to modernize their technology and streamline the donating process, will likely take centre stage.
As for the challenge itself, Nguyen says he hopes to work with a Canadian-owned business next time to champion the fried goods from this side of the border.
