A couple weeks into my marathon training, my schedule showed it was time to run a half marathon in the last weekend of February. It happened to coincide with a Vancouver Island weekend trip we were planning, so I searched for some running trails in the Ucluelet and Tofino area. To my delight, I learned that a multi-use path of 25 kilometers between the two beach towns had been opened in 2022. Challenge accepted: run a half marathon on the ʔapsčiik t̓ašii in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve!
After the Christmas holidays of 2024, I sat myself down for 2025 goal setting and decided it was time to kick off my marathon training. I crafted a 16-week schedule that put me on a regime of four runs per week, with Sunday marked as my long-run day. Having a solid plan really helped me bring back some discipline, and my progress has been steady and motivating so far. Week 6 was going to be a milestone: the half marathon.
The thing with marathon training is that at some point, you can’t just ‘go for a quick run’. The weekly long run entails setting an alarm, have a power breakfast, give the stomach about 45 minutes to process, then push out that long run, shower, and have a recovery lunch. Long story short: it takes up a whole morning. But you know what, that doesn’t mean we have to be stuck at the apartment every weekend, does it? We had been chatting about planning a weekend trip in February, and just as I completed booking our Ucluelet accommodation on Vancouver Island, we realized that weekend was half-marathon-weekend.
ʔapsčiik t̓ašii, upscheek tashee
I searched running trails near Ucluelet as well as running trails near Tofino and was just about to give up when I read something about a new ‘MUP’ between Tofino and Ucluelet. Crossing my fingers, I went on to figure out whether it was suitable for a run.
The ʔapsčiik t̓ašii (pronounced ups-cheek ta-shee) pathway was developed as part of a long-term vision to enhance sustainable transportation, safety, and cultural connection in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The idea of a multi-use trail had been discussed for decades, but planning and construction took several years (as it usually tends to).
The need for a safe cycling and walking route was recognized as early as the early 2000s, as Highway 4 connecting Tofino and Ucluelet was too dangerous for non-motorized travelers. Parks Canada, in collaboration with the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government, began planning a trail that would respect the ecological and cultural importance of the land. Community engagement and environmental assessments helped shape the project, ensuring minimal impact on sensitive ecosystems.
Building began in 2018, and in the early summer of 2022, the 25 km pathway opened to provide a safe, eco-friendly, and super scenic connection through the national park. The name means “going the right way together” in the Nuu-chah-nulth language and honours the partnership between Indigenous communities and Parks Canada.
In addition to 25-kms of new 2-way multi-use path, the fully constructed project includes: 3 bridges over fish bearing streams, 370 lineal meters of elevated boardwalks over sensitive wetlands, 4 new highway culverts, 8 highway culvert extensions, 60 amphibian culverts, 180 pathway culverts, 7 major retaining walls (up to 5m in height), 700 lineal meters of highway widening & slope stabilization, 11 Fisheries Enhancement sites, & mitigation of former slides & general slope stabilization of a 20m high foreshore slope to facilitate trail switchbacks. (ACEC BC Awards)
Running the ʔapsčiik t̓ašii, upscheek tashee
My reference point was this route from AllTrails: from the Radar Hill trailhead parking, it’s a straightforward route that has you run parallel to the coast, passing Radar Beaches, Schooner Cove Beach, Long Beach, Combers Beach, Wickaninnish Beach, and finally, Florencia Beach.
The logistics had us torture our brain a little bit. Recovering from a injury, but still hoping to run the marathon in May, Tom wasn’t too sure if he’d join the run. If he can’t, do I still go? Is it not too creepy by myself? Are the bears awake yet? How do we get there? How do we get back to the car at the end of the 21 km? Google Maps doesn’t give any public transit options. What does a cab cost? Excuse me HOW MUCH you say? Never mind that. What if Tom rented a bike? What if we drove our car to the endpoint and found a ride to Radar Hill somehow?
Here’s how we made it work in the end:
💛 West Coast Transit Service | There’s a local (not known on Google Maps) transit service that you can find on the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District website. The West Coast Transit Service page included a schedule which showed that on weekends, there would be a bus going from Ucluelet to Tofino twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. We also need the Token Transit App (App Store / Google Play) to pay for the ride.
💛 Weather check | It was forecasted to be a very rainy weekend; especially Saturday it was just pouring and pouring all day. Checking our trusted weather apps, we decided Sunday morning looked a lot better.
💛 Double check | We went into the Pacific Rim Visitor Centre which is just at the junction right before you enter Ucluelet, to ask if this bus is really going every day and at this time of year. She confirmed, and pointed at a little pole that said ‘Transit’ just there on the parking lot.
💛 Prep & Gear up | We got ourselves some groceries the day before to ensure we could have some pre-run breakfast and post-run lunch. Our alarm went off at 6.30 AM, we prepared our peanut butter toast, and got into our running outfits. I packed one gel each, and Builder Bar for Tom. I forgot my little flexible water bottles at home, but thank goodness Tom had packed his running vest and water bladder.
💛 DO IT!
So there we went… We drove to the Pacific Rim Visitor Centre, parked the car, and waited for the 7.45 AM bus. When he arrived and we got on, the driver asked where we were planning to get off. “The Radar Hill parking lot please,” I asked. His eyebrows shot up, and he said, “Wow, you’re the first to ever ask me for a drop-off at that stop.” He went on to ask us if we would be taking a ride back to Ucluelet later in the day. “Well…” I began, “The plan is actually to run back”.
“RUN back?,” he went, “Ahhh, what’s it like to be YOUNG?!”
We hopped out at the Radar Hill Parking Lot and immediately saw the entrance to the trail. “Look out for me on the road in case you get injured or something,” the friendly driver told us. We did some stretching, got the GPS tracking on our watch going, and started our 21 KM run. Thankfully, it was only drizzling rain, not pouring like it did the day before. It was actually the perfect weather for such a long forest run!
The trail was perfect for our run. It’s paved through rain forest with a total of 128 meters elevation – good practice for our marathon in Vancouver, which will also have some hilly sections. Full disclosure: I am terrible at running upwards – I walked those steep bits of the trail asking my upper legs to please not die and asking the universe why I was doing this. At 5K, we were rewarded for finishing the first quarter with an impressive view of Long Beach. Unfortunately, it was very foggy from the drizzle, but it looked incredible nonetheless. Impossible to capture well, but here’s a photo I quickly snapped before catching up with Tom.
Apart from that beautiful bit of beach, you don’t actually see more of the coast because of all the forest. The path switches between being surrounded on either side by forest, to having the road on your side. That allowed our bus driver to check in on us twice; he honked and waved at us as he continued his bus service back and forth between Ucluelet and Tofino. We waved back reassuringly – we’re still going, all good!
Two hours and ten minutes is how long it took us. The last 3Ks were gruelling though – why do those last kilometers always feel like it’s taking ages? Everything was hurting at that point and I was terribly thirsty. After high-fiveing and gulping down what little water was left, we walked the last bit back to the car, where two glorious water bottles were waiting for us.
And heated seats.
But the next bit was even more like heaven – our Airbnb had a hot tub, which was the perfect way to relax those angry muscles.
And that was it! I hope that the next time we come here, we’ll finally see it with sunny weather… And who knows, we might find ourselves on the trail again in the future. But maybe just for a walk or a bike ride 🥲
