Jordan Brett is an ultrarunner and community builder based in New Westminster, BC. Originally from England, he didn’t grow up chasing finish lines—but today, he leads the Steel & Oak Run Club and regularly competes in some of the toughest ultramarathons in North America. From organizing races at the local level to dialing in his performance for 100Ks, his story is one of steady progression, practical learning, and a clear passion for running.

 

From Burnout to Ultramarathons

Before Jordan was organizing races and building a thriving run club in New Westminster, BC, he was just a kid in England who didn’t think much of running at all.

“I did more team sports growing up—football, cricket, rugby. Then I got forced into a cross-country team and I hated it,” he says. The over-scheduling eventually caught up to him. “By the time I got to university, I was just burnt out. I stopped doing anything.”

After university, Jordan signed up for a charity race to support his mom during her cancer treatment—an act that pulled running back into his life. “And for some reason, I haven’t stopped since I did that,” he says.

“I just fell in love with running, but I was pretty inconsistent, and then one day I just read about ultra running and something changed in me,” he adds.

Barely a year into running seriously, and with just one marathon under his belt, Jordan found himself at the starting line of his first ultra—the Peddars Way Ultra, a 48-mile race following the path of a Roman road to the coast in his home county.

“It wasn't necessarily about pace, I just liked the adventure of it. It's not about splits and time, it's more about the journey and experience,” he says. “People ask about it afterwards and they don’t care about your time—they want to hear how you experienced it and what happened. The adventure and being in places I love to be in drew me to it."

 

A New Life in Canada—and a New Kind of Running

When Jordan moved to Canada in 2018, he planned to stay for just a year on a working holiday visa. A job at Steel & Oak Brewing in New Westminster gave him a foothold—and eventually, a platform to build something new.

He launched the Steel & Oak Run Club in 2021. It started with just three runners and now regularly sees upwards of 80. The club also puts on a popular local 5K race in Queen’s Park in New Westminster and Jordan has plans to expand the event series in 2025.

“I love running and running has changed my life—I train most of the time really for mental benefits more than physical—and I just wanted to show or allow other people to enjoy what I enjoy,” he says.

While showing up every Wednesday night for nearly four years is a big commitment and has had its challenges, the consistency has paid off as he’s seen a true community form. “It's not just people showing up on Wednesday night and then not speaking. People support each other,” he says. “I went to a race last week and there were 10 people from the run club who went and stayed with each other and supported each other. It's really cool.”

 

Fueling for the Long Run with Blonyx

As Jordan became more competitive, dialing in fueling became critical.

“Most of my mistakes have been around fueling,” he says. “There was one race where I was running near some elite women I really looked up to. I kind of fanboyed and forgot to take any gels. 20k into the race I just hit the wall and did not feel good for the second half because even if you start fueling properly, it's hard to catch back up.”

Now, his fueling is structured. He aims for 110 grams of carbs per hour on long runs, uses cooling strategies like ice bandannas and sponge buckets, and builds his race nutrition plans around course elevation.

Blonyx Hydra+ has also become a daily staple. “I take Hydra+ a couple times a day. I love it; it's probably in my opinion the best electrolyte powder I've ever had. It just tastes really natural,” he says.

He also takes Blonyx HMB+ Creatine and Blonyx Beta Alanine as “a lot of ultra running is about power as well as endurance because you’re climbing mountains; creatine helps with your strength and power.” For on-the-go fueling, he's recently added Beet It Sport Top Up 100 energy gels. “I like how tart it is... palate fatigue is real when you’re out there for 10 hours.”

 

Training and Racing

Jordan’s training structure varies, but it often includes back-to-back long runs on Monday and Tuesday, a workout and strength training session on Thursday, and easier runs to build mileage through the rest of the week.

Strength work is focused on injury prevention: mobility, single-leg balance, and compound lifts like deadlifts and squats. “I've had calf issues for about a year and a half,” he says. “So, it's a lot of work on weaknesses.”

His pacing strategy for trail races is course-specific. Unlike road races, where you can apply a consistent strategy across events, trail races demand a different mindset. “You can't really have paces you want to hit unless you really know the course,” he says. He’ll study elevation profiles and structure fueling around major climbs. “If you're going into a big long climb, you want to make sure you're fueled up for that.”

Over time, he’s moved from a data-driven approach to a more intuitive one: “I barely look at my watch anymore because there's kind of no point.”

 

The Mental Game (and the Joy of Suffering)

The long hours and high mileage of ultrarunning come with unique challenges—both physically and mentally.

When in pain he uses three-time London Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe’s trick of counting backwards to distract himself, but “Sometimes you just have to trick yourself,” Jordan says. “Just lie to yourself and break it down into sections.”

In a recent Arizona race, he used trail letter markers to divide each section into smaller goals. “Chunking is huge, especially in races,” he says. “Even if I’m 5K from the end, I try not to think about the finish until I’m actually there.”

When things get tough, he focuses on what he can control. “Usually that’s like eating, taking in more fuel, reminding myself where I am—which helps on trails because normally you’re in a beautiful area.”

He admits, “You reach a point where you kind of question why you're doing it,” he says. “But that's the point. You learn a lot about yourself in discomfort. You come out the other side appreciating everything a little more.”

 

Why He Keeps Coming Back

It’s not just about racing. Trail adventure, community, and the joy of pushing his limits all keep Jordan coming back.

“I feel pretty lucky that I get to do a race that could take 20 hours and I get to be on a mountain for 20 hours. And to me that sounds better than going to work or doing other things. Even if I wasn't racing, I’d still be doing this.”

“I think anyone could do it if they wanted to,” he adds. “It's just most people don't want to.”

 

What’s Next

Jordan’s 2025 season is already shaping up to be a busy one. In the spring, he’ll head to Oregon for the Gorge Waterfalls 30K—a shorter, fun race where he can stretch his legs as preparation for his goal race four weeks later: the Tillamook Burn 50-Miler. After that, his calendar is still in flux, but a 100-miler in Alberta and the Kodiak 100K in California (a UTMB qualifier) are both possibilities.

He still includes the occasional road race in his training. “I hate them when I'm doing them, but I love doing them,” he says. “Road races are a great way to build up fitness. I love running fast and trying to push myself.” The London Marathon in particular is a bucket list race for him. “That one's emotional for me,” he says. “I grew up watching it.”

Looking beyond races, he’d like to fastpack the West Coast Trail someday. Long-term, the Western States 100 and UTMB in France are on his radar.

But it’s the experiences and the people—not just the races—that keep him in it. “I feel pretty lucky to be able to go to a new place and see 100 miles of trails in a day—it’s a pretty unique opportunity,” he says. “I like community, trails, and adventure. And I like trying to push the boundaries of what I didn’t think was possible”

For anyone thinking about signing up for their first ultra, Jordan’s advice is simple: “Know your why,” he says. “If you’re out there for a long time in places where dropping out isn’t easy, having a personal reason—something deeper than just ‘this would look cool on Instagram’—is what keeps you moving.”

 

Follow Jordan on Instagram @_jordanbrett_ and on Strava to stay updated on his racing and run club adventures, or catch Jordan at the S&O Run Club every Wednesday at at 7 PM out front of Steel & Oak Brewing Co.

That’s all for this week! If you enjoyed reading Jordan's story, head over to the Blonyx Blog for more stories of athletic ambition.

– Train hard!

 

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