Sebastien Sasseville had always had big aspirations. Ever since he was a child, he remembers being particularly curious, dreaming of travel and exploration. The ultimate goal was to one day reach the top of Mount Everest, a feat that at his young age seemed like the end all be all of impossible dreams.

But Everest was just the beginning of a life full of facing challenges.

Sasseville was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 2002.

“It is a serious disease and managing it can be complex,” he said. “If something goes wrong, the consequences can be extreme.”

But giving up on an active lifestyle was never part of his plan. Instead, through careful monitoring and treatment, Sasseville reached the top of Everest in 2008.

“When I finally finished, it felt so fantastic,” he recalled. “And it was the first time that I felt like I was inspiring others with diabetes, that my climb has been worth it and useful.”

What to many would be the pinnacle accomplishment of an athletic career instead launched Sasseville into action.

“I wanted to do something else, something different, so I signed up for my first Ironman, and though I struggled through it, I loved every second,” he said.

His instinctual need to push himself harder and farther has driven Sasseville to compete in a series of Ironman races, as well as complete an ultramarathon in Egypt’s Sahara desert.

“I love the lifestyle, the training, and the community,” he said. “Each new race gives me confidence in both my physical and mental abilities. After the ultramarathon, I was ready for something big again, but I wanted it to be meaningful and to get people involved.”

That was the basis for the Outrun Diabetes project, a yearlong ultra-run across Canada that Sasseville is set to begin to promoting awareness about while inspiring those living with diabetes. The run will begin February 2 and end November 14—World Diabetes Day.

To make this trek across the country in the allotted time, Sasseville plans to run at least 200 km (125 miles) a week. An RV will tail him and be his main place of residence, though the Outrun Diabetes team has planned stops in multiple communities across Canada to get people involved through seminars, community runs, and diabetes patient sharing events.

“We want patients to be able to talk about their day-to-day experiences and give each other ideas and encouragement about living [with diabetes],” he said. “But we also want everyone else to have the chance to get involved.”

Though the team has spent the last year planning the routes and trying to determine all the factors, Sasseville knows most of the run will happen organically.

“We will have to adapt to the weather in Canada, especially in the winter,” he said. “And things like injuries will be a factor. But we won’t know until we do it what works and what doesn’t. We are excited to see how it ends up.”

Sasseville hopes to raise awareness through the run, and said the ultimate goal is to get people talking and working together.

“There is no perfect recipe to diabetes,” he said. “That is the biggest challenge—it behaves differently every day. And that hinders people. Instead, we need to stop looking and learn what you can do about the factors you are faced with. Education is key so that you can apply it to any situation. Once we do that, we can say, ‘I control my disease,’ and make it an ally.”

Once the race is over, Sasseville has no plans to slow down.

“I don’t know what is going to be next,” he said while laughing. “Lots of people struggle day to day to live with this disease, so I think we will keep doing what we are doing and hope to inspire each of them. I hope people will look at this run and the things we do and see that everything and anything is possible, no matter your obstacle, whether it be diabetes or something else, you can overcome it.”

To learn more about Outrun Diabetes and get involved in Sasseville’s run, visit the website.

Images courtesy Sebastien and Outrun Diabetes