Twin Cities Marathon runner carries canoe on his back to highlight Boundary Waters as mining debate heats up
By WCCO Staff
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Minnesota runner took on a 26.2-mile portage, carrying a canoe the whole way, to speak up for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Travis Meier is a portage runner who carries canoes to raise awareness for Minnesota’s public lands. Meier said adding a canoe to a marathon makes people “pay more attention.”
He said that attention is the point, especially as debate continues over mining near the Boundary Waters.
In September 2023, a federal judge dismissed Twin Metals Minnesota’s lawsuit seeking to regain mineral leases the Biden administration canceled near the wilderness. That November, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources approved an exploratory drilling plan from the company on property next to it.
“It hasn’t been touched and that’s the way it should be,” Meier said. “And if we don’t protect it, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle once all that water is poisoned.”
Meier says he is speaking for a wilderness that can’t speak for itself.
“Someone has to speak for the public lands,” he said. “I would say I’m a Lorax with a lesser stash.”
For Meier, the Boundary Waters is worth the pain of carrying a canoe for an entire marathon. He said the Northern Lights “just came right out” the first night he visited, while he was at a campsite.
“You can see some of the most amazing things you never thought you could see,” he said.
Now, Meier plans to take that message on the road with 52 portage marathons in 52 weeks. He’s looking for races to join.
“I would love to run in your race and raise more awareness for our public lands,” he said.
Wherever his next race is, Meier said, he’ll have the same mission and the same canoe.
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