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MP Ryan Leef experienced the full gamut of Yukon weather during his 1,200-km journey across the territory this month.

Running through Carmacks in 30 degrees at the height of last week's major forest fire, the 39-year-old Leef looked up the heavens with one request.

"I thought 鈥榖oy, I could just use a little bit of rain,'鈥� he said. "At that point, it had been two weeks plus without one drop of rain.鈥�

Not long after reaching Braeburn, he got his wish.

"It rained so hard for two days, I actually ran a marathon in a rain suit. It was really flowing, and I thought 鈥榊ou know what? This is why I love the Yukon. It's beautiful. It's unpredictable. It's untamed.' We have an adventurous land, and I kind of grinned that day as the wind was coming in my face and the rain was hammering down, and thought 鈥榃ow. This is just another day in paradise.'鈥�

In 22 days, Leef completed his 1,200-km 鈥楤order To Border' run across the territory to raise awareness and funds for the fight against diabetes.

"It's great to be done,鈥� Leef told the Star last night after shaking hands with supporters gathered to greet him at Jim Light Park in Whitehorse.

"When you take on these kinds of journeys, you never know how you will personally handle it. So I'm obviously happy that I was able to get through it healthy and still fit.鈥�

There will be no rest for the weary, as today Leef immediately gets back to his regular political duties, visiting the community of Teslin for a celebration of the Tlingit heritage.

Leef's cross-territory odyssey began July 2 with a drive to the top of the Dempster Highway, where he began running a day later. He would run all the way to the B.C./Yukon border before turning around and hitting the territory's capital last night.

"Everyone has seen the Dempster, but I don't think anybody's seen the Dempster at 10 km an hour,鈥� Leef said. "For me, I've always loved the land. I've always been active and out on the land. It reconnects you with the things that you know are so very important 鈥� Appreciating the sunsets and clean water, appreciating the mountains and the endless tundra.鈥�

Leef said that as he ran, his thoughts were consumed with the timeless history of the Yukon, and how he could improve in his role as a federal MP.

"It was a really great way when you had that time alone to think about things you needed to do, reassess how you were doing them, and get kind of grounded again and back to what's important, which is the solace and inspiration of our territory,鈥� he said.

Subtract a few days off from pounding the pavement to take in community events, and Leef's final statistics come in at 1,200 km in 20 days 鈥� an average of 60 km per day.

"A light day was 40 km,鈥� he laughed. "Heavy days when we weren't near the communities got pretty high. The longest day I did was 90 km.鈥�

Leef, who participated in the Boston Marathon this year, said he is able to complete 40 km in well under four hours.

This trip marked a total of 28 marathons.

He burned through seven pairs of shoes, retiring three along the way. As for bear spottings, Leef said there was no interactions of the wild kind.

So far, totals on funds raised for diabetes research is about $13,000.

Leef deflected any personal praise for his journey, instead choosing to push the messages he heard from people along the way.

"It's good to have this accomplished, but not as much for me as for the communities,鈥� he said. "I got into this with a purpose in mind and some goals around raising awareness for diabetes, which is our largest health concern in the Yukon.

"It wasn't about me getting from A to B in record time ... It was about me getting from A to B in a unique way, but still being fully focused on the task at hand, which was making sure that we heard from Yukoners. I feel a lot more connected with the people of the Yukon now.鈥�

The summer trip was one Leef usually makes to meet face to face with residents across the territory. However, it was the first time he did it on foot.

Leef labeled diabetes an epidemic in the Yukon, affecting First Nations groups by rates four to five times higher than the national average.

"I knew that before I started, but when you start putting faces to those numbers, then all of a sudden you start seeing a human face for the one third of all Canadians,鈥� he said. "It's something that we can actually conquer to a degree. We can prevent it. We can manage it. We can overcome a good portion of this, and I think part of this run helps inspire the people.鈥�

After completing his daily runs, Leef would talk to residents of the particular community he found himself in about food security, healthy weights, active living, and how to embrace the outdoor recreation lifestyle so readily available in the Yukon.

Leef's journey made for an easy start point for discussions, which would start with his marathon before ranging to other topics such as the downturn in mining, land claims implementation, and gas tax initiatives.

"Before, you'd show up in my business attire, ready to do business and ready to have professional engagement sessions, and sometimes you find that really limits the breadth of the discussion you have,鈥� he said.

Showing up sweating after a marathon changed things for the politician.

He said discussions became much more "down to earth鈥� and "intimate.鈥�

"It provided me with a really wide range of things that I need to take home here, sit down and work through, and see what I can do to implement some positive changes in Ottawa at the federal level, and what I can jointly do with my territorial counterparts to improve the quality of life for Yukoners.鈥�