Bruce Peninsula

Consider the Tobermory Daycare

Peninsula Adventure Sports Association (PASA) has some heartwarming news to announce this morning.

In cooperation with the Primary Place Child Care Centre and the Peninsula Bruce Trail Club (PBTC), and with the cancellation of the 2020 Tobermory Trail Race Weekend (TTRW) due to the ongoing covid19 pandemic, PASA has continued to provide some vital support to the daycare located in Tobermory.  The Primary Place has received a substantial donation each year from the proceeds of the TTRW, and those funds are used to help keep the daycare running throughout the winter months when enrollment decreases substantially.

This year more than ever Primary Place needed the support of the community, so PASA created The Great Bruce Trail Scavenger Hunt to adapt to the region’s Public Health priorities.

Daycare board member Gillian Ceasar, Tobermory Press designer Tanya Early, and PTBC outreach/membership coordinator Marg Glendon also helped to pull off this fun and exciting event that put a challenge out to PASA’s race community who, for the most part, live up and down the entire length of the Bruce Trail.

The daycare was able to raise approximately $1000.00 thanks to generous racers, some of whom also donated their 2020 TTRW entry fee. 

In all, 72 people participated in the Scavenger Hunt, hunting down up to 20 items such as waterfalls, stiles, and sugar maple trees.  There were a few easy ones like “fall colours” and “single blaze” to make sure kids were engaged.

“We were happy to support PASA in organizing the Great Bruce Trail Scavenger Hunt,” states Glendon, “and to raise funds for Tobermory Primary Place Daycare. Planning for a virtual event with in-place participation (wherever you are) is a complicated task, and PASA should be commended for its quick planning and initiative.”

“Looking at the photo submissions, it appears the participants had a lot of fun, explored the Bruce Trail and shared it with friends and family.  Peninsula Bruce Trail Club looks forward to supporting the Daycare and PASA at the Tobermory Trail Race next year, once again.  Kudos to PASA!”

“We are thrilled we were able to get people out and active this fall with a fun event,” says PASA’s Leigh Grigg, “and we know the participants will enjoy receiving their awards in the mail.  We encourage the residents of Grey Bruce to stay vigilant in preventing the community spread of Covid-19 by following public health guidelines, and we’ll see you on the other side of this pandemic with our great events returning in 2021.”

PASA, a non-profit, was founded in 2011 and supports outdoor sport on the Bruce Peninsula.  More information on PASA’s events can found at pasacanada.wordpress.com

Tobermory Primary Place donations can be made by e-transfer to tobermoryprimaryplace@amtelecom.net. Please provide your contact information if you would like to receive a tax receipt. 

You can also support the project by joining your local Bruce Trail Club, or making a donation to the Bruce Trail Conservancy. To find out more see the following link:
https://brucetrail.org/

2018 public on-sale coming soon

2018 will mark the 3rd edition of the challenging & uber-scenic Tobermory Trail Race Weekend.  Saturday September 21 will be the Trail Marathon, Relay and Half Marathon and Sunday September 23 will be the Flowerpot Island 5K.

The public will get access to both these dates on Sunday January 21st at 10am at http://www.tobermorytrail.com

Please note:  Although the event sells out quickly, it’s important to know and research its level of difficulty BEFORE SIGNING UP.  These racecourses take place on VERY CHALLENGING TERRAIN, as described here.  Please be honest with yourself, and with your capabilities, and sign up for the distance you believe you can complete in the allotted time.  Cutoffs for 2018 have not been announced but will be similar to 2017 cutoffs.

2017 Cutoffs (2018 will be very similar)

  • Marathon & Relay (7am start) must reach the 1⁄2 point by 11:00am.
  • Marathon, Relay (7am start) and Half Marathon (7:30am start) must reach the Little Cove CP on their northbound leg of the trip by 2pm.
  • Flowerpot Island 5K racers need to be able to complete a 5km trail run with some difficult sections in under 1h.

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Previous racers and volunteers, as well as those who signed up to this promotion will receive an advance opportunity for both events from Wednesday January 17th at 5pm until Friday January 18th at 3pm. Everyone eligible for the pre-sale will receive an email invite by noon on Wednesday January 17th and only one registration will be allowed per eligible person.  Sorry, but pre-sale registrations are not transferable during the pre-sale window and must be claimed using the email address on file, and the name of the eligible person.  After the pre-sale window closes, any registration changes are subject to the usual $20 change fee.  Full details on the pre-sale will be here (coming soon) and will be emailed.

NEW THIS YEAR: Trail Marathon Relay teammates may be added or changed until August 25th for no charge.

50% of the total registration capacity will be available during the pre-sale window and 50% of the total registrations (plus whatever is not sold during pre-sale) will be available during the public onsale starting at 10am on Sunday January 21st at 10am.

Thanks to Parks Canada, Blue Heron Company and Leeside’s Restaurant and other partners for their incredible support.

Event Website: http://www.tobermorytrail.com  Facebook Page

PASA events: http://www.peninsulaadventure.ca  Facebook Page

2018 Date Announced

The date for the upcoming 3rd annual Tobermory Trail Race Weekend (TTRW) has been announced as September 21-23, 2018.  The event will take on a familiar format and will again feature both the Saturday Trail Marathon, Half & Relay as well as the Sunday Flowerpot Island 5K.

If you would like to be notified of the date of the public on-sale for the 2018 TTRW, please join our mailing list here.

The dates for both the pre-sale and the public on-sale will be announced shortly.

If you’re just discovering the TTRW and/or did not race or volunteer last year, there is still a way to get access to the pre-sale window with this promotion currently being run by our sister event, the Subaru Bruce Peninsula Multisport Race. This exciting event combines trail running with mountain biking (and even some paddling options!) and takes place August 11th 2018.  As of the time of this writing, only the sprint distance is left, or the “self-supported adventure race” Buff Long Course relay.

Exactly half of the registrations of all TTRW racecourses are available during the pre-sale window.  Pre-sale registrants will be allowed one registration per email address provided, will have to register under their name only, and any transfers thereafter will be subject to additional fees.  The other half of the TTRW registrations (plus whatever is not sold during the pre-sale window) will be available during the public on-sale a few days later.

Both events, plus the upcoming Wiarton Willie Groundhog Jog, go a long way to fundraise for outdoor sport on the Bruce Peninsula.  For this, we thank you sincerely for your support, and look forward to hosting you up here on the beautiful Bruce!

Enjoy your day.  Get outside!

It’s almost raceday

Weather’s looking warm this weekend.  Keep your fingers crossed for nice conditions for us all.

All the info you need for this weekend, including copies of all 4 newsletters are here:
SATURDAY RACES: tobermorytrail.wordpress.com/marathon/
SUNDAY’S FPI5K:  tobermorytrail.wordpress.com/flowerpot-island-5k

Did you know:

  • This race has 7 different landowners, without whose support we couldn’t deliver such an exciting course.
  • There will be fun activities for your friends and family to discover at the finish line… right on Bay st in front of Tobermory Brewing Co from 10-3pm Saturday.
  • This race is non-profit!  Proceeds benefit Tobermory Primary Place Daycare and local outdoor sport projects via Peninsula Adventure Sports Association.
  • You race entry also gets you an advance purchase opportunity for next year’s race…. helpful considering we sold out the FPI5K in 3 hours.
  • Your race bib will get you a couple of clutch discounts around town.
  • There are 65 volunteers helping out!  This year’s volunteers get access to free first aid training and also get the advance purchase opportunity next year.
  • Tobermory is an absolutely incredible place to visit in the fall!  Laid back & super-scenic.

 

What a Weekend!

When “Run The Edge” was first envisioned by the Peninsula Adventure Sport Association (PASA) and the Tobermory Chamber of Commerce Economic Committee no one had any idea just how popular it would be. Sold out for all events in less than 6 weeks, it became clear that there were big expectations of this event. Racers signed up from far and wide, including several racers from outside Canada. And thanks to fabulous weather, amazingly generous sponsors and partners, friendly volunteers and a dedicated organizing team the 1st Annual Tobermory Trail Race Weekend it was even better than expected.

On Saturday Sept 24th at 715 am 126 runners walked down Hwy 6 to Bay St to cheer on the 18 Marathon Runners and 12 Marathon Relay teams as they headed down the Bruce Trail toward Cyprus Lake. The remaining half-marathon runners then jumped on buses to be driven to Cyprus Lake Campground in Bruce Peninsula National Park to begin their run north at 8:30 am. All racers took on the tough terrain with grit and determination. Every single runner completed their chosen distance, despite the occasional bumps and bruises and wasp nests.

At 10 am sharp the Finish Line Team closed off Bay St. from the Cenotaph to the LCBO so that the race celebration, which included a lemonade stand, a book sale, face painting and a bouncy castle, could be begin. It was a good thing that they were prompt as the first runner, Spencer Summerfield (London) crossed the finish line just before 10:30 am. The atmosphere at the finish line was just what the Race Committee was hoping for – fun, upbeat and lively. Awards, including 1 of a kind Run The Edge beer tankards by Goose Creek Pottery were presented to the fastest male and female runners in each group. The fastest relay teams were presented with paddles, hand burned with the race logo by the race committee’s own Terry Heffernan. And while they didn’t make the podium, FULL CODE, a local relay team made up of Dr. Jonathon Thomas (Lions Head), Dr. Ali Appelton (Lions Head), RN Rusty Campigotto (Lions Head) and RPN Goldie Bain (Lions Head) won the relay team draw prize of gift certificates to the Tobermory Brewing Company and Grill. And Craig Moore (Cambridge), a half-marathon runner won the overall draw prize package which included accommodation, boat rides and meals courtesy of Dan Welsh and The Blue Heron Company.

The fun continued bright and early the next morning as just before sunrise 72 racers and several volunteers loaded onto one of the Blue Heron zodiacs to head to Flowerpot Island for a sunrise run and breakfast. Huddling for warmth against the early morning chill the racers were treated to peacefully still waters as they charged off towards Flowerpot. There they were met by their safety crew from Parks Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard and just as it got light enough at 6:50 am they took off on the trail for a 5 km loop and a half of the island. The race ended at the Lighthouse Keepers cottage with a delicious breakfast served by the Friends of Bruce District Parks. Again all racers completed the course with Jack Van Dorp (Wiarton) coming in first, just as the race volunteers got the finish line banner tied up. The racers were then treated to a tour by boat around the island and then it was back to the shore for awards and more coffee. It should be noted that 13 of the racers actually competed both days!!

The goal of the race was not only to raise money for its beneficiaries Tobermory Primary Place Daycare and The Friends of Bruce District Park. It is also to share the beauty of the Bruce Trail in this area and encourage outdoor sport on the Bruce Peninsula. It is through events like this that PASA is able to support programs like the gear library currently housed at the Outdoor Education Centre that schools can rent winter outdoor gear from.

The race committee hopes to continue with this great event, which would not have been possible without the dedication of the race committee, the hours and hours of volunteer time given and the generosity of the local community. The race committee, Tobermory Primary Place Daycare and the Friends of Bruce District Parks would like to thank all the volunteers, sponsors, land owners, partners and the Peninsula Bruce Trail Club who made this event possible. The race raised over $6,500.00 for Tobermory Primary Place Daycare and over $1,200.00 for the Friends of Bruce District Parks.

Full Results can be found here.

Thanks everyone!

 

 

TTRW – Not Just for Runners

Photo Credit: Jack Salen

While the main events of the Tobermory Trail Race Weekend (TTRW) – the Full, Half and Relay Trail Marathon on Sept 24th and the 5km Flowerpot Island run on Sept 25th are for runners there will be other events that weekend for those less interested in testing their endurance skills against the Bruce Trail.

The weekend will start off on Friday night with a Pasta Dinner at the Tobermory Community Centre from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm. The dinner is being provided by the Ferndale/Lions Head District Lioness Club and is open to the public so come out and join the 150 racers participating in Saturdays runs who get a meal ticket in their race bag. Tickets will be limited so come early! Race registration will also be taking place on Friday night at the Community Centre and there will be a guest speaker. The Tobermory Primary Place will also be hosting a Silent Auction which will open for biding on Friday at 5:00 pm and items will being closing Saturday evening, starting at 6:00 pm.

At 7 am Saturday morning all of the racers participating in the Full, Half and Relay Trail Marathon will gather at the Community Centre for their race briefing and then they will be piped down to the start line at the Tobermory Cenotaph. The Full and Relay categories will take off from Tobermory down the trail at 730 am and the ½ Marathon runners will be bused to Cyprus Lake Campground in Bruce Peninsula National Park and start north on the trail at 830 am. We welcome anyone wanting to cheer racers on to join us at the start line in Town or as the race mostly follows the Bruce Trail those willing to hike can walk out at Cyprus Lake or Little Cove and cheer racers on as they tackle the trail.

The Finish Line for all of Saturday’s races is at the Bruce Trail Cairn on Bay St. This means Bay St will be closed from the Cenotaph to the intersection with Brock St until between 2-3pm on Saturday Sept 24 th . Runners love to finish with a cheering crowd so to draw attention to that area the Library will be putting on a book sale, so if you have any donations they would love to have them. There will also be a bouncy castle, information booths and you can wet your whistle as you are cheering at the Primary Place Lemonade Stand.

Saturday ends with the Awards Ceremony at 4 pm, a Silent Auction, a Fish Fry 5 pm – 8 pm and Dance 8 pm – 1 am at the Community Centre all of which are open to the public. The Snowmobile Club is providing the Fish Dinner. The Silent Auction and Dance are to support the Tobermory Primary Place Daycare. The Daycare will be looking for items for the Silent Auction, if you have a donation please contact Sarah Peacock at 226 668 7707.

On Sunday morning, anyone who wishes to wake up super-early can come to the Blue Heron dock at 5:45am to wish the Flowerpot Island 5K racers well as they board the boat. The race is not open to spectators due to the limited transport options but the racers would love to be greeted at the dock on return to Tobermory around 9 am.

The goal of this weekend is for racers and their families to enjoy a weekend in Tobermory and support outdoor adventures on the Bruce Peninsula. In return for everyone’s generosity that weekend, they will be assisting the Tobermory Primary Place Daycare with their winter program.