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Still looking as fit as ever at the age of 71, Sudbury Fitness Challenge mainstay John Larmer is not about to get too riled up regarding his results at any particular race — even less when it came to the Bush Pig Open held last weekend in Naughton.

“This is the first race of any kind of race, for me, this season,” said Larmer. “It was great. To train, train, train, without a race, it’s hard to do that and stay motivated. This is fun, to be able to see a few of the people that we haven’t been able to see all summer.”

Hosted by the Walden Mountain Bike Club, the trail race was adjusted to allow for staggered starts, to accommodate social distancing requirements. Furthermore, the 80 riders who competed were dispatched to the trails in four waves of 20, with the first cyclists off at 9 a.m., and the last leaving the start line at 1:49 p.m.

“I actually prefer this kind of start,” said Larmer. “I’m older now and I like to warm into the course. When it’s a mass start, there tends to be people who don’t really know where they belong, and then you end up running into them. They clog up the trails and stuff.”

Separation aside, Larmer was thrilled at the condition of the local course that has staged both Ontario Cup and Canada Cup races in recent years.

“These courses are technical, highly technical,” he said.

“For a hard core mountain biker, which I am not, really, but a lot of the folks from the club are, it means lots of twists and turns, up and down, rocks and stumps.”

To boot, the weather come Saturday morning was gorgeous, with no precipitation in sight until after supper.

“We were thankful there was no rain,” said Larmer. “When this course turns to mud, you can’t carry the speed. Well, you can, but if you don’t know the course well, you’re in the trees.”

As for the motivation that pushes Larmer to continue to show at countless SFC events, he confesses that it was something that was engrained in him, a long, long time ago.

“It’s just a lifestyle choice, one I made in high school,” said Larmer. “I’ve seen lots of good athletes over the years, kids that I have coached in hockey, and then they stopped — and I didn’t.

“I got my kids to do the sports that I was doing, so it was a family thing. We just incorporated it right into our routine.”

The same holds true, to a certain degree, for Peter Ledingham, the 45-year-old who finished second only to Paul Guenette in the men’s advanced (3×6 km) circuit.

“I grew up right across the street here in Naughton,” Ledingham explained. “When I was young, I would come here and cross-country ski, and maybe a bit of mountain biking — but at that time, these trails didn’t exist.”

Thankfully, this is Greater Sudbury. Mountain bike trails can be found across the region, if one knows where to look, and Ledingham knew exactly where to find the help that he needed.

“I started really mountain biking in my late teens, usually with the guys from Cameron Cycle,” he said. “I would borrow my dad’s Canadian Tire mountain bike and trash it with those guys out there. I’m not going to lie — I really didn’t know where I was half the time.”

But if his bearings within Greater Sudbury did not come quickly, his love of mountain biking certainly did.

“It’s kind of an adrenaline sport,” said Ledingham. “When you’re blasting down the trails through the woods, there is definitely an element of risk.

“Some people like that and some people don’t. For me, it makes it exciting. Then you have to develop the skill in order to do it well, which makes it a challenge. I really do like keeping active. I think it pays dividends in your life, in general.”

Though his younger years were interspersed at times with both mountain biking and competitive motocross — Ledingham raced across Ontario and into the States during his time with the sport — the man who acknowledges drawing heavy inspiration from Sudbury cycling legend Bill Narasnek remains excessively thankful for all that his hometown has to offer, even in the midst of a pandemic.

“We have so many opportunities up here for mountain biking,” he explained. “Sudbury is an awesome area. Not only with Naughton Trails, which are amazing, but a lot of forest management roads, trails all over the place, back country roads.

“I don’t think (the pandemic) has had a negative impact, with the exception that there aren’s as many opportunities to compete.”

Speaking of which, here are some of the top finishers in the various events:

Advanced – 3×6 km – Boys – U16 and 16-19

1st – Elijah Jeffery – 1:17:43

2nd – Noah Rious – 1:17:48

Advanced – 3×6 km – Open Men

1st – Paul Guenette – 53:59

2nd – Peter Ledingham – 55:57

3rd – Marc Larochelle – 57:49

4th – Mike Banks – 58:13

5th – Marc Rious – 58:54

Advanced – 3×7 km – Open Women

1st – Wanda Dewulf – 1:18:47

2nd – Jess Lonsdale – 1:26:01

Advanced – 2×6 km

1st – Women – Megan Bischoff – 48:51

1st – Men – Ian Nener – 47:44

1st – Boys 16-19 – Kai Nener – 44:09

1st – Boys – U16 – Joshua Rioux – 1:01:54

Advanced – 1×6 km

1st – Women – Carol Mourre – 27:17

1st – Boys 16-19 – Josh Guignard – 34:48

1st – Men – Rob Rice – 22:00

Recreational – 3×4.5 km

1st – Boys – U16 – Kaeden Ward – 46:12

1st – Boys – 16-19 – Laydon Bursey – 48:20

1st – Open Men – Todd Withers – 42:56

2nd – Open Men – Mitch Trottier – 44:10

1st – Women – Sheila Geraghty – 45:40

2nd – Women – Sara McIlraith – 48:15

3rd – Women – Stacey Trottier – 51:10

Recreational – 2×4.5 km

1st – Boys – U16 – Hector Loiselle – 37:01

2nd – Boys – U16 – Owen Foers – 37:50

1st – Open Men – Steffon Luoma – 40:04

1st – Women – Beth Mairs – 39:28

Recreational – 1×4.5 km

1st – Boys – U16 – Chesley Godwin – 19:18

2nd – Boys – U16 – Colton Mende – 23:21

1st – Girls – U16 – Sophie Gauld – 20:01

2nd – Girls – U16 – Julia Masters – 23:15

1st – Open Men – Rob Gervais – 26:42

1st – Women – Lisanne Gauld – 18:0

 

Points after (2) Events

 

Next Challenge Event is the:

S.F.C Crowley Crawl Open Water Swim
Public · Hosted by Neil Phipps and Sudbury Fitness Challenge

 

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It’s spring of 2020. Race events like the Canada Army Run were tested, having to abandon years of tradition to embrace a new virtual format aimed to keep the running community alive and well. In a matter of a couple months, virtual races became the new trend. Mary Lou (Bolger) Trowell, a long-time supporter of Canada Army Run, anxiously awaited the news on the status of the 2020 Army Run so she could continue her tradition.

Now, with us only a month away from race day, Mary Lou has registered for Canada Army Run: Virtual and has found something to look forward to despite the uncertainty 2020 has brought us.

“Usually my husband, daughter, son-in-law and I go to Ottawa for the event. This year I decided to challenge my son and his family, my sister, brother-in-law, and my nephews to join us (located in Sudbury, Mississauga, Oakville, and Moncton),” says Trowell.

This digital shift has created a new, more national Army Run community. The event now welcomes not only new runners craving the freedom and escape running can provide, but also those who could not make it to Ottawa each September. Traditionally, Canada Army Run sees 64% of its participants from within a 40km radius – now 84% are participating from outside that local geography. Over 45% of this year’s virtual racers have not done the event in previous years.

While virtual has expanded our reach, it has also pushed us to recreate the same unique experiences virtually. One of the features we are thrilled to have is Remembrance Row, presented in partnership with the Royal Canadian Legion – a feature that showcases photographs of veterans who have passed as a way to honour the loved ones that served.

“As it’s the 75th anniversary commemorating the end of the war, I decided to go bigger and challenge my cousins and their families all across Canada to join us. My grandparents had four children enlist in the war, two in the army and two in the air force. This year, we are running/walking to honour all four of them,” continues Trowell.

Challenging her family across Canada is a true depiction of the family friendly nature the Canada Army Run encourages. It’s a great way to get active in support of our military families.

Mary Lou’s Team Bolger hopes to have a good sized team and aims to challenge those who can’t participate to donate to Soldier On and Support our Troops fund. To honour their grandparents’ four children, they are even making race bibs to send to all of their team members with the pictures of them on it.

“Hopefully next year some of my extended family will join us in Ottawa at the finish line. Of all the events my husband and I have done over the years, Canada Army Run is the top,” says Mary Lou.

As we continue to focus on our virtual run, we look forward to the day where we can provide our Canada Army Run family that sense of normalcy they’ve grown accustomed to.

This current situation has allowed us to prioritize and identify what truly matters to us.

It’s our time to rebrand the running industry as we reset.

 

 

Breath of fresh air with Sudbury's Camino now underway
CTV Northern Ontario
Alana Pickrell

SUDBURY -- A day full of nature, fresh air and exploring is what the 2020 Sudbury Camino is encouraging hikers of all experience levels to take on this month. "This is Rainbow Routes capstone event of the year," said Lynn Bulloch, who is the board president. "It's our biggest free community event and the reason that we do this is to get people to learn more about all of the trails in Sudbury." Now in its fourth year for the Camino, things look a bit different for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "It's different than previous years in that we won't have a mass start, it doesn't happen on one day," said Bulloch. "It's for the entire month of August this time, it's a self guided hike, [and] there are maps available." With the new way of operating, officials will be able to ensure that all hikers can maintain proper physical distancing. However, it has also lead to a larger participation this year with 250 people already registered compared to 200 in 2019. "We're seeing people very excited," said Ashely Campeau, the event coordinator. "We're seeing a lot of participation. We've had 100 trail activities so far with 20 people, brave souls, who have completed the full 30kms." Scott Florence is one of the participants who tackled the full 30kms in one day, a hike he said took about 8 hours with stops. "It was a great time. Tracey and I had a lovely time chatting on the trails," said Florence. "I mean, a lot of the trails are so absolutely beautiful, especially at the beginning, you're just walking through forest and along Long Lake and it's just such a beautiful site." However, he admits that although it was pretty, the journey didn't come without some obstacles. "My legs were quite jelly-like at the end. Near the end of a little giggles we were like 'do you think we could still sprint? Do you think we could?' So we tried to do a small sprint and it was ridiculous. It was like watching two 98-year-old people pretending to run really," he said. "We had nothing left to give at that point. It was hilarious." Sudbury Camino 2020 is a free community event and participants have the opportunity to win three different prize packs from Kivi Park. Along the route hikers are encouraged to take pictures and document their adventure on social media in order to be entered into the draw to win either one family pass, one adult pass or fiev family day passes to Kivi Park. "Everyone and anyone is welcome," said Campeau. "We've seen young families hike this trail in its entirety, but we've also seen someone in their 90s who has completed segments of it. So really, anyone who is interested in getting active outdoors is welcome to participate." Bulloch adds, "The Rainbow Routes trails range in difficulty. But this hike, really your biggest challenge, if you're doing 30 kilometers is just the distance. You can hike it at your own pace. Some people run it, they're hoofing it, they're going really quickly. Some people are doing it as a very slow intersected walk and they're using it as a time to forest bathe. Other people do it as something to do with their family members or close friends." There are two different options that people can sign up for. The first challenge is for hikers to complete the entire 30 kilometer trail that starts at the Kinsmen Sports Complex and ends at Moonlight beach. The second option is to commit to different trail goals which include exploring a minimum of four local trails, eight local trails or nine or more local trails during the month of August. Erin and Mitch Chouinard were at the Kinsmen Sports Complex early Friday morning ready to take on what they expected to be at least a five to six hour adventure. "It's our first time participating. We've done a lot of parts of the trail and we thought it would be a fantastic challenge to get out and enjoy the city from one end to the other," said Erin. "Previous years we've had obligations and prior commitments and it worked out just fabulously that we were able to participant this year." But from those who have completed this challenge in the past, a good pair of hiking shoes and a lot of water is a necessity before heading out on the trail. Registration is still open. Hikers have until August 31st the complete the challenge. Visit www.rainbowroutes.com/sudbury-camino-2020 to register for this free community event today or at any point throughout the month of August to join in on the adventure!

Andrew on the Kelly Lake portion of the Camino

All Photos Here

 

 

 

 

Ramsey Sunrise by Tric

Moonlight Trail

Moonlight Trail

Perch Lake

in search of the bear

Moonlight Pole Line Trail

Moonlight Pole Line Trail

Moonlight Pole Line Trail

Moonlight Pole Line Trail

Finlandia

Finlandia

Finlandia

Finlandia

Fimlandia

Around Laurentian Lake

Laurentian Lake

Laurentian Lake

Laurentian Lake

Moonlight Trail in the rain

Moonlight Trail in the rain

Moonlight Trail

Moonlight Trail

Bancroft bush and Downy Woodpecker