Start of the Day – Both Events

Participants in both events will be walking at 7:45 a.m. from the Riverbend Community hall to the trailhead at the top of Terwillegar Park. Prior to starting the event, a pre-race overview will be given to familiarize the participants with safety procedures in place for both events.

Course Description/Information – 7.5km Walk

The walk will begin at the trailhead at the end of Riddell Street, at the top of Terwillegar Park. Event participants will be escorted to the start location from the Riverbend Community Hall by race volunteers. 

At the trailhead, walkers will descend into the park on a wide, smooth gravel trail that opens onto an open field.  At the bottom of the hill, the route will follow the park perimeter trail for about 4 km; the trail is wide, smooth and suitable for trail-style strollers.  
There is one aid station on the walk route at about the halfway point. After circling the park the walkers will return up the hill along the trail and through the residential streets to the Riverbend Community Hall for post-walk refreshments.  Race volunteers will escort walkers through the 7.5 km course. The walk is dog-friendly as Terwillegar Park is an off-leash area.

Course Description/Information – 10km Run

The run will begin at the trailhead at the end of Riddell Street, at the top of Terwillegar Park. Race volunteers will guide the participants from the Riverbend Community Hall to the starting point.

The trail immediately gets gnarly, narrow and cluttered with roots and rocks. Participants quickly descend to the bottom of the river valley, which opens up to a spacious field. Over the next kilometer, the trail becomes narrower and frequently intersects with the park perimeter trail, requiring runners to maneuver through the trees. To help participants prepare for the upcoming difficulties, there are two aid stations along the course, with the first one at the 3.3 km mark.

After leaving the aid station, the run course features sections of single track trail that wind around several ponds and include short, steep climbs. This part of the trail is filled with roots and rocks, providing a challenge for the runners. Much of this section is covered by low-hanging trees, offering shelter along the way. The second aid station is located at the 6.3 km mark, serving as a welcome sight for participants after a tough sustained climb out of the river valley. After a short out and back section, there will be a long, smooth trail descent that eventually crosses the park entrance road. The trail concludes with a steady climb out of the park, leading to the start/finish area and a short walk back to the Riverbend Community Hall for a hearty, hot breakfast.

Participant Safety

Event day first aid support will be available. There will be first aid representatives at the start/finish of the run and in the main parking lot in Terwillegar Park.

The event day first aid response will be supported by event volunteer cyclists who are familiar with the course route. They will have radio contact with the first aid responders and will be able to guide them to the participant in need of aid. There will also be event volunteer “sweeps” assigned to the course whose role will be to ensure no runners are injured and unable to get support immediately. They will also have radio contact to professional first aid resources.

Course Identification

The course will be marked using three different methods:

• For the run course, fluorescent pink survey tape will be tied to tree branches approximately every 100 meters on the trail. The trail markings will always be off your right shoulder, and you should never be out of site of a pink ribbon.

• For the walk route, fluorescent orange survey tape will be tied to tree branches approximately every 100 meter on the route. The trail markings will always be off your right shoulder, and you should never out of site of an orange ribbon.

• Kilometer markers will be placed every 0.5 km along the course trail for both the run and walk courses.

• Major intersections on both the run and the walk will be marked with larger directional markers indicating the direction to proceed, and additional pink or orange fluorescent tape will be used at the change in direction points to clearly indicate the direction.

Participant Aid Stations

There will be two aid stations on the course: the first one will support both the run and walk participants, the second will support the run. The aid station will be manned by two volunteers at each station, and refreshments and trash containers will be available to runners.

Aid station #1 – At 3.3 km on the run course and walking route, along the perimeter road on the north side of the park.  

Aid Station #2 – At the 6.5 km mark on the run course at the Heffernan Drive trail head.

Have a wonderful time in the park! Thank-you for participating and making this event a tremendous success!

Have a wonderful time in the park! Thank-you for participating and making this event a tremendous success!