The Comox Valley featured prominently in the 2011 Get Out There magazine Readers’ Choice Awards.
The awards recognize the people, places and organizations that make active living in Canada so great. The awards include categories for Eastern Canada and Western Canada. Readers are invited to vote in over 30 categories, and the winners are published in the January/Feburary issues of Get Out There magazine (a Canadian-based endurance sports and outdoor recreation publication) each year.
Local fitness professionals Sarah Seads of Equilibrium Lifestyle Management (ELM) was voted Best Personal Trainer in Western Canada and Island Pilates and Fitness (IPF) received top spot for Best Yoga/Pilates Studio in Western Canada. And Mind Over Mountain Adventure Racing’s (MOMAR) Cumberland event collected no less than four honours for Western Canada.
Seads was stoked to learn she had received the Best Personal Trainer award for the second time since 2009. “Being based out of such a small community, it was an awesome surprise to receive this award once again.
“It warms my heart to know that so many of our clients took the time to show their support for us. I am continually grateful to be a part of such a supportive community,” she said in a press release. For more about ELM, check out www.elmhealth.com.
IPF owner Leanne Zdebiak-Eni was thrilled to receive so many votes for her Pilates and fitness studio, which has been operating in the Comox Valley for nine years. “I was blown away when I heard the news, especially as I wasn’t even aware of this contest.
“Thank you to everyone who voted for us and I must express my gratitude to our exceptional team of instructors. Without their professionalism, commitment and dedication, IPF would not be the vibrant studio that it is today,” said Zdebiak-Eni in a statement. For more on IPF, visit www.islandpilates.ca.
Meanwhile, MOMAR Cumberland was voted Best Adventure Race in Western Canada for the fourth consecutive year and also got the nod for Best Post-Race Party, Best Race Kit and Best Race T-Shirt. “We’re pretty honoured to be recognized by the readers of Get Out There in those categories,” said MOMAR director Bryan Taska, adding he was thrilled with the recognition.
“The MOMAR has been taking place in Cumberland for the past 12 years and the racers love it. The trail network is second to none, the community is incredibly supportive, and Mount Washington is a great place for our award winning after-party,” Tasaka told the Record.
“This is really a tribute to all the hard work that gets put into these races,” said Tasaka. “MOMAR staff and volunteers are incredibly dedicated, having a genuine passion for creating top-notch events with a fun, relaxed vibe. We are honoured with these awards, and are beyond grateful for those who took the time to vote.”
The MOMAR is an off-road, multi-sport sprint adventure race that requires teams to mountain bike, kayak, trail run, trek, and orienteer through a series of checkpoints over a 30 or 50 km course. The MOMAR series has staged 33 races in British Columbia over 12 race seasons.
MOMAR will begin the 2012 season on the slopes of Burnaby Mountain on May 26. The final event returns to the historic mining town of Cumberland on Sept. 22. For more information on the MOMAR series, visit www.mindovermountain.com.
Also receiving Readers’ Choice awards for Western Canada were Cumberland, which tied with Squamish for Best Place to Mountain Bike, and Valhalla Pure Outfitters (with a location in Courtenay) for Best Outdoors Store.
