The Great Peninsula Race is back for second year.
The fundraising relay run – which took root last year as a collaboration between high schools and the local chapter of ACCES – is set to be held Tuesday, April 18 at the South Surrey Athletic Park track. The hour-long event will see 10-runner teams – five boys, five girls – from Semiahmoo, Earl Marriott and Elgin Park secondaries run laps to see which team can log the most kilometres.
Last year, teams of teachers, as well as one group made up of ACCES members, also took part. Semiahmoo won last year’s inaugural relay, with a combined distance of 21.05 km. Elgin Park boasted the fastest teacher’s team, with 17.85 km in total.
The event is the brainchild of the local chapter of ACCES (African Canadian Continuing Education Society), which raises money for education – either the building of schools or student scholarships – in impoverished areas of Kenya.
In addition to lacing up and competing on the track, the three schools also take part in a friendly competition to see which school can raise the most money for the cause.
For retired teacher and current ACCES member Tom Hastie – who helped create the Great Peninsula Race last year – the event is a fun way to raise money for a good cause.
“I was amazed how easy it was to get people involved,” he told Peace Arch News prior to last year’s event.
Registration for this year’s relay is set for 3:30 p.m. on April 18, with the run set for 4-5 p.m.
