The 12th annual Perseverance Trail Run was a huge success with 425 registered racers, 70 volunteers, a huge team of sponsors and countless supporters coming together to raise funds for the Cumberland Community Forest Society.
Once again, an anonymous donor will be matching 100 per cent of the proceeds raised from the race and all #projectperseverance events this week. Following the race this year, the CCFS hosted a fantastic ‘Party in the Park’ including live music, craft beer, a tasty barbecue, silent auction and fun for the kids.
The CCFS is a local society working to purchase and protect forest lands in the Cumberland area. Project Perseverance events continue this week with an online auction and wrap-up Saturday, Oct. 29 with the spooky Hallow’s Eve Ball.
Organizers say Oct. 23 conditions could not have been better for a fall trail race. The rain stopped and the sun even peeked out in time for the race start. Racers came from all over Vancouver Island and as far as Victoria and Port Alberni to tackle the 11K and 3K courses in the Cumberland trails.
The competition on the 11k course was fierce with 220 racers toeing the start line. This year saw course records set on the 11k course and the 2016 King and Queen of the forest are also the course record holders:
Top overall results in the 11k mountain run:
Females
Darbykai Standrick :56:54– Queen of the Forest, Lindsey Chamberlain 1:05:49, Nathalie Caldwell-Waluk 1:08:44.
Males
Graham Cocksedge :49:11 – King of the Forest, Derek Vinge :50:47, Tallon Noble 54:21.
The 3K cross-country had 125 racers, young and old, running through the Cumberland Community Forest trails. Top overall results:
Females
Carlene Van Tongeren 13:13– Princess of the Forest and a new course record, Naomi Swift 15:54, Shannon Koroll 17:29.
Males
Brendon Ross 13:48 – Prince of the Forest, Hugo Henckel 14:10, Owen Caldwell 15:17.
The Perseverance Trail Run is grass roots, community event, presented by Equilibrium Lifestyle Management (ELM) and driven by volunteers.
“It takes a village to put on this event and a huge thank you goes out to nearly 70 enthusiastic volunteers who donated their time and energy before, during and after this year’s race,” said ELM’s Sarah Seads.
Volunteer teams tackled everything from registration, racer food (famous post-race soup), finish line, timing, course flagging, course marshaling, course sweeping, set up, take down, prizes and more to make the day a success for the racers and the CCFS.
A special thank you goes to the Comox Valley Search and Rescue and St. John Ambulance teams who spent the day watching over each and every racer on the course.
A huge team of community sponsors generously supported the race and helped to make this years event a great success once again.
Golden Spruce Sponsors – Bayview Chiropractic, Cloutier Matthews, Extreme Runners, Comox Valley Record, 97.3 Eagle.
Douglas Fir Sponsors – Odlum Brown, Lacasse Construction, SURE copy, Lorenz Jimenez, nrichmedia, Tracy Kobus.
Cedar Sponsors – Hi Tech Screen Printing, Ascent Physiotherapy, St. John Ambulance, CVSAR, Riding Fool Hostel, Thrifty Foods, Shoreline Orthodontics, Dynamic Spine, sport and wellness. Additional support came from the Comox Valley Road Runners, Ryan Parton Writing, Colin Wilson (maps and timing), Whitecaps Coffee, Tim Hortons, Darkside Chocolates, Hornby Island Energy Bars, Village of Cumberland as well as more than 30 generous local businesses who donated a giant pile of excellent draw prizes for our racers and volunteers.
Draw prize sponsors include: MyTechGuys, Lole Women, Riding Fool Hostel, Valhalla Pure, ELM Extreme Runners, Dodge City Cycles, Hi Tech, Jim Smiley/Remax, Seeds, Wandering Moose, Mountain City Cycle, Perseverance Physio, Massage and Chiropractic, Salt & Water Studio, Shoreline Orthodontics, Dynamic Sport, Spine and Wellness, Long and McQuade, Ryan Parton Writing Solutions, The Cumby Trail Race.
This year’s race once again brought out great costumes and prizes were donated by the Cumberland Village Bakery for the top outfits of the day for the racers, and Riders Pizza and the Cumberland Brewing Co. sponsored the best Course Marshal spirit award.
A complete list of results can be found on the Perseverance website as well as race day photos from Lorenz Jimenez at www.perseverancetrailrun.com
