Runners and walkers were busy on June 12 as the Humboldt Community Trails Committee hosted the sixth annual Sizzler Strut.
This year the strut saw over 100 runners taking part in the 5km and 10 km runs.
The strut also held a 400m run and a 1km run for the children with around 25 more runners taking part in that race.
Race Committee Sponsorship Coordinator, Patti Durand, was really pleased with how the strut turned out especially after some less than ideal weather conditions shortly before it started.
“Early this morning it was raining and I had a bit of stress about that but truly it turned out just beautifully…just a light breeze and cool temperatures which is perfect for running so we couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
The strut is the kickoff to Summer Sizzler week and is a fundraiser for the trails committee as the money raised provides the committee with some additional funds for trail development and maintenance.
This year’s money is going towards some work on a new trail they are looking to build on the old Burton Lake railway north of town. The plan is to create a 5km trail that heads north of the city and ends up at the old Burton Lake elevator.
“There’s a fair bit of remedial work that has to be done to get that in shape but it is a former rail bed so it’s quite packed and that is really ideal for trails,” says Durand.
The committee was formed in November 2008 after it was identified that there was not enough safe routes for people to get around the city without having a motorized vehicle.
“There is so much of our population that can’t drive either because of not being old enough or due to various limitations and disabilities we really wanted to create safe routes for people to get around,” says Durand.
The committee took their idea to the city who was very receptive of the idea and offered their assistance in any way they could.
Since then there have been three trails developed, which Durand calls main linkages.
There is a trail that runs along Fifth Avenue, which the runners used during the strut.
There is also a trail that runs from the historic campground to Glenn Hall Park.
“There’s lots of traffic and we needed to have a safe route for walking,” says Durand.
The final trail is 3km long and is located south of town, traveling towards the Kloppenburg Wildlife Refuge.
“That’s actually the longest section of trail…and that’s completely enclosed with natural trees and vegetation and so it’s a really beautiful way to get out of the city without actually having to leave.”
In addition to the strut there was also a pancake breakfast held on the floor of the curling rink in partnership with the Calico Gymnastics Club. Scotiabank was matching all of the money raised with the two organizations splitting the money.
Scotiabank was not the only local business who helped make the strut a successful one says Durand who credits a number of generous sponsors.
“They make this absolutely possible and their generosity is second to none we are so fortunate to have so many businesses who see the opportunity of investment in our community, in trails, and in what it means for their clients, as well as their staff and staff’s families.”
Durand would also like to thank the other seven members of the committee, which includes Mary Jane Gagnon, Stacey Tremblay, Andy McAnally, Gerald Schmidtz, Megan Parker, Pam Cherkewich, and Peggy McDougall, for their effort.
“It’s pretty exciting to see the partnership that we have some really hardworking individuals.”
