With the Winterlude Triathlon, the Gatineau Loppet, the Really Cool Prediction Run and the Canadian Ski Marathon filling the weekends, February is a busy month for mass participation sporting events.
But that hasn’t prevented 800 people from signing up to race in the inaugural Winterman Marathon this Sunday.
The race — the region’s only winter marathon — is a joint effort of Search and Rescue Global 1 and Somersault Promotions.
Winterman Marathon race director Lawrence Conway said the event is a fundraiser for search and rescue volunteers. SAR Global 1 is often called out to help police departments find hurt or lost backpackers, hikers or mountain bikers.
Since this is their first winter marathon, Conway said they chose a looping five-kilometre course between the War Museum and Tunney’s Pasture.
“A smaller, close loop is a lot more controllable from our perspective, and for spectators as well,” he said. “If you have a big, long course there would be long gaps of isolation for the runners.”
