Joey Payeur
The Stratton Recreation Committee wants to take a bite out of unhealthy living.
It will be a fall fiesta of fun on Saturday, Sept. 19 when the committee hosts its inaugural “Pi Run” on the jogging/skiing trails at the Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Historical Centre off Shaw Road.
“Myself and Jackie McCormick and Giselle Bonot wanted to put on a run in Stratton to get our community and neighbouring communities involved recreationally,” said event co-organizer and committee member Meghan Bourgeois.
“We do a lot in Stratton, a lot of recreational events, but we hadn’t done a run ever,” she noted.
“So we wanted to try and see what kind of interest we could get.”
There will be a 5K run for those age 13 and up and a 1K one for those aged six-12.
“We wanted to have it at ‘the mounds’ because it’s beautiful there,” said Bourgeois, who is hoping to make the “Pi Run” an annual event.
“If you’re not really from Stratton or the west end of the [district], a lot of people haven’t come out to see the facility,” she noted.
“This lets them come out and see the beauty of the trails instead of making it a road race,” she reasoned.
As for the event’s name, it’s based on a connection between the mathematical concept of Pi and its food-related homonym.
“We decided to have it with school having just started to hopefully get more young people involved,” said Bourgeois.
“But at the same time, at the end of the race, each 12-and-under competitor will receive a mini-pie [while] the older runners will receive a full-sized pie.”
The cost is $20 for each participant aged 13 and up, which includes a T-shirt and the full pie.
Those in the younger age bracket will pay $10, which gets them a bag adorned with the event logo and the mini-pie.
Bourgeois stressed the committee is targeting non-competitive runners to make the event more appealing to all different skill levels.
“We’re wanting to raise awareness about healthy living and having a healthier lifestyle,” she remarked.
“There’s not too many runs like this in the immediate district,” Bourgeois added.
“People attend the Fargo [N.D.] run, and the ‘Mud Runs’ are really big in Thunder Bay and Winnipeg,” she noted.
“But other than ‘Beat the Band,’ there’s no real runs around here.”
Posters promoting the event will be going up throughout the district in the weeks ahead.
But registrations already are being accepted online at strattonrun.eventzilla.net
You also can drop by the Fort Frances Enhanced Hearing Centre, the CIBC branch in Emo, and the Northwestern Health Unit office in Rainy River.
For more information, call Bourgeois (271-1620), Bonot (276-8390), McCormick (483-1341).
