MT Adventures Expand to 6 Races this Season!

By Kelli McRobert

Over the past few years, residents have been exploring the many outdoor spaces Frontenac County has to offer. COVID seemed to have shown people that. Trails, acreage, and open spaces are what many are looking for .

As restrictions lifted, and now, many employees have return, there is still a longing to get away on the weekends and find some solitude and space from a hectic week. Before COVID, there were opportunities to enjoy the outdoors during an event called Race the Cat, where you could cycle, run, and paddle through a well-planned course and see how many times you could complete it.

I remember attending this event with a group of my gal pals and we spent the day cheering on our fellow team mates.

It was a great way to spend the day while enjoying nature and meeting new friends, and let’s be clear, we were not the elite’s completing multiple laps with ease. We donned tutus and worked our way through the course, laughing and supporting each other, each KM becoming another success, and many photo ops to document our adventures - something new, something novel, something outdoors. Run, paddle, cycle, repeat, rest, hydrate, rest, snack, repeat…..you get the picture. The main camp was fun, festive, and offered refreshments, shade, music, and camaraderie as each team looped their way towards their own personal bests.

This year, we are lucky enough to have 6 races planned for the 2023 season, with a 7th in the works. The duo, “Michelle McShane and Tammie Stanton formed a new company, MT Adventures to add more events to their calendar. Their signature event, the Cataraqui Adventure Trek (Race the CAT) is an adventure race, which is like a triathlon, in that the racers will compete in 3 different disciplines, but unlike a triathlon, the entire race will be “off-road”. Racers will mountain bike, trail run, and paddle their way through a course that is 7-10km in length, and they will have 4 hours to attack the loop, as many times as they can. The idea for this race came up between Michelle and Tammie as they had been racing in similar events for years, but there was nothing like this offered near home.

As two moms who have raced over 50 races ranging from running races, triathlons, mountain biking, and adventure racing, over 3000 km traveled combined with their experience in business and event plan-

Neighbours Cont from p1 cludes information about eligibility.

Adults over 21, who have a cell phone and access to a vehicle, are physically able to perform ‘moderately physical activity’ and are available for training are encouraged to fill in a simple online form.

Once the program has its official launch, a publicity campaign for Neighbours Saving Neighbours will get going.

“One thing we don’t know, and this is key to the success of Neighbours Saving ning background, their passion for racing is what makes them the perfect duo to bring these events to the area. Tammie is a certified mountain bike instructor, and a personal trainer who operates her own Studio, IT’S Your Fitness in Perth Road Village, and Michelle is Executive Director for Paddle Canada. Their goal is to introduce more people to the sport of off-road events. For 2023 they are planning to offer two series, as well as a Gravel Bike Race.

The Adventure Trek Series: The signature Cataraqui Adventure Trek, will be held at MTB Kingston on September 17th, and the new Batawa Adventure Trek held at Batawa Ski Hill on October 13th. The new race will also follow a four-hour loop event, where participants will compete in a loop consisting of mountain biking and trail running, the twist being it will be at night!

The Trail Run Series will see three races: The Little Cat Trail Run/Walk, will be held at Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area on April 23rd, and will have 2 distance options 6 and 12km as well as the Chickadee 2km kids run. Rock the Lock, a 20km run on the Cataraqui Trail between Chaffey’s Locks and Perth Road Village on June 10th. And finally, the Sydenham Fall Trail Run an 8km out and back on the Cataraqui trail in the village of Sydenham, on October 29th. The sixth event is the Kick & Push Century Ride in Sharbot Lake on July 23rd. This will be a 50km lap in which solo racers will complete 2 laps or a team relay option where each team member will complete a lap in succession. It will follow the K&P Trail north and onto Central and North Frontenacs’ beautiful gravel roads”.

Registration for all events can be found on their website www.mtadventures.ca and you can follow their social media for information and inspiration on Facebook and Instagram Michelle and Tammie want people to know that their events are accessible to everyone and encourage all to reach out for information.

So, if you are looking for something fun and adventurous pencil in the above dates, they look forward to seeing you on the course. If you are at all apprehensive, why not give them a call and see about volunteering at the event so you can get a first hand look at how fantastic these races are. It’s a great way to explore nature and meet a friendly group of enthusiastic people.

6 adventure races not to be missed in 2023! ■

Neighbours, is how many volunteers we attract after we launch,” said Kervin. “Not only do we need good numbers, we also hope to get some people in the less populated parts of Frontenac County, in Central and North Frontenac.”

For further information, go to EngageFrontenac.ca Click on the Frontenac County Project icon and click again on Neighbours Saving Neighbours.

The Neighbours Saving Neighbours program will be launched later this spring. ■