Greetings Adventure Racers!
I trust you've all had a great winter and are gearing up for the racing season ahead. With the ice having gone out a few weeks ago we're excited to head out for some course testing missions. If you missed it, Wilderness Traverse will take place on September 24-25, 2016 and will be hosted at the Foley Community Hall just south of Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada. Early-bird pricing is in effect until May 12th, signing up before then will save up to $100 per team.
If you haven't visited the website lately feel free wander over for a peek as it received a thorough overhaul this past winter, who knows maybe you'll find your picture was selected to appear on one of the pages?!
Another item you may have missed are the fantastic, in-depth articles Pete Dobos wrote for us about last falls event. Part 1 and Part 2 of his articles can be found on the Canadian Adventure Racing Association's Blog. If you attended the event last year these are must-reads.
We're also ultra-excited to share a brief teaser from the documentary Joel Perrella from AW Media has been working on from the 2015 event. We should have the full video available in a few more weeks.
More exciting news is the addition of Brad Jennings to the Wilderness Traverse organizing team as Assistant Race Director. Many of you may know Brad, he races on Team Ripkin AR, produces awesome videos for Get Out There Magazine (including this one from last year's event), he founded the Trent University Adventure Racing Club and documents amazing exploratory canoe routes on his website Explore The Backcountry. Need we say more? We're lucky to have him on the team!
What are you racing for!?
Wilderness Traverse is thrilled to once again team up with Outward Bound Canada as our official charitable partner – which means that you can make your personal Wilderness Traverse challenge even more meaningful by racing for a cause.
Outward Bound Canada provides specialized wilderness expeditions and urban programs that enable youth at risk, Aboriginal youth, women who have experienced abuse, and military veterans struggling with PTSD to push themselves beyond their limits and discover that they can do much more than they ever thought possible.
The results can be life-changing. Here’s how participant in Outward Bound’s Women of Courage program describes the impact on her life:
"I experienced horrific abuse and neglect for the first 20 years of my life. These experiences left deep wounds, but Outward Bound’s Women of Courage program helped me realize that “I am not my past”. It helped me find out who I was, and to discover many wonderful treasures …. Women of Courage not only helped save my life; it has given me my life back and a future."
-Suzy-
Last year, Teams Muck Dynasty and The Breakfast Club together raised just shy of $8000 for Outward Bound’s charitable programs. This year, we’d like to do even better, with more teams raising more funds!
Why not consider using your race to help ensure that Outward Bound’s transformative outdoor adventure programs are there for those, like Suzy, who stand to benefit most? As a bonus, you’ll also have a chance to qualify for some awesome Outward-Bound-branded gear offered as fundraising incentives. Plus, the top fundraising team receives free-entry into next years Wilderness Traverse event!
Outward Bound has lots of tools and tips which will make fundraising the easiest part of your Wilderness Traverse journey! To find out more about Outward Bound Canada, its charitable programs, and how you can fundraise, CLICK HERE.
If you have questions or would like to connect with Outward Bound, please contact challenge@outwardbound.ca.
The Race For Breakfast
I'd be remiss not to mention we had some other fantastic fundraising take place at Wilderness Traverse last fall. Team "The Race For Breakfast" consisting of members Justin Loncaric, Glenn MacLaren and Brian Thompson raised an impressive $6050 for the Breakfast For Learning charity. Amazing!
Keep an eye on our Facebook page and Instagram (@wildernesstraverse) for updates from our upcoming course testing missions and also for notification of the 2015 event documentary release. In the mean-time the local Ontario adventure racing season is about to get underway with Storm The Trent taking place on the May 14-15th weekend. If you're in the eastern end of the province, or western Quebec, check out the Raid Pulse event taking place on May 21st. For a full summer listing of local adventure races visit the Adventure Racing Ontario website.
Happy & safe training to everyone this spring!
Sincerely,
Bob Miller
Event Director
Wilderness Traverse
