We officially opened registration a couple of days ago and have already signed up our first couple of racers for 2022! We’re looking forward to seeing more entries roll in soon.

We’re also super stoked to report that we have a new Start / Finish location for 2022.

We were surprised to be informed recently that The Forks site we had been in talks with to use again in 2022 was suddenly unavailable to us, but after a bit of scrambling The Assiniboine Park Duck Pond Shelter, near the Assiniboine Park’s main pavilion, has become our new Start / Finish location. The park Conservancy has graciously agreed to keep the shelter open for us overnight so we’ll have access to their washrooms (including a room that can be used for changing).

This is a park that many of us local riders and runners use frequently, and it was already beside our approved race route. There will be skaters on the adjacent ice pond, as well as walkers, tobogganers, and more making use of the area as we set out from, pass through, and finish at the location ourselves. The park is a real local treasure and a perfect setting for our event. We’re thrilled to be able to make use of it.

We’ve modified our Course Guide to reflect these changes, though for our cyclists the route itself barely changes at all; it’s mostly that the start/finish is relocated. We’ve also taken the opportunity to use the new location as a CheckPoint that we actually pass through in the middle of the course (because the course was already set to pass through the Assiniboine Park twice), so if you are doing 1 lap (70km) you’ll start and finish the race at the Duck Pond AND you’ll pass through the Duck Pond part way through the race as well. If you’re cycling for 2 or 3 laps you’ll pass through the Duck Pond 3 or 5 times respectively, in addition to the start and finish.

We’re working on modifying the run course and hope to have it posted soon. It will almost entirely use the cycling route already outlined in the Course Guide and pictured above but will use less of it, likely with a very short unique section that cuts the cycling route shorter to obtain our desired lengths.

Stay tuned for more info!

Approximately 95% of the planned route is on officially designated or dedicated City bike/run/multi-use routes, with around 85% on dedicated (ie. no cars allowed) routes. The remaining approximately 5% is on relatively quiet roads that help connect the dots.

Once we have approval and a few final legal things squared away we want to open registration ASAP, maybe even by the end of the week. Other sections will be updated around the same time, including the Course Guide.

Registration fees will remain the same this year as they were last year.

Stick with us folks; more detail is on the way, but for now you can see the routes below that we’ve submitted for approval. Ignore that some parts of the routes are green and others are red for the moment – the colours will be used as a part of the Course Guide coming soon.

We’re hopefully putting the finishing touches on a new, completely in-city (Winnipeg) course soon and will then post all of the details here, but this is what we can tell you at the moment:

• We’ve tried to maintain the feel of a rural event but in an urban setting, showcasing the amazing green spaces and greenways that Winnipeg has to offer.
• Our goals are to make the course more accessible to participants for whom a rural event in the frozen winter is too formidable while keeping the event challenging enough that established participants will come back for a new adventure, all while addressing some of our safety concerns and reducing the complexity of the event through things like using fewer checkpoint facilities, keeping them open for longer on a looped course where you may visit the same checkpoint up to 3 times depending on your distance.
• We’re planning to start and finish at The Forks, offering 1, 2, or 3 laps of the course depending on the distance you want to complete (distances will be similar to what we’ve offered in the recent past).
• 85-90% of the course is on officially designated bike/run multipurpose routes (this includes city roads like Wellington Crescent where vehicles are allowed but it’s a well established, marked cycling route).
• Close to 80% of the course is on DEDICATED bike/run multipurpose routes that are restricted from vehicles.
• Weather permitting we’re planning for sections on the Red and Assiniboine official river trails as well as sections alongside the Seine River and Sturgeon Creek.
• We’re planning for sections through the Spirit Woods and the Assiniboine Park Forest, and many official greenways.

Below are some pics of a recent recon of the tentative route. Hopefully more info and the actual race route will be posted soon!

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