Fall Races Communications - 2024

The Upriver Running Fall Races will be held on Saturday, October 5th, 2024 start and ending at Kinsmen Park (Trowbridge). The event welcomes all spectators to support participants running one of the four event options.

The following are the start times:

50Km - 7am

25Km - 9:30am

Kids Trail Run (approx 2.5Km) - 10:45am

10Km - 11:30pm

Please take your time reading the details below, and reach out to me if you have any questions. 50Km runners, please make sure you read the content below as some of the content will be especially important to you.

RACE BIB PICKUP:

Race Bibs and optional shirts pick up will be available at Marostica Subaru, 502 16 Ave, on Thursday, October 3rd, from 1pm-6pm. We will have our usual Merch Sale there, and will be accepting cash, credit and debit.

OUT OF TOWN RUNNERS:

If you are travelling in from out of town, please be sure to arrive at least 35minutes before the start of your race to pick up your bib. If you're in the 50K race and are planning to leave drop bags for the Cascades Aid station, we'll need to have these by 6:30am when you check in.

RACE DAY MORNING CHECK-IN:

Every runner MUST check-in on race day morning. Regardless if you have already picked up your bib the day before, before you can start the race, you will be required to check in. Anyone who does not check-in on race day morning is assumed to not be starting the race and therefore will be removed from the start list, so please check-in near the start/finish area, upon your arrival :)

SHUTTLE/PARKING:

Given the limited parking space at Trowbridge, we will be offering free shuttle service again through Kasper Transportation, before and after the race. The shuttle will run from Current River Community Centre (450 Dewe Ave) and drop you off at Kinsmen Park (Trowbridge). The shuttle will run back and forth for each race distance, so make sure you're there on time.

At the end of the race, the shuttle service will run from 12pm to 4:30pm. We'll need to reserve some parking spots for emergency personnel and staff in the limited parking lot, so if you're not taking the shuttle, please consider car-pooling.

50Km runners:

1st Shuttle & 2nd Shuttle: (6 people have indicated they will be taking the shuttle)

Departure: 6:00am

Departure: 6:20am

25Km runners:

3rd Shuttle & 4th Shuttle: (22 people have indicated they will be taking the shuttle)

Departure: 8:30am

Departure: 8:50am

Kids Trail Run:

5th ADDED TIME SLOT: (6 people have indicated they will be taking the shuttle)

Departure: 10:05am

10Km runners:

6th Shuttle & 7th Shuttle: 51 (51 people have indicated they will be taking the shuttle)

Departure: 10:35am

Departure: 10:55am

*Arrive early for this one as we can only shuttle 29 runners/trip

AID STATION FOOD for 25K & 50K runners:

We have 3 Aid Stations:

Balsam Aid Station - approx 7.2Km (and 31Km)

Cascades Aid Station - approx 15Km (and 38Km)

Kinsmen Park Aid Station - at the 1/2 way point of the 50Km course.

We will also have non-caffeinated Tailwind drink mix at the aid stations, in addition to water. There should be plenty of food and snacks (see below) to go around, but please be mindful that many 50K runners will rely on the higher calorie dense foods, as well as the Spring Energy Gels for 2 of the 3 aid stations (see where below). 50Km runners, you can see all of your 5 Aid Station Access points and the supplies provided on the Strava map HERE.

Here is what you can expect to find:

Balsam Aid Station: Water, Tailwind, chips, bananas, oranges
Cascades Aid Station: Water, Tailwind, chips, bananas, oranges, PB and J wraps, fruit gummies, and Spring Energy Gels, Coke
Kinsmen Aid Station: Water, Tailwind, chips, bananas, oranges, PB and J wraps, fruit gummies, Spring Energy Gels, Coke, Coffee

POST RACE MEAL:

All participants will be provided with a Vegetarian Chili (made by El Tres Restaurant).

50K DROP BAG OPTIONS:

The 50K runners will complete the 25K course twice. So, you'll see the Cascades Aid station twice, and the Kinsmen Aid station once (your second time at Kinsmen will be the finish). If you'd like to have a drop bag with your own nutrition, extra gear/clothing, please bring 1 bag per aid station and drop it off with us at Kit pickup on Thursday, October 3rd or first thing on Saturday morning. Any aid station bags going to Cascades will need to be in our hands by 6:30am on Saturday morning. You can leave these with us at the sign in table. Aid stations that will be left at the Kinsmen Park, will be waiting for you near the aid station tent, on a tarp. (Covered by a tent if it's raining).

DROP BAG LABELLING: Please ensure your bib number* is visible along with your First Name initial and full Last name. If you have questions about this, please notify me by Thursday. Your BIB NUMBERS WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE START OF NEXT WEEK.

SAFETY/NAVIGATION:

Please be present on the trail and aware of others near you. If you're going to pass a runner, please notify them as you approach them and pass on their left. Before passing, notify them (i.e., "on your left"). We STRONGLY encourage runners to not listen to music while racing on a trail. This will reduce the risk of getting lost, but primarily allow you to focus more on the experience and awareness of your surroundings. If you feel the need for music, please keep one of your ears free of music or bone conduction headphones which allow you to still hear your surroundings. Some of you will run with a phone and want to rely on the strava map. Our trail markings should be your main navigational tool. Please note that if you pull up a strava map while on the course, it may take several minutes for the GPS locator to pin-point you correctly. So, if you think you're lost and pull up the strava map and that tells you you're somewhere far away from the race course, don't panic!

Pink marker flags, and directional signs will be on the trail. As long as you can follow directions, you'll be just fine. Some trails are singletrack with nowhere to go. These trails will have fewer trail markers. Unless we're telling you to get off the trail or make a turn, just keep on your path. If you're running for 5-10 minutes without seeing any markers, or run past turns on the course with no signage or flags, please retrace your steps back. Our main event website highlights the route (you don't need to memorize the course, just focus on being present on race day). The course is a mixture of single track, double track, and some service roads. Don't let the distance fool you, the technical sections have plenty of twists and turns with rocks and roots that will require mental focus and energy. There are some sections where the 25Km & 50Km runners will see the 10Km runners on an adjacent trail. The Lookout trail has 2 way traffic (10Km runners will move west to east, while the 25Km and 50Km runners will move east to west).

The 50K runners will be starting in the dark. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A HEADLAMP! NO HEADLAMP = NO START. If this is your first time on this trail, you'll quickly realize how many of the single track-technical trails are challenging to run in limited lighting. We suggest having a minimum of 200 lumens. You can ditch your headlamp in your drop bag at Cascades (if you have one) or in your drop bag at Kinsmen Park/Trowbridge.

50K CUT OFF TIMES:

As you know, the 50K runners will have a 9hr cut-off time, with the following cut-off times at the Aid Stations:

1st cutoff: 11:30am cutoff @ Kinsmen Park - 1/2 way point (25Km)
2nd cutoff: 12:40pm cutoff @ Balsam Access Trail Head (approx. 31.2 Km)
3rd cutoff: 1:50pm cutoff @ Cascades Conservation Area (approx. 38.2 Km)
Finish Cutoff: 4pm cutoff @ Kinsmen Park

If you fail to meet the cutoff times, the aid station team will notify you and will receive a DNF (Did Not Finish). Although you are welcome to continue on the course, however, you must remove your bib. If you think you'll not make the cut-off time mid-course, please notify the course marshals/volunteers who can notify our team. From there we can guide you to the quickest way back to the finish line.

FIRST AID:

We'll have First Aid Personnel from the Canadian Ski Patrol System. If you are hurt on the trail and are unable to continue, alert a runner going by so they can report it at the next checkpoint or / aid-station. If you feel like you need immediate attention, please contact me at 807-629-1175 for an emergency response. Please program this on your phone. If I miss your initial call, I'll call you back.

SPRING ENERGY DISCOUNT:

This year, we have signed a partnership agreement with Spring Energy. This US based company provides great natural ingredient-based nutrition products for athletes.

This year, all runners will receive a 15% discount code when ordering on their website using the code: UPRIVER15. Unfortunately, the company does not ship directly to Canadian addresses, so you would need to purchase the online order and pick them up at the Ryden's Border Store (if you live in the Thunder Bay area).

FRESH AIR DISCOUNT:

A reminder for all registered participants, that you can receive a 15% off discount at Fresh Air on running shoes, clothes and accessories, excluding Garmin products. Simply show them your registration receipt / confirmation email at checkout.

REFUND POLICY:

Should the event be cancelled after the payments have been processed, participants will be given the option to roll over 50% credit of their race entry to 2025 or receive a 50% refund on the race entry. Bib-transfer options are no longer available. To access the optional t-shirt purchase, you must have registered by September 19th. If the race is cancelled after this date, participants will still receive their paid shirt.

*PLEASE NOTE: If you are unable to attend the event after submitting payment, registration fees (race entry, shirt and meals) are non-refundable.
PLEASE VISIT OUR INCLUSION & DIVERSITY PAGE TO VIEW OUR POSTPARTUM & PREGNANCY DEFERRAL POLICY: https://www.upriverrunning.com/inclusion-diversity

A big thanks to our sponsors for supporting us at this year's race: Marostica Subaru, Fresh Air, Thunder Bay Orthopaedic Inc., White Macgillivray Lester Injury Lawyers, BDO, GFL Environmental, Kasper Transportation, Rutter Urban Forestry, CRC Communications, Sociable Solutions, Spring Energy, and Tailwind Nutrition.

Lastly, on behalf of our Upriver Crew, we want to thank all our volunteers for helping us pull this event together. We look forward to seeing you later in the fall for a Volunteer appreciation day.

Thank you all and see you soon :)

Antonio Stefanile

Race Director

Upriver Running Inc.