Are you able to go lengthy? A brand new ultra-distance race is coming to Ontario, and it’s a giant one.
Giving Canadian runners an alternative choice in a distance that has largely been restricted to races within the U.S. and Europe, The Ribbon 200 will debut June 10-14 as a 200-mile occasion alongside sections of Ontario’s 900-km Bruce Path. The course traverses the Blue Mountains, Dufferin Hello-Land and Caledon Hills sections of the path.
The occasion web site describes the race as “a problem that takes you alongside the Bruce Path’s ribbon of wilderness,” however the course continues to be simply accessible from the town, starting and ending inside a two-hour drive of Toronto.
Three distances, one route
The race is about up as an out-and-back, with runners heading south from the Blue Mountains by way of the Dufferin Hello-Land part earlier than turning round on the Glen Haffy Conservation Space within the Caledon Hills part. It packs in roughly 7,500 metres of climbing throughout a mixture of singletrack, double observe and gravel roads.
“If I’m ever going to do a 200, this is able to be the one,” Ontario-based race director Eric D’arcy advised Canadian Operating. “It’s bought the whole lot I would like –assorted terrain, elevation, technical however not brutal. It’s going to be a enjoyable expertise.”
There are two shorter choices constructed into the identical course. The 100-mile race runs point-to-point in the other way, beginning in Caledon and ending within the Blue Mountains, whereas the 72.5-kilometre end-to-end route stays inside the Blue Mountains part. In accordance with the race’s Instagramthe occasion will run over 5 days, with all three distances sharing sections of the path.
The course
The race will rely solely on the Bruce Path’s present markings for navigation; there received’t be any added signage, which places extra duty on runners to remain on route. The terrain itself is technically demanding and steep in locations, in addition to lengthy stretches of rolling path.
Help stations are spaced roughly each 20 to 30 kilometres, with sizzling meals obtainable at some, together with a handful of sleep stations for these tackling the longer distances.
To be taught extra about The Ribbon 200, or to register, click on right here.
