Adam Prudhomme
Editor
The streets of downtown Napanee will once again be turned into a racecourse on June 17 for the sixth annual Napanee Heritage Race and Kids 1-Miler.
The event kicks off at 7 a.m. outside the Lennox and Addington County Museum and Archives with the race day kit pick-up followed by the start of the Kids 1-Miler at 8 a.m., the 5 km adult run getting underway at 8:30 p.m.
The kids’ course starts and ends at the museum, featuring a two-lap rectangular route of East Street to Isabelle Street E, before a turn onto John Street, finishing on Thomas Street. New this year, artists under the age of 15 have designed the ribbons awarded to the top finishers in the kids’ division. The winning designs were determined by a vote held on the race’s Facebook page.
The 5 km course will take participants through a winding course that travels alongside some of the town’s historical features such as the train station, downtown core and Macpherson House.
New this year is an official category for walkers, with specific prizes for those who want to complete the course at a more leisurely pace as opposed to those who run or jog.
“Thanks to a grant from the Naturally L&A Activation Fund, we have designed five curated ‘5-Star Run Routes’ as training options for our participants, leading up to the big day,” said Heather Giffin, one of the race organizers. “Participants can complete these 5 km training routes that include suggested stops at local shops and venues pre and post workout. Participants can email to let us know which routes they’ve completed and earn ballots for a $500 locally sourced gift basket to be given away on race day.”
To enter the draw upon completing the course, visit www.napaneeheritagerace.com/single-project.
To register for the race, visit www.napaneeheritagerace.com/run-registration. The cost is $15 for the Kids 1-Miler and $45 for the 5 km run.
“We are in our third and last year of fundraising for outdoor fitness stations along the ‘to be completed’ north side trail extension of the waterfront trail, alongside the Gibbard District condos,” Giffin said of where the funds raised will go towards. “We are working with an Ontario-based company to finalize the four stations and will be able to fully fund the equipment, shipping and installation costs with race funds.”
Again this year the event will include live music, locally sourced food, professional race photography and drone footage with professional timing services.
Last year saw a new course record established as Kevin Coffey completed the 5 km run in a time of 14:52 while Elaina Raponi set the female mark with a time of 18:15.
A new record was also established in the amount of participants as 2022’s event sold out with 300 participants in the 5 km race and 100 kids in the 1-miler.
For this year’s event, Rachel and Kevin Thiessen of Napanee’s Canadian Tire serve as the event’s gold sponsors.
The Heritage Race was first established in 2016, with a two-year hiatus during the pandemic before returning in 2022.