On April 27, the excited sounds of trail runners will be heard through the Copeland forest. With just 35 days to go, we're pretty excited! We got pretty excited about spring the other day too with the snow melting, then we got more snow than we had in December, so what the course is going to look like on race day is still pretty much up in the air. We plan to obsess over the forecast every day until we eventually realize it's completely out of our control.
A little bit of snow isn't going to stop creative director Chris however. It's that time of year again where he heads out into the woods with his creative chainsaw and starts working on the prizes! Keep an eye out on our Instagram and Facebook pages to watch the creative process that is the making of the 🅿️☠️🅿️ awards!
Our Prize Sponsor Sojourn Has 2 Race Entries Up For Grabs!
This year our fastest top 3 female, non-binary and male runners will also receive prizes from our new prize sponsor, Sojourn Outdoors. They want to remind us that wherever you go and whatever you do, Sojourn has the clothing and gear you need to make your journey warm, dry, comfortable and organized to boot! Located in Barrie, Ontario, they are at the heart of your next outdoor adventure which might be running 🅿️☠️🅿️ on April 27! They've got two race entries for our 2024 sold out race available and you have a chance to win one! Just drop by their location and fill out a ballot. We'll be making the draw on March 30th in store so you'll still have time to train if you win!
Follow Sojourn on Instagram and Facebook to watch for more updates and training tips from Sojourn staff, Matt, who was a volunteer with us last year and is running with us this year!
PYP Hits Important Milestone in gender equality
Despite a change in gender parity in road racing, there is still a significant gender participation gap in mountain, ultra and trail running. In the article, "Gender Disparity in Mountain, Ultra and Trail Running," published in the American Trail Running Association they state that if gender parity will ever be reached in MUT running, it will happen because of storytelling (Fraioli). People are significantly more likely to try MUT running after hearing inspiring stories, especially stories of people they can relate to (Yang).
Races are the events that define the spirit and culture of the sport. This means race organizations have the power to create a more inclusive culture where women are treated equally (Hobbs). PYP is proud to host an inclusive race including equal representation in marketing imagery, equal prizing and recognition during award ceremonies, gender specific race shirts and feminine hygiene products in our aid station supplies. As of 2023, women represented about 36.5% of trail runners but our 2024 registrants are 49.4% female runners making this our most gender equal race ever!
Demographics of our race for the last 3 years
We need you to share your story!
A study done by Paul Ronto on RunRepeat shows that 46.8% of runners are influenced by their friends who do outdoor activities! So get out there and share the story of your 2024 running season! Tag us in your training, gear and race day posts and we'll join in the passion for trail running and the great outdoors!
PYP donates to two local mental health organizations thanks to your swag purchases!
Every year we end up with a few extra pieces of clothing - it's just part of running a race. Last year we thought we might see if the running community would be interested in grabbing some great looking gear in support of charity and we were so surprised by how many people took us up on the offer. With your help we were able to make a $500 donation to the Simcoe Country CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) and the New Path Youth and Family Services, both based in Barrie.
We've just put our latest gear in the store and are once again committed to donating 100% of the proceeds from gear sales to charity. Mental health is such an important cause to creative director Chris that he has committed to matching all donations from purchases, dollar for dollar.
Check out our new additions to the store and grab yours in support of charity now!
References
Original article: Richard Bolt. Research Presentation: Gender Disparity in Mountain, Ultra, and Trail Running. American Trail Running Association. July 24, 2019
Nancy Hobbs. How Institutions Impact Running. 4 Mar. 2019.
Mario Fraioli. Human Differences in Running. 7 Mar. 2019.
Billy Yang. Dean Leslie. 19, Podcast. Accessed 4 Apr. 2019.