Spring in Ontario is a wildly unpredictable beast. The team got sunburns leading up to the race but alas, we had a windy, rain filled day for our runners. At least it was warm and we can't say that it seemed to bother many of the runners. It got a little slick for our 25k and 50k runners as the day went on but the muddy bottoms made for great pics. Our muddiest runner award (an award we just made up) goes to Cassandra Kawiuk who managed to get mud on both front and back of her including on her face. Her prize? She'll forever be immortalized as the first pic in our 2024 race recap 😂
Prizes for all!
We hope as many of you as possible went home with a great pair of finisher socks. They represent the determination and perseverance it takes to follow through with a commitment you made to yourself last December to not let yourself sit on the couch and lose your fitness during the colder winter months. We are very proud of you. For those that didn't get a pair of finisher socks, simply make it a learning opportunity to retool your winter motivation, and try again next year 🙌
By now all of you are adding a little of the Orillia honey you got with your race kit to your tea while shopping on the Sojourn (sojournoutdoors.com) website using your $25 off $100 voucher. Don't miss the opportunity to get some great outdoor gear! Also, if you enjoyed the gels and Heed electrolyte that you had on course, be sure to check out those and many other amazing athletic fuels offered at Hammer Nutrition Canada | Fuels & Supplements for Endurance Athletes. They also have great tasting bars and salt tabs!
Of course the best prize is the memory you had of a day running through Copeland Forest, up and down the ski hills of the Heights of Horseshoe and we are so grateful to have Sue Sitki Photography there to capture all the photos of you out on course. If you are having problems finding yourself with your bib number, use the upload a selfie feature so that the gallery can do facial recognition instead. Sue also generously donated her latest soapy scents to our race winners so be sure to check out Handcrafted Luxury Bath & Body Products | Sue's Soap Creations (suessoapcreations.com) to help be your cleanest after your races this summer!
Here's some of our favourites!
Podium
We had some amazing runners blazing their way around the muddy course and we're excited to highlight some great time achievements.
All runners are deserving of award and recognition but we certainly enjoy highlighting our top ultra distance runners. This year a special race partner provided us with some phenomenal charcuterie boards for our top male and female in the 50k. A big thanks to Evans Tree Work for these killer awards. Want your own quality wood boards? Hit him up over at his Evans Tree Work Etsy page
Top Female 50k: Paula Morley, 5:37:18
Top Male 50k: Giancarlo Otani, 4:45:08
Top 50k Runners
Women
1st - Paula Morley, 5:37:18
2nd - Karen Batsford, 6:09:00
3rd - Cassandra Kawiuk, 6:12:07
Men
1st - Giancarlo Otani, 4:45:08
2nd - Mitchell Grant, 4:51:09
3rd - Jeff Kroetsch, 4:51:47
Top 25k Runners
Women
1st - Andrea LaMantia, 2:26:32
2nd - Rebecca Tanner, 2:31:36
3rd - Tiia Dolson, 2:41:04
Men
1st - Brent Poulsen, 1:50:17
2nd - Josh Babbin, 2:00:18
3rd - Danny Tresise, 2:00:36
Top 12.5k Runners
Women
1st - Rosalind Smye Morton, 1:08:13
2nd - Hilary Stone, 1:12:52
3rd - Tara Sgroi, 1:16:29
Men
1st - Drew Graham, 57:50
2nd - Alistair Munro, 1:00:00
3rd - Neil McCallum, 1:00:52
Perseverance Personified - Our GOATS
It takes grit and determination to not give up even if the day is not going how you thought it would. Our Greatest Of All Time awards go to those who stuck it out and got it done. The final official finisher in all times is given a GOAT award to honour their tenacity. Our 50k GOAT is often one of the most exciting finishes as they represent the very last runner of the day to be given socks. This year our 50k GOAT award winner Helen Butt had a perfect story to compliment her new award:
"Pick Your Poison 50km today. Was wet, muddy hilly but ran with great friends and had fun in our shared suffering. I was going to drop after lap 3 which was especially slippery on the descending and scared myself a bit, but race director Rhonda was the angel whispering in my ear to keep going, that I looked good and had time. Got a special award for final official finisher. DFL is better than DNF."
50k GOAT award - Helen Butt
25k GOAT award - Lesley Oakley
12.5k GOAT award - Dusana Bondy
OMG, Thank You So Much Volunteers!❤️
People are surprised when they hear that PYP is a not-for-profit race run by two ladies and their husbands but we're backed by an amazing army of volunteers who help us pull it off. Did you know two cool dudes named Dan and Steve built the entire finish chute from finish up to the ski hill at 6:00am on race day?! Did you know a young lady named Stevie worked tirelessly on the awards for 3 days straight leading up to the event? Did you see the woman named Kristin lying on the ground in the mud taking finish line pics? And you met all the good folks helping you out at the aid stations. We've already heard the rave reviews about how cheerful the aid station crew were despite it pouring rain all day! We're so grateful for our volunteers that they are guaranteed entry to next years race. So thanks for all you do volunteers! We couldn't do this without you. 🅿️🥰🅿️
Sponsors & PARTNERS
Finally, in case we haven't mentioned it enough, we love the community minded folks that partner with us to make this a great event. Please support them in return when you're topping your run gear and fuel up or getting gifts for friends and loved ones.
Electrolyte and gel sponsor for aid stations
Prize and pre-race kit pickup location sponsors
Trophy sponsor
On-course photography partner
The one and only Sue Sitki (suesitkiphoto.com)
Official chip timing partner
Our wonderful venue partner
Thanks and we'll see you all next year!
Find your finish at Kristin's finish line gallery! The download PIN is 8550.
Your pictures are great. Looks like everyone had a great and wonderful time.