The Monarch Ultra Relay Run has raised $10,000 for Camp Kawartha.
The bi-annual ultra marathon was held from September 19 to October 9, with 58 runners participating in a 1,800-kilometre journey that departed Peterborough and headed through southwestern Ontario before looping back to Barrie.
As with the inaugural run in 2019, which saw 46 runners follow the monarch butterfly’s 4,300-kilometre migratory route from Canada to Mexico over the span of seven weeks, this year’s run raised awareness about the plight of the monarch butterfly and other pollinators.
This year’s run also saw the Monarch Ultra team partner with Camp Kawartha, a non-profit organization in Peterborough that offers outdoor environmental programming for youth and adults, with the goal of raising funds to help Camp Kawartha empower the next generation of environmental stewards.
During their 21-day journey, the team met with mayors, media, community leaders, and business owners to share their message of protecting pollinators and natural spaces. They handed out milkweed seed packages and provided monarch education resources to help homeowners create pollinator gardens.
“Long-distance running combined with the flight of monarch butterflies is at the heart of our work, and our vision to raise awareness of biodiversity loss,” said Carlotta James, a pollinator advocate, ultra-runner, and co-founder of the Monarch Ultra.
According to James, a highlight of this year’s cross-province journey was running to Point Pelee National Park, Canada’s most southern point where the team witnessed dozens of monarch butterflies fly across Lake Erie as they migrated towards Mexico, the overwintering home for the eastern population of monarch butterflies.
The monarch’s epic migratory journey was the original inspiration for the Monarch Ultra, with runners echoing the endurance and determination of the monarch butterfly, a species that can fly over 4,000 kilometres from southern Ontario to the Sierra Madre Mountains while facing many challenges.
“Witnessing the runners’ grit and determination to finish their relay leg is a memory I hold dear to my heart,” James said. “For many of the runners who ran distances of 30 or 50 kilometres for the first time, there was a massive sense of achievement.”
The Monarch Ultra team will celebrate their successful fundraising campaign for Camp Kawartha on Monday (December 13), when they will present the organization with a cheque for $10,000.
The public is invited to attend the event, which begins at noon at the Camp Kawartha Environment Centre at 2505 Pioneer Road in Peterborough. All COVID-19 protocols will be in place.
The Monarch Ultra team is already preparing for their next run which, pandemic willing, will be heading back to Mexico in 2023. For more information, visit www.themonarchultra.com.
VIDEO: Monarch Ultra 2021
