A new outdoor family health, fitness, and wellness event will see competitive snowshoe racing and family-friendly winter activities come to Fenelon Falls in February.
Taking place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 1 at Eganridge Resort, Golf Club & Spa (26 Country Club Drive), the inaugural Kawartha Lakes Winter Festival will feature snowshoe and trail running events in the morning, followed by non-competitive activities for families in the afternoon.
According to organizer David Robinson, the festival aims to highlight the region’s winter assets, noting that the area offers “some of the best winter scenery in the province.”
“We are hoping for good weather and a big turnout,” said Robinson, a lifelong recreational athlete and local cottager who organizes the annual Fenelon Falls Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving weekend and also serves as president of the non-profit organization Snowshoe Canada.
The morning will include both snowshoe running and trail shoe running events, with the snowshoe running event serving as the Snowshoe Canada national championships as part of the Dion Canadian Snowshoe Series. There will be three distance options, including a one-kilometre run/walk for kids and families, a short course loop of around five kilometres, and a long course (two loops) of around 10 kilometres.
Some of North America’s top snowshoe athletes are expected to compete in the Snowshoe Canada national championships, including recent USA and world championship gold medallist Eliot Soderholm of Saranac Lake, New York. Also expected are podium finishers Bernie Hogan of Bancroft and Julien Pinnsonault of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, along with Mississauga’s Janice Robinson, who placed on the podium in the women’s 60–59 category at the world championship event in Brillion, Wisconsin in December.
A $1,000 cash purse will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers in the long course event, with age-group medals presented in four divisions: 13–19, 20–29, 40–59, and 60-plus.
Following the morning races, the festival will shift to family-based outdoor recreation in the afternoon, including tobogganing (bring your own sled), snowman building, maple syrup tasting, snowmobile rides, and a special demonstration by Fleming College’s Logger Sports team. Local musician Shannon Roszell will be performing inside the resort bar.
The event will also raise funds for BGC Kawarthas (Boys & Girls Clubs of Kawartha Lakes).
Online registration for the running events is open until January 28 at kawarthalakeswinterfestival.com. Entry fees range from $19.16 to $91.28 depending on age and course, with family activities by donation to BGC Kawartha Lakes (minimum $6).
