Edit: The date has changed for the fundraising event in St. Pierre. It will now happen on Saturday, March 2nd.

Actif Epica is a challenging winter race located on the Crow Wing Trail. 

Brooke Funk, Recreation and Wellness Admin Assistant for Rat River Rec Commission, says it's quite a long race.

“It goes from St. Pierre up to Niverville, back to St. Pierre, down to Saint Malo, and they finish in St. Pierre. And there are runners, bikers, cyclists. It's the whole 9 yards.” 

There's a staggered start between Friday night and Saturday morning. The first racers start on Friday, February 16th, at 10pm. 

“All of them finish on Sunday, roughly around noon, just because there are different distances of races. And so the whole race happens the whole weekend.” 

In a typical Canadian winter, weather would be colder, and we would have more snow. Luckily, Funk says that it’s not too slushy deep in the trails right now. 

They had volunteers groom the trails to make sure everything is in tip-top condition. 

She notes the warm weather will make for a faster race. 

“With the warmer weather it does speed up the races a bit more because the racers aren't having to stop as much to warm up with all of their gear. So, we do have a faster race happening.” 

There are multiple checkpoints throughout the whole race. 

“There's people along the trail that are there for help, there's medical assistance if there needs to be, and there's enough checkpoints to keep them healthy and make sure that they're okay.” 

They are looking for volunteers to help serve the racers food, make sure everything is stocked, and provide racers with hot water if they need it. 

She says that typically they see between 50-70 competitors at this event each year. 

Volunteers can sign up for two-hour shifts. They need volunteers between 8am and 6pm on Saturday. 

To volunteer, contact Funk at info@ratriverrecreation.com or call 204-712-7773. 

A fundraiser is also coming up in support of the St. Pierre Arena. 

On Saturday, March 2nd, there will be a pancake breakfast, kids' corner, bouncy castles, and a three-on-three hockey tournament. 

 

With files from Carly Koop 

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