2013 Santa Shuffle, Burlington, ON
I am surrounded by a sea of red. Santas to the right of me. Santas to the left. There I am stuck in the middle of 2,000 of the slimmest Santas I’d ever seen. This is Burlington, Ontario in December 2013 – the largest Canadian all-Santas 5km race. Why did I run that race (multiple times)? I wanted to be part of the excitement – going for some sort of record and a great time of year to have an excuse to run when holiday events abound with more food and less activity than normal. Each runner had to wear a full Santa suit. That means beard, belt and suit. How hard could that be? As I recall not more than a 1km into the race, I hear a big riiiiiip and oops that’s a tear in the butt of the suit! I was probably racing too fast! And, what’s all that hair in my mouth? – fibers from that white beard. Not wanting to get disqualified by taking off the beard, I looked around to see how the other Santa runners were fairing, and hey, a beard under the chin and not over the mouth could work. Heck, where’s the other part of my belt? I recall asking myself as I crossed the finish line. If you’ve run that race, you will know what I mean. Not the highest quality suit but it was perfect!
Some things have changed since then, but VR PROs annual all Santas race is still going strong, now held in the Hess village area of Hamilton, this year on November 21. Some of the STARR members may recall the Butter Tart virtual race Kari and I had registered for back in 2020. We invited the club to join us on our journey and that race was also organized by VR-Pro. Not only do they create some fun racing but they also hold the serious Chilly half marathon in mid winter which is definitely worth trying. Their races allow for in-person and virtual so if you can’t be there on race day at race time, you don’t have to miss out.
As I flip through some old race photos, I can’t help but grin or chuckle. Andy and I have done a multitude of races across Canada and across the globe with so many great memories, stories and experiences. I’d definitely recommend it, be it road, trail, long or short distances. Racing experiences are so varied. Why do we do it? The challenge? The fitness? The goals? Travel to a new destination? Testing your limits? A dare? A new sport? The medal? Whatever your reason for racing, why not consider a new race for the fall or a larger challenge in 2027? Let me feature a few great options to inspire you.
This fall we have several choices here on the southern part of Vancouver Island. The Royal Victoria Marathon weekend comes to mind. If you enjoy road racing and a big crowd of runners, this is the race for you. When Andy and I were moving to Shirley, we joined forces with Steve K and Mark for the marathon relay that used to take place. I recall Steve saying he’d left his car about 10km from his leg so he did 20km instead of his 10km. Relays are no more. The following year Andy ran the half marathon while I ran the 8k. The most memorable part of that 8k race is the stretch along Dallas Road as you run along the shoreline and into the harbourfront for the finish. It’s a great race held on Thanksgiving weekend. Last year the race attracted 15,000 runners across the distance options.
If trails are your thing, every STARR runner likely knows about the Prairie Inn Harrier’s Gunner Shaw 10k and Stewart Mountain 10 miler. These races are technical, scenic and well run held at Thetis Lake in late November and early December. You will get wet!! Our runners have really enjoyed racing and volunteering at these events.
I recently learned about an event aimed at ultra runners - the Dream Nation Apparel 24 Hour race, held in Duncan on September 19. If 24 hours seems like too much, they also have 3-hour, 6-hour, and 12-hour options. These types of races are ideal, especially if you are preparing for your first trail ultra as you can test your equipment, training and race strategy in a more safe environment from a single track on a mountain kilometers away from town. The race offers in-person or virtual. I noticed the 24 hour race filling up.
Looking into 2027, there are some fantastic trail races within driving distance of Sooke. STARR is no stranger to the Run Saysutshun ultra races on Saysutshun (Newcastle Island), Nanaimo. Dave D and Sarah have tested their endurance on the 12 hour and 24 race options, while Kari, Andy and I have taken on the 10k. The races are well run, lots of support and food, and more comradery than I’ve seen in many races. Tenting by the race trail is the option for the distance runners who need a snooze between loops. The same organizers also run the Hillbilly Hustle 50k on the long weekend of May with 50k, 35k and 17km options. Test your legs and lungs on Mt Benson. This Nanaimo race was sold out in 2026 so register early if you plan to be part of the action.
Leslie Ann & Andy at the Kal 50
We came across the Dirty Feet trail series a little further afield on the mainland of BC a few years ago. A runner friend from NS was planning to visit and we were looking for a race to showcase our beautiful province. The race director helped us choose the Kal Park 50k race which offered something for all 3 of us – spectacular scenery, challenging but runnable trail in early May near Veron. It is still one of our favourite trail race – 8k, 25k and 50k. Door prizes were great and plentiful too.
Valley Harvest swag
Some people use races for visiting other places. This fall, Nova Scotia’s Valley Harvest marathon weekend comes to mind. This race week has every option possible from the 50k ultra, to marathon, half marathon, 10k 5km and virtual It’s a scenic route at harvest time passing orchards, horse farms and Annapolis Valley towns on gently rolling terrain.
A medal you could wear everyday!
Last but not least, I mention The Gopher Attack race weekend in Regina which takes place in late April. I came across this race a few years back when I was looking for races in each province. Not able to convince Andy that a road to Saskatchewan in April would be a fun thing to do, I opted for the virtual race. Let’s face it, it’s got one of the most unique medals – a gopher in running shorts. The upside to the virtual option was that I could run all 4 races plus the bonus race only open to virtual runners all for the price of one race.
I’ve taken on the role of the not-for-profit silent auction for the upcoming annual Shirley Day Fair. Each charity will be contributing items for the auction with the proceeds going back to their organization and my charity is Diabetes Canada. With a health and fitness focus and nestled in a region of keen runners, I reached out to some Race directors across the country to request race entries. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the races. We have 10 races represented in our suite of race entries, available for bidding all in support of Diabetes Canada. The silent auction will be live at Shirley Day, August 16 from 10am to 2pm but if you can’t be there, feel free to reach out to Leslie at rockingdiabetes@gmail.com to pre-bid until August 14, 4pm PST. I can provide more details. The race entries include:
In-person – RVM 8km, Gunner Shaw or Stewart Mountain (details are being finalized), Kal Park 50, Hillbilly Hustle 50 (all distances), Run Saysutshun (all distances),
In-person or virtual – Dream Nation Apparel 24 hour (3hr, 6hr, 12 hr or 24 hour solo), Santa 5k, Chilly Half marathon
Virtual – Gopher Attack (all distances included), Valley Harvest (all distances included)
Thanks so much to the generous race directors for providing such a wonderful selection of options in support of Diabetes Canada. Let’s run!!