Jordaine Leeder (left) and Kara Marklevitz ran together in the 2015 Huron Shore Run. Michael Johnson photo

Hub Staff

Get ready to run, walk and roll, as the 28th Rotary Huron Shore Run, on June 4, is fast approaching, and already has more athletes signed up so far, than the same time last year, which was a record breaking year for the Saugeen Memorial Hospital fundraiser.

“We raised $58,000 after expenses,” said June Van Bastelaar, April 22. “2015 was our best year ever. We had the most participants we’ve ever had, in the neighbourhood of 850, there were records broken, and we’ve raised the most money we’ve ever raised, so it was a banner year,” Van Bastelaar said.

The Saugeen Memorial Hospital Campaign received 70 percent of the money raised after covering expenses for the race, $40,600, while the Port Elgin and Southampton Rotary Clubs each received $5,800 for Rotary projects. The Saugeen Track and Field Club was given $5,800 as well.

Run organizers have been putting an emphasis on getting more elementary school aged children to enter the 3k run, specifically for children 14 years of age and under. There is also the PLAY Fun Run, an 800m race around the Southampton Flag for children between 3 and 8 years of age.

“We never forget about our main fundraisers, the walkers, [5k],” said Van Bastelaar. “We just got a call from the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) and they’re going to put in a team, and there’s a team from the Walker House registered already so they get together and there’s lots of enthusiasm.” Van Bastelaar went on to recognize the Walker House team for raising around $10,000 last year.

The half-marathon was introduced during the race’s 25th Anniversary, and had the most participations last year with over 200 runners.

Over its 28 years, the Huron Shore Run organizers try to do something new and exciting, and this year is no different, said Van Bastelaar.

“We’re hoping to have a Fan Zone down on South Street, where people can go and cheer on the runners. We’re looking for some music right now. Every year we try something new and change things up a bit. [The event] is growing and if we start to get much bigger we’ll have to change things.”

There are currently online discounts for runners who sign-up before the race, however, the 800m PLAY Fun Run for children 3 to 8 is free, the 3k for children 14 and under stays the same rate of $15 and the 5k walk costs $25 per participate. There are also discounts for people aged 19 and under.

The fourth annual Health and Wellness Fair will take over the Southampton Coliseum, June 4, where athletes and members of the public can interact with local vendors with a wellness focus, for free. The Fair, organized by the Town of Saugeen Shores, is still accepting vendors until May 13.

The 3k race for youth 14 and under is something to cheer about during the 28th Huron Shore Run. Michael Johnson photo

From running to walking to rolling, the Huron Shore Run encourages all forms of participation. Michael Johnson photo