On Saturday, August 9, the Defiance Running Club will be hosting its second annual WAMBO River Run from Steinhoff Park; a stone’s throw from WAMBO.
Registration is up 150 per cent from last year with 173 runners and walkers registered and the club expects another 20 to register on race day.
Joe Perry, the VP of the club, said there are many things that make the Wallaceburg run a unique part of the RUNCK Series.
“We are the only run in the series that is followed by a huge event,” he said. “Our run is finished by 10 a.m.; the start time for WAMBO, so our runners can walk uptown and enjoy the sights and sounds of Wallaceburg’s biggest event of the year. We are the only run in Canada that provides homemade cheesecake at the finish line, and we provide nice plaques in place of the medals normally received at races.”
Wendy VerCauteren, club treasurer, said the clubs goal is to give runners reasons to come back year after year.
“With the growth this year, our plan appears to be working,” she said. “Adding the extra touches, such as gloved volunteers handing cold cloths to the runners at the finish line, is something the runner’s appreciate.”
The Defiance Running Club is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Ben Hazzard of the St. Clair River Run, growing the race each year until they reach 500+ entries.
The Defiance youth program is the beneficiary of our WAMBO run, and as the youth program continues to grow, so will the financial needs to maintain that program. The youth program is expected to grow from 600 to 3,000 this September.
On top of the cheesecake and a very nice technical t-shirt, the runners receive a swag bag with a variety of goodies, most of which are donated by local businesses. The bags also contain info about future runs in the CK series.
The club would like thank the following business and groups for their support:
WRACE, 99.1, Sydenham Current, Kent Sanitation (Brian Wadsworth), UAW (Bill and Tina), McDonalds, Tim Hortons, Up and Running, Screen Art, Fresh Start, Victory Ford, the Black Goose, Water Elite, GFS, and RUNCK.
The club currently has 148 members and continues to grow.
It meets every Mon, Wed, and Fri for club nights.
Go to defiancerunningclub.ca for more details on the club.
If you are a walker or a jogger, or a runner, then this club is for you.
Defiance host a varied group of all ages, all shapes and sizes, and all levels of fitness.
