The 38th annual BMO Sunshine Coast April Fool’s Run, presented by Coast TV Sports, will see 650-plus runners and walkers hoofing it from Gibsons to Sechelt on Sunday, April 12.
Title sponsor, BMO Bank of Montreal, is back for a fourth year, providing generous support in the form of cash, volunteers, souvenir items, cheering aids and, best of all, team spirit! BMO the Bear will be back to provide encouragement to participants young and old, and BMO staff will again host the final water station at Jack Road.
“We’re thrilled at BMO to be part of this exciting, fun and family-oriented community event,” said Natasha Small, BMO branch manager in Gibsons. “I’ve been involved these past four years and can hardly wait to see some of the creative, crazy costumes! The BMO Sunshine Coast April Fool’s Run is a perfect blend of serious athletics and light-hearted fun on a perfect spring day.”
Coast TV Sports is returning with a cash donation plus the traditional upbeat 30-minute show from race day footage, to be aired on Channel 10 in the month following the event. Running Room is also back on board with many prizes and significant race day support.
The challenge of a point-to-point course, one-of-a-kind finisher medals, free shuttle buses, friendly volunteers and a grand draw prize from Painted Boat Resort Spa & Marina are features that keep locals and visitors coming back year after year. After the run, participants enjoy a festive finish zone at Mission Point Park, with professional race announcer, DJ, costume contest and free Kids’ Jester Dash hosted by Sunshine Care Network.
Post-run refreshments are also a highlight, with an array of refueling options from MarketPlace IGA, hot soup from Ty’s Fine Foods and coffee from Wheatberries. The sports drink on course and at the finish will be Northstar Organic, a Vancouver-based company that supports local Olympic marathoners.
New in 2015 will be free digital race photos for all participants, courtesy of gold sponsor Saucony, who is also providing shoes to the top local winners. Another newly added gold sponsor is City Transfer, offering free shipping, advertising and cash support to the event.
“All the effort we’ve put into building the Fool’s Run reputation has really started to pay off this year,” said co-director Teresa Nightingale. “Sponsors have been coming to us asking how they can be involved. We’re blown away by the generosity of all our partners.”
Participants are also being extra generous this year. Online donations to the Food Bank during registration are approaching $1,000, nearly double last year’s total. Several boxes of food are usually collected on site as well.
See www.foolsrun.com for the complete race schedule or to register as a participant or volunteer.
