The challenge is on

In September of 2009, some 200 or so runners, of both elementary and secondary school age, gathered at the Copper Cliff Park for the inaugural running of the Laurentian Cross-Country Challenge.

This past Thursday, more than 1,400 young athletes were out on the trails, of pre-high school age only. The races for grades nine to twelve has now been moved to the Friday, such is the incredible growth that the fall tradition has enjoyed.

And while those who finish near the top of their age group are celebrated, and justifiably so, the Laurentian Cross-Country Challenge has expanded exponentially mostly because of the mass appeal that it holds, welcoming runners of all shapes and sizes.

"With the Northeastern Ontario Stroke Network (NOSN), we try to plan at least one big health promotion event a year," said Darren Jermyn, race organizer and NOSN regional director.

Partnering with both Laurentian Varsity Athletics and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Jermyn and friends found vast common ground, sharing a very similar vision.

"We do a warm-up with the kids, teaching them why they need to exercise and why it's so healthy, and that's really why we have the event," Jermyn said.

Of course, countless groups have preached the benefit of physical fitness, without necessarily enjoying a six-fold increase in participation over a six-year span.

The teachers on hand, most of whom serve as coaches at their respective schools, insist the race is far from a tough sell when it comes to getting students on board.

"Kids really look forward to this race, maybe the most, because it's a kickoff to the whole season, and it's just got a lot of excitement around it," said Tania Shanks, a teacher and coach at MacLeod Public School. "It's held at the track, which helps give it a feeling of a big race, and it's the only race that we go to that involves all four boards."

That is a fact that has never been lost on Jermyn and company.

"It's a bilingual event, and we invite the schools from all boards," he said. "They don't traditionally compete against one another during the year in different sports. We just want to see as many kids out as we can."

With as many as 80 children representing a single school, the notion of providing encouragement for each and every athlete takes on added meaning, and higher decibel levels, with the roar of approval from friends and classmates accompanying the top finishers on down.

Which such wide appeal, the races might be reaching a plateau.

"We're getting close to our max, likely, just logistically speaking," said Jermyn, which throws the ball back into the court of the teacher-coaches, helping race newcomers understand exactly what they are about to encounter.

"The start of this race is so big, it's nerve-wracking," said Shanks. "I kind of talk the kids through what the beginning will be like, and I let them know that once you get out on the course, things will spread out and you can really enjoy the race."

With a couple of thousand people gathered on the grounds of the Laurentian University track, that's a whole lot of enjoying going on.