Celebrate Fall with 7th Annual Harvest Run on Saturday, October 15

Courtesy of the City of Williams Lake:

Run, walk or ride with us and enjoy some fresh fall air to celebrate the season with the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex’s 7th Annual Harvest Run, Walk and Bike on Saturday, October 15.

The entire family — whether walking, biking, riding or any other form of active transportation — is encouraged to take part in the event, which gets underway at 11 am at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex in downtown Williams Lake with a five-kilometre route.

The popular event is held annually to encourage residents to remain active and healthy all year long. All community members are invited to come out to enjoy a stroll in the city, and all forms of active transportation are welcome, including strollers, wagons, bikes, rollerblades, skateboards or longboards, scooters, wheelchairs and walkers.

Many thanks to Save On Foods and FreshCo for their generous donations of healthy snacks. There is also a fantastic prize giveaway of local produce from the Williams Lake Farmers’ Market!

Participants can play ‘I Spy the Pumpkin/Scarecrow,’ with a number of pumpkins and scarecrows placed along the route, with completed forms eligible to win complimentary family swim and skate admissions from the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.

The Harvest Run is completely free and pre-registration is not necessary; however, all participants will be required to sign a waiver prior to the event to be eligible for giveaways.

Come on out, enjoy some beautiful fall colours and celebrate active living and some great, fresh local food!

For more information please contact the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex at 250-398-7665.

Williams Lake “Community Better Challenge”

Courtesy of the City of Williams Lake:

The Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex and City of Williams Lake are encouraging residents to get active this June as we compete in the ParticipACTION Community Better Challenge.

The Community Better Challenge is an annual national physical activity initiative taking place from June 1-30, 2022 that encourages Canadians to get active in a contest to determine Canada’s Most Active Community.

In Williams Lake, the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex has a free activity planned each day for interested residents to take part in throughout the month, all in a safe manner while aiming to socially connect people to the community.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to support this challenge in our community,” said Maria McKee, Adult Recreation Coordinator. “All organizations and individuals can participate, regardless of fitness level. Ultimately, one community will be named ‘Canada’s Most Active Community’ and be awarded a $100,000 grand prize to support local physical activity initiatives. In addition to the top prize, several weekly and monthly prizes will be awarded to participants, such as Amazon and SportChek gift cards available through the ParticipACTION app. We hope everyone will have fun with this challenge and maybe learn a new activity or be energized by doing something active every day.”

Individuals, families and local organizations can track their physical activity on the ParticipACTION website or app. All minutes tracked by residents will then be added to Williams Lake’s average community score. Residents with personal fitness tracking apps can also sync those with the ParticipACTION app for more accurate results as they track their own ParticipACTION each day.

At the end of June, the leading community from each province and territory will be invited to submit an application explaining why they deserve to be ‘Canada’s Most Active Community’ and win the $100,000 grand prize.

Visit the Complex’s Facebook page at www.williamslake.ca/CMRC for Williams Lake’s complete June Community Better Challenge Schedule, or pick one up at the Complex front desk, which showcases a new activity each day. Included are fun, family-friendly activities such as free fitness classes at the Complex, free scheduled classes and events offered by community organizations and others you can do on your own time like hula hooping, kayaking or paddleboarding, hiking, frisbee and even flying a kite.

The free ParticipACTION app can be downloaded prior to June 1 on the Google Play and Apple App Store. You can also sign up and register at www.participaction.com/challenge. 

All “move minutes” from the app, which includes both active minutes and other light activity, count toward the community’s total score.  

“Let’s show the country why we love living in a community that provides so many opportunities to take part in recreation and physical fitness activities,” McKee said.

Residents Embrace Fall Season with 6th Annual Harvest Walk, Run and Bike

Courtesy of the City of Williams Lake:

Upwards of 80 residents of all ages walked, ran and rode through Williams Lake on Sunday, October 17, 2021 for the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex’s Sixth Annual Harvest Walk, Run and Bike event.

Some tested their endurance and running speed against the clock, while others pushed strollers and some walked their family pets in either a five- or 10-kilometre loop of the course, which started and ended at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.

While temperatures were on the cool side, the rain held off just long enough for participants to complete the course.

An ‘I Spy the Pumpkin/Scarecrow’ contest was also a hit among participants, where free family swim and skate passes were awarded following the event.

Maria McKee, Adult Recreation Coordinator with the City of Williams Lake, said she was thrilled with all of the participants’ enthusiasm.

“The Harvest Walk, Run and Bike was so much fun,” McKee said. “I think everyone enjoyed looking for the pumpkins and scarecrows and seeing all the beautiful fall colours. I had a fellow say to me that he hadn’t done a run in a very long time, and it felt wonderful to be a part of the community and to be able to participate in such a special event.”

The City would like to thank to Save On Foods and FreshCo for their generous donations of healthy snacks, including water, oranges and granola bars for runners, walkers and riders. In addition, a big thank you to the Williams Lake Farmers’ Market for their donation of a burlap sack overflowing with locally grown produce, which was awarded to a lucky participant.

A special thanks, as well, to Williams Lake Citizens on Patrol for helping to keep event participants safe.

The Harvest Walk, Run and Bike is held annually to encourage residents to remain active and healthy all year long.