Going virtual for the second straight year, the Maple Hill Sap Run hit all the marks organizer Jared Dupuis had hoped for.
“I feel very accomplished,” said the fitness instructor who organized the event.
155 people took part in the virtual run this past weekend with $5,000 being raised for Powassan recreation projects and a community garden for the North Bay Regional Health Centre’s youth and adolescent mental health department.
Dupuis says preparations for this year’s run went smoother as the pandemic didn’t disrupt the planning.
“It was nice to know what we were doing this year as opposed to just having to change gears midway through planning a live event,” he explained.
When things had to shift virtually in 2020, Dupuis was concerned people wouldn’t take to it.
“You’re trying to sell people on donating their money, lacing up their shoes and heading out the door. It can be a little intimidating to expect that to go through after what people were normally expecting,” Dupuis noted.
With over 100 participants last year and 50 more this year, Dupuis says he wasn’t surprised by the area’s support. In fact, he ended up seeing messages from people participating in Nova Scotia and Pennsylvania.
“I think that’s the cool thing about a virtual run like that is you technically have a little more reach than you would with a live event,” Dupuis said.
Half of the Maple Hill Sap Run’s events have now been virtual, and Dupuis thinks there’s a component that may remain beyond the pandemic.
“We could absolutely do an event where we have our standard in-person event then for anyone who can’t’ make it…they can do so virtually,” he said.
On top of being able to raise money for causes he’s passionate about, Dupuis also takes satisfaction in what the run offers people.
“Being a fitness trainer, I’m all about promoting recreation and fitness in the community,” he explained. “Not only do I get to donate money but I also get to push people to exercise.”
With participants still posting their results and experiences on Facebook, Dupuis can’t help but smile at the result of his run.
“You scroll there and there are 185 comments from people on there,” he said. “There are all these great photos of people getting out. It’s super great. You check all the boxes and more than anything, it’s just making a lot of people happy so you can’t ask for more than that.”
