Athletes plan to race shirtless downtown on New Year's Day

New Year's Day can be a little nippy in the Sault, but our city's first-ever shirtless foot race is planned to start at noon on Jan. 1. 

"It’s going to be cold!" said Nick Brash from Bear in Mind Running, in a Monday-night e-mailed announcement to the local trail-running community.

"Shirtless In the Soo - Hair of the Dog, will be a sight to behold in downtown Sault Ste. Marie," he said.

Brash's bare-chested überjocks will race a five-kilometre round trip between the Marconi and Whitefish Island.

Proceeds go to Sault Ste. Marie Humane Society.

The New Year's Day 5K is one of a series of outdoor events currently being put together by Brash and his team, including Ultra Trail Stokely Creek (UTSC).

The UTSC ultramarathon races started in 2019, took a year off in 2020 courtesy of COVID-19, and returned for 2021 and 2022.

On March 17, directors of Tourism Sault Ste. Marie voted to recommend Brash's company receive $10,000 from City Council toward the cost of running the 2023 UTSC.

The 2023 event is expected to draw about 700 participants, sponsors and spectators, including 340 locals, 70 regionals, 100 from across the province, 42 from across Canada and 130 from the United States. 

Those numbers include about 350 runners.

Brash doesn't see a lot of potential for increasing event registrations, but he hopes to attract larger numbers of runners paying more to run longer distances.

"I think at the top end of what that trail system and network over the two days can handle, is probably about 500."

As for this year, Brash's list also includes:

• June 11, 2022 – 5 a.m. to 5 p.m at Stokely Creek Lodge. Thesh Itter Run. Choose your own route and visit 11 outhouses over 12 hours to be eligible for crap prizes 

• July 23, 2022 – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hiawatha Highlands. Crazy Train Trail Trials. Celebrate the opening of Hiawatha's gnarliest new trail. It's a two-kilometre loop with plenty of gain. Run or bike

• Sept. 23 and 24, 2022 – Ultra Trail Stokely Creek at Stokely Creek Lodge. Races go 5K, 17K, 34K, 56K, 85K and 170K through the rugged back country of the Algoma Highlands, including Robertson Cliffs and King Mountain. Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) World Series qualifier event

• Oct. 1 to Oct. 15, 2022 – Robertson Cliffs Challenge at The Cliffs. The toughest 5K hike in all Algoma becomes a virtual race over the first two weeks of October. Just attempt the route as many times as you can over the two weeks. Each participant receives an Algoma Highlands Conservancy trucker cap. Proceeds go to the conservancy's silent sport recreation initiative

• Oct. 29, 2022 – Homerun Hiller Thriller. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Stokely Creek Lodge. Twenty-four ladies and 24 men single elimination 2K hill-running and biking tournaments. Bracket styles, all determined by a seeding lottery on Instagram live. Halloween costumes encouraged!

• Nov. 18, 2022 – The Dump Run – 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Stokely Creek Lodge. Visit the Alpaca Farm and then the landfill. A 10K round trip

• Jan. 13, 2023 - The Stoke Show Skultra. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Stokely Creek Lodge.  A 50K classic ski battle on some of the beastliest x-country trails in all of North America. Skiers choose their route. There will also be 25K and 10K distances. And Stoke Show Skultra toques

"The race series will culminate with The Bear Ball on New Year’s Eve," Brash says.

"Our inaugural athlete awards gala will recognize some of the most amazing accomplishments throughout the calendar year," he promises.

On June 4 and 5, Bear In Mind Running will have a booth at The Run Show in Chicago.

"We plan on making a big splash into the Illinois market, spreading the word about 'Ontario's Secret Mountains,'" Brash says.