Paddle, bike, run in the 13th annual Moraine Adventure Relay Race

On Saturday, June 8, the exciting Moraine Adventure Relay Race, a fundraiser for the Oak Ridges Trail Association, begins at Rice Lake and finishes in King City. 

The event engages 500 canoeists, runners and trail cyclists in relay stages covering 160 kilometres of beautiful Oak Ridges Moraine trail. It is appealing to everyone from veteran adventure racers to active recreational athletes looking for a brand-new challenge or wanting to push themselves further. 

Participating in the Adventure Relay is a great team-building exercise, and emphasizes the importance of physical activity to overall health. 

As the annual fundraiser for the Oak Ridges Trail Association, proceeds from team entries and sponsorships go towards improving signage, boardwalks and maintenance equipment used to keep the trail clear and safe for all users. The 

300-kilometre Oak Ridges Trail helps protect the critical integrity of the Oak 

Ridges Moraine. Spanning Caledon, King, Aurora, Richmond Hill, 

Whitchurch-Stouffville, Uxbridge, Scugog, Clarington, Hope/Hamilton and 

Northumberland, the Moraine acts as an aquifer providing drinking water to over 

250,000 people and is the watershed for 65 rivers. 

This fun and exciting event has two races – the full relay and the half relay. 

The Full Relay is an exhilarating 160-km.relay race, divided into 14 stages, including canoeing, biking and running legs. It is an amazing experience for elite, recreational and corporate teams. 

The route runs from Rice Lake in the east across forest trails and country roads to the finish line at Seneca College, King City. Teams range from 2 to 15 members, depending on how many racers choose to do multiple stages. 

The Half Relay is the last 80-km. of the Full Relay, divided into 7 stages, including biking and running legs. This race is available to recreational and corporate teams. The route runs from Purple Woods Conservation Area in the east to the finish line at Seneca College, King City. 

Teams range from 1 to 7 members, depending on how many racers choose to do multiple stages. 

Half Relay racers set off between 1 and 1:30 p.m. Full Relay racers mainly arrive and set off between 2:15 and 3:15 p.m. 

More information can be found at http://www.oakridgestrail.org/adventure-relay 

Maps can be found at http://www.oakridgestrail.org/adventure-relay/course 

The Oak Ridges Trail Association (ORTA) was formed in 1992. It is a volunteer-based charitable hiking organization with a mandate to build and maintain a public hiking trail system on the Oak Ridges Moraine, off-road where possible. Additionally, their mandate charges us with the responsibility of protecting the integrity of the moraine through trail development, maintenance, and increased awareness. 

To those ends they offer guided hikes of all difficulties and lengths, weekdays and weekends. 

The Oak Ridges Moraine extends about 300 kilometres from the Niagara Escarpment in the west to the Trent River in the east. It is the source of 65 major streams or rivers and provides clean, safe drinking water to over a quarter of a million people in the GTA. The Moraine forest, wetlands and open meadows are vital in maintaining a healthy ecosystem for Toronto and the GTA. It also provides beautiful space for recreational use. 

To register a team, make a donation or to sponsor a part of the race, please call Michele at 905-833-6600 or 1-877-319-0285 or email info@oakridgestrail.org