Leisure suits, knee socks and knickers could be all the rage at next weekend’s Sleeping Giant Loppet.
Celebrating its 35th anniversary, officials have asked skiers to dig deep into their closets and haul out their disco-era clothes to don during this year’s event, scheduled for next Saturday at Sibley.
The most creative will win prizes.
“It’s fantastic,” race organizer Peter Gallagher said Wednesday at a Loppet kickoff held at Kamview Nordic Centre, host of next Thursday’s Sleeping Giant Sprints.
“I think it’s a celebration we should all be proud of in this community. It’s difficult to have events that are organized by volunteers last that long and I think it’s a real testament to the ski community in Thunder Bay.”
For Dudley Coulter, a member of the National Development Centre-Thunder Bay squad, it was the most important race each winter on his ski calendar.
“I would train all year for the race,” the Marathon native said. “It was my first out-of-town race. Coming from such a small town, it was rare to see so many people who loved the same sport that I did.
“The Sleeping Giant Loppet (then known as the Sibley Ski Tour) really showcased the community in Thunder Bay, which was pretty key because a couple of years later I decided to move to Thunder Bay for my last year of high school.”
Without the race, he added, he likely wouldn’t be where he is today in the sport.
Britt Bailey, a member of the Lakehead University ski team, said the Loppet has been part of her life almost as far back as she can remember.
It’s always been a family affair, dating to her first race in 1997, when the budding star was just seven years old and hit the trails with a friend in a 10-kilometre race that took more than three hours to complete.
“We were bundled up, strapped to our skis and given a backpack full of candy to fuel our race,” she recalled.
“We sat down in a snow bank, ate candy, made snow angels and I think that’s why it took us three hours to finish. Every year I look forward to the beautiful trails, the great atmosphere and the chocolate-covered raisins.”
Sharing her initial experience had another purpose, Bailey said.
“It just goes to show that the Sleeping Giant Loppet is an event for people of all ages and abilities,” she said.
As of Wednesday about 500 people have signed up for the event, which features an eight-kilometre mini loppett, and competitive races at distances of 20, 35 and 50 kilometres, the latter race broken into a pair of categories, freestyle and classic.
The goal each year is 1,000, a target the Loppet has yet to hit.
Snow shouldn’t be a worry, said Peter Crooks, the manager of Thunder Bay Nordic Trails, the man responsible for grooming the race course.
Crooks said while there’s only an eight- to 10-centimetre base at Kamview, the Sibley course is a different story.
“In the park we have 25 to 30 centimetres of base. That’s low compared to normal years. But I have no problem saying the course will be fantastic next week.
“The snow is hard as a rock. It could be very challenging,” he said, referring to long-term forecasts that predict above-freezing temperatures on race day, “but there’s lots of snow, so that’s not a problem,” Crooks said.
Cash prizes will be awarded for the top two spots in both the men’s and women’s 50-kilometre freestyle race. As an added bonus, all Northwestern Ontario participants in all race categories will be entered into a draw to win one-year lease on a Nissan Rogue, courtesy of Half-Way Motors.
For registration information, visit www.SleepingGiantLoppet.ca.
