The sixth annual Actif Epica ultra-marathon here in the Southeast is raising funds for asylum seekers and refugees this year.

David Pensato is the Co-organizer and Co-founder of Actif Epica. He says the races got underway on Saturday morning with three different distance options for runners and bikers. He notes they have a 200 kilometre route that starts in Emerson, a 152 kilometre route that starts at Ridgeville, and a 125 kilometre route that begins in Saint Malo, adding all races end at the forks.

Pensato says this is the first year that they have had a start in Emerson and the news of the refugees crossing the border there got them thinking.

“Our route goes along the Trans-Canada Trail which almost straddles the border with the US, so it is right where these people are coming throughout of desperation and fear. Our tag line is 'celebrate human resilience' and we have all these people on the trail doing this with preparation, with all kinds of equipment, ready for any kind of conditions and it is a real contrast with these other people who are doing it with whatever they have got.”

An Actif Epica participant riding the Crow Wing Trail

Pensato says they wanted to acknowledge the asylum seekers, so they are collecting donations for Hospitality House, an organization that helps many of these refugees.

Pensato says Actif Epica follows the Crow Wing Trail which is a historic ox cart path used by early settlers as far back as Louis Riel and by First Nations peoples before that. He says the terrain plays a big factor in the race times.

“You'd think that weather plays a factor and it does a little bit but what is more important is actually the conditions on the trail itself, so even though it is warm, they could be going through some very deep, very soupy snow, which would actually slow them down more than if it was nice and crisp out.”

Pensato says there were approximately 70 participants in the race this year from as far away as Brazil and India.