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The 2009 Two Mountains Challenge, a foot race organized by the Ventus Club in conjunction with the Town of Two Mountains, will be taking place for the third time on June 7. The annual event is being held under the honorary co-presidency of a team made up of Marc Lauzon, the mayor of Two Mountains, Fernand Biard of CIBC Wood Gundy, and Jacques Gauthier, an experienced marathon runner who has taken part in no less than 45 marathons and close to 500 foot races.
A winning team
Other leading members of the team are Stéphane Martel, owner of Métro famille Martel, and Mario D’Annunzio, a well-known physician from the Saint-Eustache Polyclinic, who has delivered 12,000 babies in the region since 1970. All will share will share an interest for running during this important event. The Ventus Club encourages running for health, pleasure, and competition. Its mission is to promote the benefits of physical activity, and the Two Mountains Challenge event responds to its guidelines.
"My husband and I started this in 2007 and it was basically to promote fitness," says Glenda Esguerra, who co-founded the Ventus Club and the Two Mountains Challenge with Steve Ménard. "We have been involved with many sports associations in Two Mountains and we thought it necessary to get involved with the fitness side of the town." Esguerra said that when she approached schools with the idea of promoting fitness there, "a lot of the administration's responses to me were that they had no money for after-school physical activities.
Teens should be fit
"And I found that very strange, because I grew up with a lot of sports in school. I was involved in many, many activities … So my husband and I discussed it and in 2007 we approached our mayor and said we should do this in town — create an annual event and raise money for after-school activities. The mayor really believed in our cause and has been instrumental in our raising this money. So our first year we raised quite a bit of money and gave it away to six out of seven schools in our town so we could help them with physical activities after school if they so wish."
Funds raised on the day will be donated to various schools within the town, so they'll be able to offer extracurricular activities aimed at encouraging a positive lifestyle among teenagers. Last year, 430 runners took part in the race and $8,000 was raised to benefit the cause. This year, the organizing committee hopes to surpass the amount by setting an objective of $10,000. In order to reach the goal, the Ventus Club is proposing sponsorship opportunities for those wishing to invest. Any organization wishing to become a sponsor need only contact the organizing committee at
info@ventusdxm.org
.
Race starts early
The race will begin at 9 a.m. in Central Park. Although it is intended for walking and running enthusiasts of all ages and levels, the Two Mountains Challenge will also meet more experienced runners’ expectations. Additional information about the itinerary for the different courses proposed and the day’s schedule is available online at
www.ventusdxm.org
.
Anyone interested in taking part in the event is also invited to register online at the Ventus website,
www.ventusdxm.org
. To promote participation, registration is free for runners and walkers aged 18 or less and those who are 65 and up. The honorary co-presidents, the Ventus Club and the Town of Two Mountains invite all young and not-so-young runners of all ages and skills to come stretch their legs
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