Tour de Lac-brome ready for more than 4,000 runners
This coming weekend marks the 39th annual Tour de Lac-brome and some road closures are to be expected. There will be a massive influx of people to the area representing well over the existing population of 5,300 residents. Last year there were more than 270 TBL residents participating over the big weekend.
Already 4,000 people registered, marking an increase from last year of over 500 runners and that does not include, families and friends who are coming to cheer the competitors on. Anyone who already registered can do it the day of the event. And there will be lots of entertainment and food on site for athletes and spectators at TBL’S Lions’ Park.
According to Eric Fleury, manager of the event, competitions are slated to run from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. He is encouraged about the popularity of the Canicross, a cross-country run for masters and their dogs to be held on Friday night. The number of registrants has more than doubled since last year’s event. That means there will be more than 150 dogs running, sixty more than last year — so many that they will have to start in two heats.
The organizers, Fleury and Jean Joly, are not concerned about losing Merrell as their main supporter. They say there are so many other sponsors, and the registration fees will take care of the overhead of the event. They believe that the event brings a lot of business to town and know that a lot of participants are eager to return to the area during the summer.
“People love coming to this event because it is such a beautiful place as compared to other big running competitions,” said Fleury.