THE GOLD CUP TROT

P.E.I. Aug. 2018

This is Prince Edward Island’s fastest and most popular 5k road race. Starting and ending in Charlottetown’s scenic Victoria Park, the f lat course sends runners along the park ’s boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, over to the f lats of suburban Charlottetown, and then down along the provincial capital’s busiest and most historic streets. Because the race – usually scheduled on the second or third Friday of August – immediately precedes the p.e.i. Old Home Week Gold Cup and Saucer Parade, the course is f lanked with thousands of spectators, cheering on the runners from start to finish. The family-friendly event attracts runners of all ages and speeds, but it unfailingly showcases elite Maritime talent. In 2017, Lee Wesselius set the course record at 14:43 – this mark is still the fastest ever recorded on the roads of Prince Edward Island. The entry fee for this pei Roadrunners-sanctioned race is affordable ($15 per entry, $50 for families), and proceeds are donated to Easter Seals pei.— Alexandre Cyr, P.E.I. native