Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

BOOGIE THE SHORE

New route, same signature event: Kamloops Boogies the Shore

Apr 28, 2019 | 12:25 PM

KAMLOOPS — The 22nd edition of Boogie the Bridge had a lot in common with previous Boogies – a sea of red-clad walkers and runners soaking up the sunshine and taking in all the entertainment along the route – but there was one significant difference this year: no trip over the Overlander’s Bridge.

For all the participants CFJC Today spoke with, that change was a welcome one.

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“Y’know what? I liked it. It was a nice little jaunt beside the river,” one 10K runner said.

According to one 5K finisher, “It was nice and flat!”

“It was a great flat run this morning,” another Boogie participant said. “The people of the North Shore were super welcoming and very friendly. Beautiful weather. It was awesome!”

That was the same feedback race founder and Boogie the Bridge staple Jo Berry said she’d been hearing all morning.

“People are loving the route!” Berry told CFJC Today. “It’s the first time [on the Shore] for us. The neighbours have been great, they’re coming out in their lawn chairs and cheering people on. I’m so thankful, it’s a great day.”

Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian is a veteran Boogie participant. He agreed the new course was a little friendlier on the knees.

“The new course is great. It takes you into the neighbourhoods of North Kamloops, which is really interesting,” Christian said. “And it’s flat, which is good for me. It gets people involved, it gets people connected, it gets them active, and that’s really what being healthy is all about.”

Christian was quick to give credit to Berry and the Boogie team for being able to transition the race from the usual location at Riverside Park across the river to McDonald Park in such a seamless fashion.

“Kudos to [Jo] and her Boogie team this year, a lot of organization goes into this,” Christian said. “Just looking at traffic control, first aid. They’ve thought of everything, they’ve done an excellent job, and they’ve delivered once again for Kamloops.”

Berry gives credit to the Kamloops community for embracing Boogie as their own and embodying the core values the event was built upon.

“There’s a lot of support out there [on the course]. A lot of love-based living, a lot of kindness,” Berry said. “We love our elite runners, we love our last-packers – there’s a pace for everybody. It’s really about Kamloops. We love this city.”

Which is what keeps Kamloopsian’s coming back year after year.