Sunday’s VW Turtle River Race to benefit Kamloops Brain Injury Association

May 1, 2026 | 3:34 PM

KAMLOOPS — The South Thompson River will turn green this Sunday (May 3) as the annual VW Turtle River Race returns in support of the Kamloops Brain Injury Association (KBIA).

Thousands of plastic turtles will hit the river near the CN Rail Bridge and an army of volunteers will scoop them out of the water once they reach the finish line near the Riverside Park pier. This is the 26th edition of this fundraising event, and all proceeds go to support the KBIA.

“This is really critical, because this gives us that flexibility to say, ‘Hey, this individual has a special need and we’ve got some money, some resources to go we can meet that need,'” Dave Johnson, the executive director of the KBIA, told CFJC Today.

“Without this, what the community gives us, we’d be very limited in what we can do to assist. So this is critical to helping our community and brain injury survivors within it.”

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While the event begins with a bike rodeo and a community barbecue at 12:00 noon, the turtles will be dropped into the water for the races at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Each race has about $11,000 in prizes for the people who “adopted” the first three that reach the finish line.

Turtles are $10 each or three for $25, and tickets are still available online or on race day at Riverside Park.

“We’re going to have a big event with the kids bike rodeo,” Johnson added. “Search and Rescue is going to be there, the RCMP is going to be there, Boys and Girls Club. It’s a great fun community event, but it raises money for survivors of brain injury to help them manage this injury and become part of the community.”

by Victor Kaisar

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Sunday’s VW Turtle River Race to benefit Kamloops Brain Injury Association

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