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Brandywine Boogie returning for fifth year

Registration for trail run fundraiser closes Thursday, Sept. 19 at 10 p.m.
brandywine_boogie_by_jim_budge
Brandywine Boogie runners bolt over the start line in 2018. Photo by Jim Budge

Get ready to get your boogie on this Saturday.

No, we're not talking about a Saturday night boogie down the Village Stroll-the Rotary Club of Whistler Millennium is bringing back its annual Brandywine Boogie trail run fundraiser for the fifth year.

The point-to-point trail run, set to take place this year on Sept. 21, takes runners and walkers down a scenic, 10-kilometre route along the Sea to Sky trail, beginning at Bayly Park in Cheakamus and ending at the Cal-Cheak Campground. Though the race does include some singletrack, it takes place mainly on level gravel tracks.

"The run has always had the intention of getting runners off the road and into the trails and nature while being a fundraiser at the same time," wrote club spokesperson Shannon Kirkwood in an email.

The run has grown exponentially since a field of 45 runners first took part in the event in 2015. Last year, 116 participants took to the trails.

One of the coolest parts about this fundraiser? The fact that runners and walkers choose which local organization they'd like to support when they register.

While 50 per cent of each registration fee goes towards the Rotary Club's youth exchange (each year, the club sends a high-school-aged candidate overseas for 10 months to experience a new country and culture), participants can decide whether they'd like the other half of their fee to benefit the youth exchange, to the Whistler Off-Road Cycling Association (WORCA) or to Zero Ceiling.

If you haven't already done the math, that means that 100 per cent of the proceeds from the Boogie go back to the community.

In the last three years, the event has raised $1,926 for WORCA and $1,227 for Zero Ceiling.

Registration fees are $40 for adults, $30 for youth and teams of five or more, and $35 for walkers. Registration closes at 10 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19.

This year, the community's other Rotary Club, the Whistler Rotary Club, is joining the fundraising fold.

Participants can continue their boogieing at a Blues Night and Dusty's Bar & BBQ in Creekside, hosted by the Whistler Club set to take place on the same date. That event aims to raise funds for the Whistler Public Library's Wonderlab.

The nearly sold-out event includes a buffet dinner and entertainment provided by the Bradley McGillivray Blues Band.