July 25th
It was quite an extreme day for our campers today with over 50 of them competing in the Xterra off road race in Parry Sound. We woke up nice and early and had a light breakfast before loading the bus and heading to the race. Most of our campers competed in the 5km trail run – running up a rock wall, up and down plenty of hills, and even through mud and streams. It was a fantastic run with lots of challenges and excitement. All of the campers did a great job and it was made even better because of the supportive cheers that could be heard all throughout the course from the campers and counsellors who did not run.
After the trail run, the Xterra triathlon started! Ak-O-Mak had eight relays complete the sprint triathlon and one camper, Elisha P. completed the whole race on her own. It was a tough course with a difficult mountain bike and a hilly run but all of the campers did a fantastic job! In the end our very own Blair Saunders (resident mountain bike coach at camp) came first overall in the sprint triathlon! It was a new experience for everyone and one that we will definitely do again next year! The races really showed that Ak-O-Makkers are TOUGH ENOUGH!
Once we ate lunch at the race and then stopped for some celebratory ice cream on the way home all of the tired campers headed to their cabins for a rest hour before some open waterfront until dinner. After dinner campers had the choice of yoga or a hike before bed. Meanwhile, a group of our seven weekers headed into Magnetewan for an evening of square dancing. It was an exciting and tiring day for everyone and all are sleeping well tonight!