A dedicated group of trail volunteers has been maintaining the 27-kilometre Sunshine Coast Trail/Marathon Shuffle route for the past 30 years. Runners and hikers are busy training for the big day, but volunteers called the "Dirt Monkeys," are also on the trails busy preparing so the course can be ready for the 275 participants registered for the last Sunday of April.
“This year the shuffle filled up in a record 12 hours,” said event director Ean Jackson, “We want each participant to have an awesome day on the Sunshine Coast Trail.
“Users of the trail don’t always appreciate the effort that goes into maintaining the trail. Trees fall. Bridges, huts, outhouses need to be built and maintained. Often, the trail itself has to be rerouted.”
For 30 years a dedicated group of volunteers led by Scott Glaspey and Jim Stutt have ensured that the Marathon Shuffle course is in perfect condition for the event.
“Our goal is not to groom the trail,” said Glaspey. “We want to ensure that the structures are safe, the salal is cut back and the winter deadfall is cleaned up."
Recently the group has been rebuilding the bridge crossing at Appleton Creek.
“We’re welcoming participants from Europe, the United States and all parts of Canada," said Jackson.
Jackson added that he has had many participants write to him wondering how they can put on such a high-calibre event for free.
“Anywhere else in the world, you would pay several hundred dollars to participate in an event like this," said Jackson.
Although the event attracts visitors, the shuffle organizing committee prides itself on local participation.
“This is all about community,” said Jackson. “When Eagle Walz and friends started the Marathon Shuffle in 1993, their hope was to get a few locals out on a section of the Sunshine Coast Trail to enjoy what they’d built. More than a third of the participants are from the qathet region and we can maintain the tradition for locals.”
Jackson and crew estimate the event will bring about $100,000 into the local economy. The shuffle is a free event that runs on the final Sunday of each April. It is put on by volunteers and supported by local businesses and government.
National Volunteer Week runs from April 14 to 20, 2024.
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