The Challenge, the 5 km Clinic, the Cumberland Sunday Taste of Trails, The Cumby, The Champions!
The people who signed up for the CVRR 5k Clinic January-March 2026 came together to challenge themselves to complete a 5km run. Each Saturday morning for 9 weeks, the volunteers and participants increased their running time and created a community of runners who continued to step up to achieve their goal. On the 10 th and final Saturday, for our celebratory 5km Run, we joined the Parkrun community at the Courtenay Airpark. This encounter created a succession plan that enabled our 5k Clinic community to merge with the Parkrun community to continue to run a 5km run/walk on Saturday mornings.
Cathy & John, the Race Directors for The Cumby, created a new race this year, The Cumbino, a 4.5km trail run/walk to entice kids, youth, new trail runners and to encourage the Clinic participants to continue with their running goals after the Clinic. Over 20 Clinic participants signed up for The Cumby runs along with a number of Clinic volunteers! The CVRR Cumberland Sunday Taste of Trails jumped into action by offering leader-led
familiarization runs for those who signed up for the various Cumby races. They switched their venue from the Recreation parking lot to the BMX parking lot giving the participants a chance to check out the trails, the routes, and connect with another group of runners thus deepening community!
May 2 arrived and people gathered for The Cumby. The training and incentive paid off as the Clinic participants held their own as they joined the throngs of racers. Success and a deep sense of accomplishment was achieved!
Speaking to some of the Clinic participants, their comments were…
“Thank you for all of your support. We definitely didn’t think we won medals! Wow! This day just gets better! We were proud of ourselves being the okayest runners! Lol.” – Joanne & Lisa (1 st & 2 nd in their age categories)
“I’ve taken the 5k Running Clinic the last two years and it really gave me the confidence to sign up for the 1/4 Cumby! This was my first race ever and the thought of doing a race would have terrified me even a year ago. So thank you for all your work with the 5k clinic – it was such a great experience and has really motivated me to keep running!” — Jill (3 rd in her age category)
Jenne submitted a wonderful rendition of what it was like throughout the racing experience that Saturday morning:
“As we approached the start line of the Cumbino, the adrenaline was pumping. We sized up our competition; a couple of eight year olds to our right. A toddler in diapers to our left. An unspoken feeling washes over us. We got this. Thanks to the 10 weeks of running in the rain at the 5km clinic, we were prepared to hit the dusty trails. Brimming with confidence but knowing there is no shame in walking, we faced those kilometers with great enthusiasm! Have I been a model runner since the end of the clinic? No. But with a little peer pressure and the promise of Laneway coffee to follow, there was no stopping us. The Cumbino distance was a perfect stepping stone into the wild world of ‘ON YOUR LEFT!’”
Photo: Bailey (Half Cumby), Jenne & Kari (Cumbino)
It takes a village. Everyone is a Champion! Our whole running community succeeds when more people get out and run in the hills.
Thanks everyone! Congratulations!!!
Gratefully submitted by Mona