City trail one of the best in country
Published Friday June 26th, 2009
If Fredericton is Canada's secret running gem, we've been outed.
In the July issue of Outpost Magazine on newsstands now, the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge Trail, which starts at the bridge, runs along the riverfront and ends in Odell Park, is included in a feature on Canada's top trails.
The story, which identifies four other trails nationwide, describes the city's trail network as "Canada's secret running gem."
It includes a photo of the walking bridge, a description of the trail's terrain and information on local attractions and summertime festivals.
The story came together about a month ago after conversations between officials with Fredericton Tourism and Outpost Magazine.
"We wanted to present our adventurous readers with a way to take in a city and a tourist destination in a new way while being active," said Sara Cation, senior project manager with Outpost Magazine.
"People travel to race and travel to participate in marathons. People really want to get off the beaten path."
Outpost Magazine, which is published bimonthly and distributed across North America, arrived at its list of top trails by talking to members of the Canadian Mountain Running Team and adventure travel writers.
Cation said Fredericton was a slam-dunk selection.
"We really got a great response from everyone we spoke to about Fredericton," she said. "It cuts through some major tourist sites like UNB, Odell Park and the old train bridge and we just loved that.''
Wayne Tallon, community services director for the City of Fredericton, said he hopes the article will convince running enthusiasts to make the trip to Fredericton.
"It will hopefully help attract people to the city,'' said Tallon. "The baby boomers are looking for outdoor adventures and hiking, biking and trail use is certainly on top of their priority list, and I think this will help.
"It's exciting. To be recognized for all the work we have done building the trails is great. Third-party recognition is always nice."
Ann Dunn, president of the Fredericton Trails Coalition, said she wasn't surprised to see the walking bridge included alongside trails running through Banff National Park, Vancouver's North Shore Mountains and the heart of Montreal.
"It is a wonderful write-up and it is well-deserved recognition,'' she said Thursday.
"For the trail runners to have picked Fredericton out of a spot where there are wonderful trails to run is terrific and I think it has to do with how many trails there are to run in city limits."
The Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge Trail is the only trail east of Montreal to make Outpost Magazine's list.
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