Welcome to The Foolish Fox Trail(ish) Race! We're excited to have you join us for the second edition of London's Coolest Race!
Why "trailish?" Well, it's on a golf course, which isn't exactly a trail. We hope you'll gather with us on November 18th to celebrate the end of the 2023 running season!
***please note the revised date, as we had to change from the original date***
We will be offering the following running options at this event:
New Era Grafix 5k (ish)
10k (ish)
BackRoads Brews + Shoes 25k (ish)
New Era Grafix 6 hour All You Can Run (individual)
Structural Panels Inc. 6 hour All You Can Run Relay (team)
You'll be on a golf course, but there's no need for golf clubs (and no, you can't use a golf cart either). We recommend trail shoes due to the unpredictable weather of November, although, if the ground is dry, you should be OK in regular road shoes. Cross country spikes are also permitted.
All events will take place on the Hickory Nine at the Thames Valley Golf Course which is nestled in between the Thames River and Riverside Drive in London.
It is a looped event, where you will cover a 2.5 km (ish) loop around the course (it measured out nicely to 2.5 km last year, however, there may be some slight variations from those measurements during course set up in case we have to avoid groundhog holes, roaming foxes, or errant tee shots).
The looped nature of the course will allow you to see your running buddies throughout the day.
The terrain is non-technical, but you will have some elevation gain to keep things interesting.
As with all of our events, $5 from each registration will be donated to the Children's Health Foundation in support of children and their families in our community.
Race Sanctioning
The Foolish Fox is proudly sanctioned by Athletics Ontario.
Race Schedule
Packet Pickup
All local runners are encouraged to pick up their race kits prior to race day in order to avoid congestion and line-ups. Tentative pickups are as follows:
November 16th, 2023
BackRoads Brews + Shoes
1295 Riverbend Road, London, ON
5:45 p.m. - 7:45 p.m.
November 17th, 2023
BackRoads Brews + Shoes
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
November 18th, 2023 Race Day
On race morning, race kits will be available at the start/finish area beginning at 8:00 a.m. If you are picking up your race kit on race morning, please give yourself ample time to do so.
9:00 a.m. 5 km/10 km/25 km start
9:05 a.m. 6 hour individual/6 hour relay start
Timing
All events will be electronically timed by Chiptime Results. Your timing chip will be attached to your bib.
Aid Station/Washrooms
We will have an aid station located near the start/finish area. Hydration and food options will be available. There will be a limited number of recylable paper cups out during the early part of the event to accommodate the 5k and 10k runners. Longer distance runners are asked to bring your own reusuable cups to reduce waste. You will have access to the aid station every 2.5 kms. In addition, you may purchase food from the clubhouse.
Portable washrooms will be located near the start/finish area, so you will have access every 2.5 kms.
Relay Specifics
Relay teams may consist of a maximum of four runners.
Each team will have one timing chip which will be handed off to be worn by the team member on course. How you choose to divide up the distance is up to you. There is limited space to set up camps on site which is why we are limiting the relay to a maximum of 20 teams (have one person sign up on behalf of your team, and we will collect other team member names closer to race day). You are welcome to bring a shelter, just make sure you don't stake it into a sprinkler (golf course sprinkler systems are probably expensive).
Please make note, that the race is in November in southern Ontario, so any, and all weather is possible! Bring those layers for your downtime. The start/finish is not far from the main parking lot if you want to hop in your car to warmup.
The relay sold out last year, and although we've added an additional 10 spots this year, these may go fast! Gather some running buddies and come on out for a fun day!
6 hour individual
You are welcome to bring a shelter, just make sure you don't stake it into a sprinkler (golf course sprinkler systems are probably expensive).
Swag, Medals, Prizes, and More!
Each participant will receive a Foolish Fox toque, and a pair of Persistence Racing touchscreen gloves. If it's cold on race day, you can use them to keep you warm, and/or use them during your winter training runs after the race.
In addition, you'll receive a Persistence Racing tote bag.
Each runner will receive a custom Foolish Fox finisher's medal.
Our race photographer will be on hand to capture all of your awkward running facial expressions. Your photos are yours to download, FOR FREE.
The Foolish Fox is the race where everybody has a chance to win! Rather than give awards for the top finishers in each race, we like to do things a bit differently for this event. We will hold a raffle where all registered runners will be eligible to win prizes. We will hold the draw once registration closes, and have prizes available for distribution at race kit pick up. In other words, everybody has a chance to win something at this event no matter how fast you are.
Here are some of the raffle prizes we have lined up so far:
1) Free race entry to the Springbank Sprint (5k or 10k)
2) Free race entry to next year's Foolish Fox (individual race)
3) Free race entry to next year's Howling Ghost (8k, 16k, or 24k)
4) MarsQuest sunglasses x 3 (3 winners)
5) men's New Balance short sleeve tech tee
6) women's BackRoads logo tee
7) Nathan Hypernight Lite reflective vest
8) Nathan Hypernight stash reflective vest
9) some more items courtesy of BackRoads Brews + Shoes
If you win an event, you just get the glory of victory and bragging rights..(but, you have a chance to win the raffles too). We'll also have our podium on hand so you can still take your glorious victory photos!
Overall finishing position in relation to others in your selected gender category will still be given in the results.
Parking
As the other 18 holes of the golf course are still open for golf on race day, parking may be limited. We strongly encourage you to carpool if possible. There is a parking lot at the course, in addition, there is overflow parking on the field adjacent to the parking lot.
If those are full, there is alternative parking located at 205 Wonderland Road South (Springbank Gardens Community Centre on the map below). You will have to enter Springbank Park on foot and walk across the bridge to reach the course (the walk from this lot to the start/finish is approximately 1 kilometre).
Event Records
5k
Jeff Keegan 25:54 (2022)
Whitney Steeves 27:37 (2022)
10k
Joshua Graham 46:53 (2022)
Gillian Sonnenberg 1:02:25 (2022)
25k
Dale Hall 2:12:13 (2022)
6 Hour Individual
Mickey Scott 60 km (2022)
Layla Karnes 45 km (2022)
6 Hour Relay
Team Four of Six 65 km (2022)
Refund Policy:
There are no refunds for this event. However, life happens. Work trouble, running injuries, a bad paper cut, we get it. If you have to withdraw from the event prior to October 11th, we will give you a 100% race credit for a future Persistence race.
If you need to withdraw after October 10th, you will receive a 50% race credit. Sorry, but by then we will have already paid for your stuff, and the resale market for unclaimed race swag and medals is unfavourable.
(credits will be minus taxes, fees, and donation)
Thanks for taking part in the Foolish Fox. We can't wait to gather the running community to celebrate the end of a great running season! It would be foolish for you to miss it!
Registration fees
New Era Grafix 5 k (ish) Race Closed
Online registration closed-
Complete two loops of the course to get in your 5k.
-
$55.00
early bird
Jun. 17 – Sep. 10 -
$60.00
middle of the pack
Sep. 11 – Oct. 9 -
$65.00
race to the finish
Oct. 10 – Oct. 18
-
10 k (ish) Race Closed
Online registration closed-
Complete the loop four times for your 10k.
-
$55.00
early bird
Jun. 17 – Sep. 10 -
$60.00
middle of the pack
Sep. 11 – Oct. 9 -
$65.00
race to the finish
Oct. 10 – Oct. 18
-
BackRoads Brews + Shoes 25 k (ish) Race Closed
Online registration closed-
Complete 10 loops to get your 25 km.
-
$60.00
early bird
Jun. 17 – Sep. 10 -
$65.00
middle of the pack
Sep. 11 – Oct. 9 -
$70.00
race to the finish
Oct. 10 – Oct. 18
-
New Era Grafix All You Can Run 6 hours (individual) Closed
Online registration closed-
Run as many loops as you can over the duration of the 6 hour event.
-
$70.00
early bird
Jun. 17 – Sep. 10 -
$75.00
middle of the pack
Sep. 11 – Oct. 9 -
$80.00
race to the finish
Oct. 10 – Oct. 18
-
Structural Panels Inc. All You Can Run 6 hours (team) Closed
Online registration closed-
Run as many loops as you can in the duration of the six hour event. You may have a maximum of four runners per team.
-
$260.00
early bird
Jun. 17 – Sep. 10 -
$280.00
middle of the pack
Sep. 11 – Oct. 9 -
$300.00
race to the finish
Oct. 10 – Oct. 18
-
Top teams
| 1 |
|
ASICS Running AppsRaised:$138.03 |
|
| 2 |
|
Sounds like funRaised:$54.63 |
|
| 3 |
|
Rev RunnersRaised:$6.33 |
Top fundraisers
| 1 |
View fundraiser page for Steve
|
Steve EmeryRaised: $244.41 |
|
| 2 |
View fundraiser page for Jamie
|
Jamie Edwards$138.03 Raised$100.00 Goal |
|
| 3 |
View fundraiser page for Danielle
|
Danielle PoppeRaised: $27.80 |
|
| 4 |
View fundraiser page for Cody
|
Cody GolemRaised: $11.70 |
|
| 5 |
View fundraiser page for Hanna
|
Hanna NelsonRaised: $6.33 |
Contact information
- Event contact
- Neil McKay
- Website
- Visit website
