Hello all, Just wanted to send out a quick update that there will be gluten free pasta available at the spaghetti supper, and both sauces will be gluten free as well!

Grace

Me again! Here is the second lengthy and important email for you all. Please read carefully as this has all the insight into what is/isn't open, and where you can get gas and food along the trail.

Join all your fellow runners on Friday May 22 for a homemade SPAGHETTI SUPPER at the Masonic Hall, located at 24 Queen Street and sponsored by the Cabot Trail Relay Association as a fundraiser for Baddeck Academy's Class Trip. It will take place from 4:30-7:00 pm. Vegetarian and meat options will be available, eat in or take out, $15 per plate.

Our host hotel is GISELE'S. Please help support the hotel and enjoy your stay on race weekend or any time throughout the year!

BADDECK HOME HARDWARE has gear for all of your camping and automotive needs, as well as any hardware requirements.

STONE'S PHARMASAVE can fill prescriptions, provide over the counter medication and help with any first aid needs.

Stop by the HIGHWHEELER CAFÉ to pick up coffee/tea, sandwiches, scones, squares, etc. They will be open from 7am-5pm Friday, 5am – 4pm Saturday, 6am – 3pm Sunday, and 7am-3pm Monday. They are also taking orders for team box lunches until the end of the day on May 18. Each box lunch includes a homemade sandwich, apple or banana, two cookies and a bottle of water. Sandwich options include: 1) veggie and cheese, 2) ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato, or 3) turkey, tomato and lettuce. All sandwiches will be available on white or porridge bread, with gluten free and vegan options available upon request. Please try to order as a team, and send orders to John@highwheelercafe.com

BEAN THERE CAFÉ, located on the main street in Baddeck is another great spot to grab a snack, breakfast sandwich, or coffee! They will be open Friday 7am-5pm, Saturday 5am-4pm, and Sunday 7am-2pm.

TIM HORTON'S just outside of Baddeck on the TransCanada Highway will be open bright and early at 5am for all of your coffee and breakfast needs.

Need some pizza before, during or after the race? TOM'S PIZZA located on the main street in Baddeck will be open from 11am-10pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

The ROYAL BANK and EAST COAST CREDIT UNION, which are both located on the main street, have banking machines to ensure your wallet is as well stocked.

Want to stock up on fruit, veggies, or other supplies? Please drop into the VICTORIA FARMERS CO-OP in Baddeck. JULIA'S BAKERY is a great bakery in the store that has excellent baked goods made on-site, perfect for an after run treat!!

The IRVING STATION outside Baddeck and PETROCANADA STATION in Cheticamp will both be open for gas. The Irving Station is staffed 24/7, but the PetroCanada Station may not be staffed when we pass through in the dead of night. However, gas will still be available through the pumps via a credit card!

THE CLUCKING HEN is located at the end of Leg #2 and has lots of great food including sandwiches, soup and fresh baked goods. They will be open for takeout during our stop at their parking lot from 8am-11am, with the main restaurant open at 11am.

THE WRECK COVE GENERAL STORE has sadly closed and been put up for sale (any takers?).

We finish at the end of Leg 4 in the CAPE SMOKEY parking lot. They will have grab and go food available for the runners. That will be midday so a great time for re-fueling!

STAND AND STUFF YOUR FACE will be on deck at the end of Leg 3 and Leg 6 to satisfy your hunger and keep you going around the trail.

MOUNTAIN VIEW HOTEL AND RESTAURANT will be open late for the race as we arrive in Pleasant Bay at the end of Leg 9.

Since we arrive in Cheticamp at 12:30am, stop by WABO'S PIZZA for a late night snack, where they'll be staying open until 3am just for us!!!!

CAFÉ LES SUETES is planning to open up and sell coffee as we pass through Cheticamp in the wee hours of the morning, and is a great place to stop in and get that energy boost to get you to the finish line!

Unfortunately, THE DANCING GOAT will likely not be open as we pass through Margaree this year.

THE LAKES RESTAURANT located at the end of Leg 15 will be open at 5:30 on Sunday with some breakfast offerings.

As always, do not hesitate to reach out with any questions, and we'll see you all next week!

Grace

Hi all, I believe there was a really proactive team who sent me their waiver a couple of months ago, but I cannot seem to find that email anywhere. If that was you can you please reach out to me and send your waiver again so I can cross you off the list?

Thanks! Grace

Hello runners! Here is the first of two lengthy, but extremely important emails that I will be sending you today. This one focuses on all the important things to know and remember for next weekend, so please read carefully. We will also be sending out a road report sometime before next weekend.

WHAT TO BRING

May in Cape Breton can take a person by surprise – even for those of us who have lived here for our entire lives! It is not uncommon for us to experience every season in a span of 24 hours, in fact, there might even still be some snow up in the highlands. Furthermore, the temperature can still drop quite low at night – we still have frost warnings this time of year. It might be 17 during the day, but it'll still go down to 2 degrees once it gets dark out, so we want you to be prepared for anything! So here is the Cape Breton Survival Guide for Runners:

• Sunscreen
• Layers upon layers
• Blankets
• Dry/warm change of clothes for right after your leg
• Clothes that will protect you from the rain and cold – a lot of this event goes along the coast where you will be subject to ocean winds, and they can be very chilly!
• Food and water – there are many opportunities to replenish around the trail, but you don't want to get stuck on French Mountain in the middle of the night with nothing to eat or drink, so best to have a stash with you!
• Toilet paper – the portapotties that we station around the trail run out very quickly, and although we supply each team with two rolls, we still recommend bringing more

WATER STOPS

If your team is in charge of a water stop this year, please pay close attention to this section. We will provide you with all of the cups, water, and garbage/recycling bags that you will need – the rest is up to you. Water stops on legs 12-15 are QUIET water stops, meaning no music, cheering, or loud noise of any kind. We must respect the fact that we are running through communities where people are sleeping. When you go to set up your water stop, you do not need to be at the exact distance that is listed, because safety is a priority. As long as you are within the general area of your distance mark, you are to set up your water stop in an area that will not obstruct runners or other vehicles (ie, not directly on the road), and you should have a pretty clear line of sight in both directions so that you are visible to cars and runners. Finally, you must leave the area exactly as you found it, if not better! This means that all garbage needs to be picked up and placed in the provided bags, then disposed of properly. Please remember to send me your team's theme (if you have one) by the end of the day on Friday May 22!

THE WOODS ARE NOT YOUR BATHROOM

There will be bathrooms and/or portapotties located at each leg – PLEASE USE THEM. We will provide each team with two rolls of toilet paper; however, we strongly encourage you to bring more because the portapotties can run out very quickly. The lines at the portapotties can get to be very long, so we ask that you give priority to runners who are getting ready to run their leg. There will also be washrooms available in Cape Breton Highlands National Park at the main campgrounds.

RACE PACE & DNFs

The Cabot Trail Relay Race is by no means an easy event and it has become very competitive for teams to even earn a spot on the roster. Due to this, and as was the case this year, DNFs became one of the determining factors of whether teams made the selection list. As a reminder, in order to 'make the mat' or finish a leg with a qualifying time, runners should be able to maintain an ~9:00 min/mile (~5:35 min/km) pace. This will help ensure you make the mat and leave some wiggle room in case of a bad run. Anyone who does not make the mat will be assigned the slowest recorded time plus five minutes and will be considered DNF (did not finish). Please remember that we have new DNF rules going into effect with the 2026 results, they can be found here: https://cabottrailrelay.com/registration/.

On the same topic, if you do have a runner who is still running after the finish line has been packed up – DO NOT ABANDON THEM. You are now responsible for that runner and cannot leave until they have been picked up and are safe. No matter what happens, someone from your team needs to be at the finish line waiting for that person.

To maintain consistency, the mat will be pulled as soon as the time allocated for each leg has elapsed. These times remain the same as they have always been. The time allotted per leg is as follows:

• Leg 1 – 1:40:00
• Leg 2 – 1:45:00
• Leg 3 – 1:20:00
• Leg 4 – 2:00:00
• Leg 5 – 1:45:00
• Leg 6 – 1:50:00
• Leg 7 – 1:20:00
• Leg 8 – 1:15:00
• Leg 9 – 1:45:00
• Leg 10 – 1:30:00
• Leg 11 – 1:25:00
• Leg 12 – 1:40:00
• Leg 13 – 1:35:00
• Leg 14 – 1:55:00
• Leg 15 – 1:30:00
• Leg 16 – 1:30:00

So, for example, once 1 hour and 40 minutes have elapsed since the gun went on Leg 1, the mat will be pulled, and anyone who has not crossed the mat at that point will be assigned a DNF. You will notice that Leg 17 does not have an allotted time, and that is because the chip timers do their very best to stay at that finish line until every runner has crossed.

SHOWERS

Showers will be available at Cabot High from 3-6pm on Saturday, and at Baddeck Academy from 8am-12pm on Sunday.

HEADPHONES/EARBUDS

Headphones, earbuds and music are NOT PERMITTED while running. This includes bone conduction and open ear headphones, as well as music playing through phone speakers (ie without headphones). Because we do not fully close the roads, you need to be listening to and aware of traffic that will be coming through so that you can step onto the shoulder and continue running safely.

VESTS AND HEADLAMPS

Reflective vests are MANDATORY for all night legs. Please show the tech crew your vest for approval. If you do not have a vest, you can rent them from the tech crew for $20 (CASH ONLY), but please keep in mind that the tech crew has a very limited number of vests, so please try to bring your own. You will get your $20 back when you return the vest at the banquet. Noxgear and LED vests are acceptable, but PLEASE make sure they have a full battery before you start your leg, and it would also be good to have a backup option ready just in case the LED vest fails.

Headlamps are not mandatory; however, they are strongly recommended as there are some dark stretches of road. The tech crew may have some that you can use, but they will not have many, so please bring your own if you can.

MAGNETIC SIGNS

During registration, we will give you a packet containing 3 magnetic signs (1 yellow, 2 white) and a time tag. This packet will be $20 (CASH ONLY), but you will get that $20 back when you return the signs and time tag to us - undamaged - at the banquet. This packet will also contain the pass needed for going through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

EXTRA MEALS

Some of you asked to order extra meals - these will be $25 (CASH ONLY) each and can be paid for at registration on Friday. There will also be a limited number of extra meals available for purchase at the banquet on Sunday.

WAIVERS

Waivers can be emailed to me or submitted in person at registration. If your team is signing multiple waivers (if members are spread out and each signing their own copy) please email them to me as one single document. Similarly, if submitting in person, please make sure that all pages are stapled or held together in some way. Your waiver must be signed and submitted in order to pick up your shirts and race kit. Waivers can be emailed to me up until 4pm on the 22nd. You can access the waiver form on our website, and we will have blank ones at registration should you need them.

MERCH PICKUP

For those of you who ordered our CTRR merch, it will be organized per team and ready to be picked up by your captains during registration.

SCHEDULE

Registration: 5-7pm at Gisele's Captain's Meeting: 7-8pm at Gisele's

You will want to bring someone with you to registration because there is a lot to carry - but we ask that only ONE PERSON per team attend the captain's meeting due to the small size of the room in which it is being held. Furthermore, individual team members do not have to come register – this registration period is simply for team captains or a team representative to come, let us know that the team is here, and to pick up all the stuff you'll need for the weekend. This will also be your last chance to change the names assigned to each leg, as Atlantic Chip will be present and ready to accept those last minute changes.

BANQUET

As some of you may be aware, the Victoria County Civic Centre (AKA the rink) is getting ready to be demolished and rebuilt. This means that we aren't able to host our banquet inside the rink this year. Instead, we will be hosting the banquet in a tent in the rink parking lot. Because it's in a tent and not a closed building, we recommend wearing layers as the weather could be cold and rainy or sunny and warm. The ground also may be relatively mucky, so don't wear your good shoes! We will have 6 portapotties and two portable handwash stations available. Otherwise, the banquet will proceed as normal!

A MESSAGE FROM THE TECH CREW

The Cabot Trail Relay team of volunteers – affectionately known as the "Tech Crew" are some of the best, resilient, energetic and dedicated people to ever wear a volunteer moniker at a running event. From 5:30 am Saturday morning until 10:30 Sunday morning, this hardy group of awesome people act in unison to keep the event not just running smoothly, but also safely throughout amazing terrain, all sorts of different weather events, and tirelessly through daylight and darkness making this incredible event happen! When we say they work in unison, we also mean they work cohesively. They are assigned jobs that they do diligently, but they also help their fellow crew members to fill in roles, when the need becomes apparent. They don't wait to be asked to go that extra mile (so to speak!), they keep their eyes open and they themselves offer to help other members of the tech crew, if need be. This incredible group of relay volunteers work nearly 30 hours straight – without sleep, to make this world-renowned event a success every year. If you are part of this event, please thank those volunteers! Without them, the event would simply not happen. Don't be a reason why they need to impose penalties on teams. We, the tech crew, along with our dedicated first responders, are there to make the event happen – once again, safely and successfully.

The volunteer Tech Crew works as a tight-knit group. And it's up to them and you – the participants – to make this year another successful year of outstanding athleticism and unbelievable fun, safely travelling the entire length of the famous and most certainly unique Cabot Trail. Run hard. Have fun. Be safe. Soak up the amazing camaraderie between the 1,190 entrants (70 teams) and the Tech Safety Crew! The safety of the event depends on us and all of YOU.

Cheers, Grace

Hi everyone, Attached you will find a blank waiver for our event. This needs to be filled out and submitted to us before you can pick up your race shirts next Friday. There are two ways you can submit the waiver to us:

• Email us a PDF of your filled out waiver. It is fine if your team has filled out multiple copies, I just ask that you please submit them to me as one multi-page document, not as 17 separate documents. I also ask that only one team representative submits the waiver virtually. I will not be accepting individual submissions from multiple team members.
• You can bring the signed waivers to registration. Again, if you have multiple copies please attach them with a paper clip or staple or something similar so that it is easier for us to keep things organized.

Thanks! Grace

Hi all! Can't believe we are less than two weeks out from race weekend! This will be the first of many emails you'll be receiving from me over the coming days, and all will have important information to help ensure you and your team have a successful CTRR weekend.

First up, one of our fantastic sponsors, The Highwheeler Cafe, will be offering Cabot Trail Relay Box Lunches for $19.99. The lunches will include a home-made sandwich, apple or banana, 2 cookies and a bottle of water. Sandwich options include 1) Veggie and Cheese, 2) Ham, Cheese, Lettuce and Tomato or 3) Turkey, Lettuce and Tomato. Sandwiches can come on white or porridge bread. Vegan and Gluten-free options are available upon request. Please order as a team, if possible. Orders can be made via John@highwheelercafe.com. The order deadline is May 18th.

These are a great way to stay fueled around the trail with delicious, homemade food!

Best, Grace

Hi everyone! We are selling Cabot Trail Relay Race merch again this year. Please make sure this link gets out to your teams so that they may have the chance to order if they are interested! At checkout, there is a place to put your team name, and any orders placed by your team will be available to pick up along with your race shirts at registration on Friday May 22.

Here is the link to the website:

https://cabottrailrelay.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Please note all orders are due one week from today, on Sunday May 3.

Thanks! Grace

Hi everyone! Attached is the finalized list of the water stop assignments for this year, thank you to all teams who volunteered! Just a quick reminder to please send me your water stop themes if/when you come up with them. This will not be shared with anyone outside the committee prior to the event, it just really helps with the best water stop voting at the banquet.

Cheers, Grace