By Emily Stonehouse

The annual Haliburton Forest Trail Race is sure to bring people from all over the country.

 Including Parliament Hill.

 Prime Minister Mark Carney joined his wife, Diana Fox Carney in a 26 kilometre run for her birthday over the past weekend. And while staff at Haliburton Forest knew weeks in advance, they kept the arrival of the prime minister under wraps until the big day. 

“We found out two weeks ago,” said Tegan Legge, the manager of tourism and recreation at the Forest, and the trail race coordinator. “We were contacted by security detail, and had been working with them.” 

For 30 years, the Haliburton Forest Trail Race has welcomed hundreds of runners to the region. This year, 650 were registered, filling up local accommodations and rental sites surrounding the Forest. 

“This is really the friendliest, happiest event,” said Legge. “You always hear that the race is like the Haliburton Forest family reunion, and I love that.” 

Beyond the visit from Carney, outpourings of love and support for the race took centre stage over the race weekend. 

Hundreds of positive comments flooded the trail race social media pages, shouting out the volunteers, the map directions, and the trail itself. 

“Looking forward to joining again next year,” reads more than one post. 

The trail race has five options for running: 12, 26, or 50 kilometre, and then 50 or 100 mile races, with the longest race taking hours to days to complete. 

“It’s really a change of pace for me,” said Legge, reflecting on the hustle and bustle of the past weekend. “I’m not usually a part of that running community, but they all feel like friends and family now.” 

Legge and her team made the decision to keep the arrival of Prime Minister Carney quiet from the public. 

“The whole intention is that they wanted to come and run the Forest trails, and not make it a big deal,” she said. “And it really warmed my heart, and my team’s heart, that we could do that for them.” 

Legge noted that following the race, Carney stayed to chat with fellow racers and snap photos with those who asked. 

“To show 650 people the Forest is really huge,” said Legge, noting that she embraces the opportunity to showcase and celebrate the land, and how fragile it is in our current climate. “Having them show up, it’s a testament for this race, and for what we’re doing at Haliburton Forest.”