‘Something for everybody’: Crystal Beach 5K crosses 20-year finish line
October 13, 2024 at 4:10 AM
When the Crystal Beach 5K started in 2005, it was a wet and rainy day that drew about 75 participants.
Close to 600 people participated in Saturday’s Crystal Beach 5K. Credit: Kris Dubé | Fort Erie RadioOn its 20-year anniversary on Saturday, close to 600 people were registered and the weather was ideal, said Phil Smith, one of the event’s founders and lead organizers of this year’s run.
The event also consists of a fun run for kids.
People from al over Ontario and the U.S. participated in Saturday’s Crystal Beach 5K. Credit: Kris Dubé | Fort Erie Radio“It’s really grown and we get people from all over,” said Smith, adding that runners and walkers come from many parts of the U.S and Ontario.
One thing that makes the event special and unique is that it consists of avid and seasoned runners, beginners, and people who just want to walk the route, which is mostly along Erie Road.
“We try to promote it as something for everybody,” said Smith. “Anybody can do this race.”
The Opatovsky family taking part in Saturday’s Crystal Beach 5K. Credit: Kris Dubé | Fort Erie RadioThe event has become a Thanksgiving weekend tradition for many, including for the Opatovsky family.
In previous years, they had four generations of their family participate.
On Saturday, there were three generations lined up to walk the event: Meagan and her father Michael, mother Geri, brother Michael, as well as her children Meadow and Orlando Rotundo, and nephew Michael.
Her grandfather, also named Michael, was the fourth generation previously but he took Saturday’s event off before Thanksgiving dinner with the family on Sunday.
Meagan said the Crystal Beach 5K is part of her family’s Thanksgiving every year, noting that relatives from Owen Sound and Toronto were on their way Saturday to take part.
“It’s a family get-together we do,” she said. “It’s amazing they’ve been doing it for this long.”
The front of the pack as the Crystal Beach 5K starts. Credit: Kris Dubé | Fort Erie RadioNew to this year was a post-race festival hosted by the Crystal Beach BIA.
Running through Monday, Fall Fest is being held at the Grove, a licensed outdoor space on Erie Road across from Legacy Bar and Grill and Crystal Ball Cafe.
There is live music, food trucks, and more.
It continues 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and noon to 5 p.m. Monday.
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About The Author
Kris Dubé
Kris is a veteran journalist who has worked in Niagara for close to 20 years. He is also a lifelong resident of Fort Erie, a place he plans to call home and raise his family for many more years.
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