races

With its world-renowned attractions, urban comforts and four-season outdoor adventures, Greater Sudbury continues to surprise and impress. We invite you to discover for yourself why Greater Sudbury is becoming one of Ontario’s popular go-to destinations.

Closest Airport:

If flying internationally, fly to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) then to Greater Sudbury Airport (YSB).

The Greater Sudbury Airport is one of Northern Ontario’s busiest and is currently served by four major airlines. Air Canada and Porter offer daily flights to and from Toronto. Bearskin Airlines offers air service to and from many Northeastern Ontario centres.

Driving

388km (241 mi.) north of Toronto
292km (181 mi.) north of Barrie
460km (285 mi.) north or Kitchener
299km (186 mi.) east of Sault Ste. Marie
494km (307 mi.) west of Ottawa
697km (433 mi.) west of Montreal
735km (451 mi.) northeast of Windsor
1,001km (622 mi.) southeast of Thunder Bay

Accommodation

We are happy to announce our on-going partnership with Homewood Suites by Hilton, located at 2270 Regent Street Sudbury, Ontario, P3E 0B4. Homewood Suites offers spacious rooms, kitchenettes, and are bike friendly so you won't have to worry about your gear. Here is some additional information:

Rooms: 10 Studio Suites that offers spacious suites featuring a king size bed, a sitting area (with a pull out couch), a work area, and a kitchenette

10 One-bedroom king Suites that offers spacious suites featuring a king size bed, a sitting area (with a pull out couch), a work area, and a kitchenette

Group Rate: Studio Suite $154.00 plus taxes, includes complimentary breakfast buffet, free parking and Wi-Fi

One-bedroom King Suite $164.00 plus taxes, includes complimentary breakfast buffet, free parking and Wi-Fi

Group Release Date: June 22, 2023 (reservations must be booked prior to this date in order to receive the preferred rate, no exceptions)

One Click Direct Booking Link: HOMEWOOD SUITES BY HILTON SUDBURY DIRECT BOOKING LINK XTERRA CONQUER THE CRATER JULY 2023

Individual Cancellation Policy: 4 pm day of arrival date or a fee equal to one nights room and tax at your group rate will be charged to the credit card guaranteeing the reservation

Check In: Anytime after 3pm

Check Out: Anytime before 12pm

To book a reservation from the block, Please use the above one click booking link or they can call the hotel direct at 705-523-5200 and request a room from the Xterra Conquer the Crater, group code is “XCC”

Reservations must be booked by June 22, 2023 in order to qualify for the preferred rate. No exceptions. Any reservation request received after this date are subject to availability at our Best Available Rate.

Please visit Discover Sudbury for all local travel ideas.

There are 22 hotels and motels in Greater Sudbury with accommodations to suit every budget.

Camping

NEW THIS YEAR!!!!!

We are extremely happy to announce that XTERRA Conquer the Crater and Kivi Park have reached an agreement to permit overnight camping. Pricing and a detailed map indicating camping zones will be available soon.

There are a variety of private campgrounds both for tenting and RV’s. Contact Discover Sudbury for further information. Unfortunately there is no overnight camping currently permitted at Kivi Park.

Cottage/Cabin Rental

You are in Ontario’s cottage country and visiting on a long weekend! Why not make this a summer vacation? If this is of interest to you, best to book early as these option tend to get scooped up early regardless of race weekend!

Five Guiding Principles:

Enhanced Hygiene

Hand sanitizer, hand washing stations and disinfectant wipes will be readily available around our race venues. Cleaning of common venue areas will be enhanced.
Staff and volunteers will be provided with face coverings, face shields (if necessary), and gloves to be used while working in all athlete-facing areas. Athletes will be provided with face coverings at packet pick-up and we expect that athletes wear a face covering around our event venues.

Screening & Education:

Appropriate personal health, personal hygiene and safe support education and training will be provided for staff and volunteers in necessary functional areas.
Our team consists of Public Health personnel and emergency medicine physicians and nurses that have developed guidelines and will train all staff and volunteers.
Athletes and volunteers will be required to fill out a pre-race health questionnaire.
Additionally, no-touch body temperature screening may be instituted based on local outbreak cautionary status/level. Per the World Health Organization guidelines, individuals with a body temperature of greater than 100.4º Fahrenheit or 38º Celsius will not be allowed to race, volunteer or work.

Density Reduction:

Our teams are instituting measures to increase space for athletes and supporting personnel in areas such as swim start, transition, and finish line.
In addition, we are making appropriate modifications to, or elimination of, non-essential race services like banquets, in-person race briefings, etc.

Touch-point Minimization:

We will be reducing or removing touch-points and points of interaction between staff, participants, and volunteers in many aspects of the event. We have redesigned and re-imagined areas such as athlete check-in, expo, merchandise, transition area and finish line to minimize person-to-person contact.
Aid stations will be reconfigured to minimize both athlete-to-volunteer and athlete-to-athlete contact.

Athlete Self-Reliance:

Athletes will be empowered to determine their individual level of self-reliance to further minimize interaction and touch-points with race officials and volunteers.
Athletes will be encouraged to race smart by carrying nutrition and hydration while utilizing items such as hydration vests and event offered special needs stations.
Athletes should review and embrace Athlete Smart Tips
Our best practices will continue to evolve in line with the current environment. Races may be subject to further changes as we align with regional and local government recommendations. Additional correspondence regarding athlete expectations for gear and personal items will be communicated well in advance of race day.

The following tips focus on the XTERRA athlete’s ability to be self-reliant on race days. These are skills every athlete should possess to assure their personal safety while training and their ultimate success on race day. Practice these skills today and repeatedly as you prepare for your event.

IN-TRAINING
BUILD SELF-RELIANCE AS YOU DEVELOP YOUR FITNESS
How do you carry nutrition? Your long training day prep should always include the tools you will use on race day. Practice using a hydration pack or race vest on long bike and/or run days. This will limit your need to utilize each aid station out on course and give you the ability to move through the course more efficiently. Make sure you have also practiced your nutrition plan during your long training rides/ runs so you have your it dialed-in for race day.

How well do you know your course?

Practice your planning skills so you can execute flawlessly. For training and racing, course knowledge is critical to success. The change in terrain and location of the aid stations and special needs will help you plan your day. Practice this by making similar plans for your training courses. Create time-based plans and have an “A”, “B” and “C” plan. This will help you prepare nutrition needs no matter what the day throws at you.

Can you change a flat? Fix a dropped chain?

Practice changing the tube or tubular of your bike before heading to your event. Do some dry runs while at home to make sure you are 100% comfortable if you need to change a tire or a tubular tire on race day. Also make sure to bring an additional tube(s) or tire with you to carry during the event in case you have to make a change. You can also drop an extra tube or tire into your bike special needs bag. If you are not totally comfortable with bike maintenance, have your bike tuned up by a mechanic prior to race weekend. This should include making sure your brakes are in good working condition, as well as checking your tires. If you plan to switch to a racing wheel on race day, make sure you have a mechanic check your bike with your racing wheels on.

PRE-RACE
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Nutrition-Plan well, shop early, pack right! Pack your bags a full week ahead of race day. This assures that you arrive at the event prepared with all your nutritional needs for race day. This includes any hydration, food, or any other nutritional items you plan to use on race day. You can use this Packing list as a guide and only check off the items when you place them into your race gear bags. Racing Gear Come to the event prepared with all your race day gear, including items such as your bike shoes, helmet, racing kit, wetsuit/ speed suit, etc. Only in an emergency should you purchase an essential race day item for use that weekend. We recommend laying out your swim, bike and run gear before you pack. Take a picture of each so you can refer and make sure you have not forgotten anything. Additionally, practice removing your wetsuit, simulating race conditions.

Athlete Guide

The Key to Your Schedule: The Athlete Guide is the key to your weekend – where you need to go and who you need to interact with. The XTERRA: Conquer the Crater Team are working to keep the contact points and crowds to a minimum and this is where you can find the details of these specifics for your race site. The more you know prior to arrival, the better you can plan your time. If you’ve raced before, don’t assume the information hasn’t changed from year to year or event to event. Athlete Guide: Read it again. Make sure to read the Athlete Guide a couple of times prior to arriving on site. Pay close attention to the number and location of aid stations, as well as your designated athlete check -in time and bike and gear bag drop-off time. Also make sure you have a parking plan for race day to limit the stress for race morning. Planning ahead of time will lead to a successful race day!

Family and Fans

Family is the ultimate energy giver on race day, but can also be the greatest stressor in the days leading up to the event. Don’t play host all weekend. Develop a specific schedule for meals and entertaining that allows you to achieve your pre-race goals and respects the needs of all members of your entourage. Plan ahead with your family/supporters so you know where to meet up with them postrace. It will be best to pick a location away from the immediate finish area to avoid larger crowds. You can also utilize the event Athlete Guide to determine a spectator friendly area along the course for family/supporters to cheer you on during race day!

RACE DAY
NAVIGATE YOUR DAY WITH CONFIDENCE
Race day will have some operations in place to help athletes navigate physical distancing. A Self-Reliant athlete looking to limit contact points can refer to the following key details on race day.

BIKE AND GEAR BAG CHECK-IN
Take the extra time when packing your gear bags so that when you arrive on site for bike and gear bag check-in, you can drop off your bike and gear as efficiently as possible. Taking the extra time while packing your gear bags and checking your list twice will ensure you have everything you need for race day. Don’t forget to pack sunscreen in your swim to bike and bike to run gear bags as we will not have designated sunscreen volunteers. Hint – upon arrival on the race site, lay out your bags. Place all items that belong in each bag on top of the bag. Take a picture. Refer to the picture to make sure it is packed properly.
SPECIAL NEEDS
Take advantage of the bike and run special needs bags. This is your opportunity to refuel during the bike and run course with the items you trained and practiced with during the weeks and months leading up to event day.
STUDY THE COURSE AND VENUE
Prior to arriving on-site, make sure you review the available course and venue maps. This will help you better understand how the venue is laid out, where to access parking and how you will flow through transition on race morning. Where possible, drive the bike and run course to better understand any turns, turnaround points or out-and-back sections of the course.
PLAN YOUR MEALS AHEAD OF TIME
Prior to arriving, make sure to check out local restaurants and eateries in the vicinity of the venue and your hotel. Make reservations far in advance. This way you can plan-out your meals ahead of time, including dinner the night before race day, and create a plan for breakfast on race morning.
RACE MORNING PREPARATION
Make sure you arrive on-site race morning with a plan to get in and out of transition as quickly as possible, limiting yourself to only the essentials while in the transition area. This includes checking your tire pressure and putting any last-minute nutrition on your bike.
FINISH LINE AND FAMILY MEET UP POST RACE
Set a designated meetup location for family and friends’ post-race. Make sure they know your A, B, and C plans and have a sense of where you may be at specific points of the race. To avoid crowds, set a location to meet up that is away from the finish line and allows at least 30 minutes post-race for you to recover and meet them.