Oceanside Community Track

JOIN OR SUPPORT TEAM RED! LET'S GET THIS TRACK BUILT FOR EVERYONE

Help us raise $250,000 towards the $1.5m cost of building the new Oceanside Community Track.

"I wholeheartedly support the new track. It would be a huge benefit for all sports, students, families and the entire Oceanside community. The track at Ballenas is where my career in Track and Field started. I remember with fond memories having my first high jump practice there which started my journey to the Olympics."  Michael Mason, Olympian (Team Canada - High Jump) & Oceanside Track Ambassador

To join Team Red click here. 

TEAM RED'S 'TRACK YOUR FITNESS' CAMPAIGN

A new campaign has launched to encourage residents to hit the streets and trails this Olympic year to keep fit and raise money for the new Oceanside Community Track.

The Track Your Fitness team known as ‘Team Red’ aims to collectively travel 40,000 km - that’s 100,000 laps of a running track and from Oceanside to the Toyko Olympic Stadium and back three times.

Team Red’s name comes from members wearing a red item of clothing such as a t-shirt or hat whilst exercising to signify the colour of the new track. Anyone can join Team Red and submit their distances from parents wanting to get kids outside, pets walkers, joggers and hikers to seniors inspired by Captain Sir Thomas Moore, who at age 99, raised money by walking 100 laps of his garden.

The Oceanside Community Track committee has already successfully raised one third of the $1.5m target and is excited for the community to get involved, get outside, get fit and join in the fun. The campaign has flown out of the blocks with Elaine Young, the first Team Red member who has already walked 950 km and pledged to cover 2,000 km by September.

Elaine said:
“I love to walk, and thought it would be fun to track my weekly distances to raise money for the new Oceanside Community Track. I have pledged to walk over 47 marathons by September! As an active "Senior Citizen", I need a track to help protect my knees and hips as I run. I shared the campaign on Facebook and people from all over the world have been very generous with donations. It’s wonderful to keep fit and raise money for the new track.”

Rudy Terpstra, head of the Track steering committee said:
“Elaine’s example is incredibly inspiring. We are asking walkers, runners, hikers, and anyone looking to become more active to join our Track Your Fitness Fundraising Team and help make this track a reality. Every step really does count!”

MORE ABOUT THE NEW TRACK

The Oceanside Community Track Committee is raising funds in order to rebuild the community running Track at Ballenas Secondary
School in Parksville, BC.

The existing track was built in the last century with a red cinder base and is approximately 400 m length.  Apart from some improved drainage and re-cindering, no major upgrades have been made since 1977.

The existing facility is past the end of its life cycle.

The track was identified by the Regional District of Nanaimo as needing to be replaced in the 2005 recreational master plan and has been the subject of numerous studies over the years, including a major study in 2009.

The total project cost is estimated to be $1.5 million however after the application of grants and local government contributions, we are asking for a community contribution of $250,000.