YOU ARE INVITED ON A JOURNEY THAT CONNECTS BUTTERFLIES, ULTRA-RUNNING & FILM-MAKING WITH RESILIENCY, INSPIRATION & HOPE THAT SURROUNDS ALL OF US...
Photos taken by Ben Wolfe at the Official Launch Event of the Monarch Ultra Relay Run on Sept. 19 - Peterborough, ON
A team of film-makers, runners, and pollinator advocates will be telling the story of the flight of the monarch butterfly as seen through the eyes of ultra-runners who will run the same distance of 4,300km (2,671 miles) from southern Ontario to central Mexico in the fall of 2019. The Monarch Ultra is the first attempt to run across North America (Canada, United States & Mexico) in order to raise awareness of monarch butterflies who make the migratory journey every year, and whose populations are in decline. Our 47-day running adventure will invite runners to traverse wild landscapes as well populated urban areas while building camaraderie, overcoming adversity, and sharing a singular adventure with monarch butterflies. The Monarch Ultra starts in Peterborough, Ontario and ends at the Cerro Pelon Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico, with runners following the same migration route as monarch butterflies. 50 ultra-runners will run a leg of 50 or 100 km each through a diversity of landscapes including mountain paths, forests, meadows, deserts, and cities. The Monarch Ultra is a celebration of two types of superheroes: monarch butterflies and ultra-runners. Both cover long distances using their incredible body strength to arrive at a new (unknown) destination. Most importantly, the Monarch Ultra is an opportunity to connect communities across North America with common goals of Earth stewardship & biodiversity conservation.
WE DID IT! WE DID IT! Thank you to everyone who helped make this dream a reality! To view the Final Report for the Monarch Ultra Relay Run, please visit monarch_ultra_report_2019.pdf.
