(File photo)

Sophie Gray

Local Journalism Initiative

Farewell all you Freak’n Farmers.

Covert Farms and Hoodoo Adventures have announced that the popular obstacle course in Oliver has run its last race.

The event, which saw more than 2,000 participants at the height of it’s participation, has struggled to secure enough sponsors and participants the last few years to sustain it, said Lyndie Hill, co-owner of Hoodoo Adventures and co-organizer of Freak’n Farmer.

“Covert Farms and Hoodoo Adventures were both family-run businesses so it was just an astronomical amount of work that we needed to see some return on and unfortunately, declining numbers, declining sponsorships, all of that, it was up in the air.”

The event started in 2012, when Tough Mudder races were trending across the country. Taking place on the 700-acre Covert Farm, participants from all ages could compete in a variety of events ranging from one kilometre obstacle courses all the way up to 20 km. Participants had to conquer up to 26 obstacles that changed from year to year.

Hill said that it was not an easy decision to cancel the event, but they had actually been considering cancelling it before COVID-19 hit, which was “just like a nail in the coffin kind of thing.”

Hill knows it will be a disappointment to many people in the Oliver community, but said it is the right decision for them. She and the others involved with the event have nothing but gratitude for all those who have helped out or participated over the years. Local businesses chipped in as sponsors, contractors gave their time to help build obstacles, and schools brought children out to participate.

“It’s a big loss in our event calendar for the community and for us,” said Hill. “In our family, it’s like it’s summer, spring, winter and Freak’n Farmer time, it’s not even fall. It was a really, really, difficult decision for us.”

But Hill said Hoodoo Adventures and Covert Farms are looking into other options that would allow them to host a different event together, as the two families really enjoy working with each other to put on events for the Oliver community.

“We looked at ways to maybe adjust the Freak’n Farmer, if we could keep it somehow but make it different so it didn’t take as much work to put it together,” said Hill. “So we’re definitely looking at all opportunities because we love the Coverts, we love working together; it just has to make sense.”