As a relatively isolated community in Ontario, the athletic community around Sault Ste. Marie commonly participates in races and events just across the river in Sault, Michigan, the Upper Peninsula, and beyond.
However, with repeated threats of making Canada the ‘51st state’, as well as ongoing tariff threats from the Trump administration, the international border that divides the twin Saults may also drive a wedge into the athletic community from either side.
For Cheryl MacKay, an avid athlete from St. Joseph’s Island, it already has.
MacKay has participated in over 100 athletic events in Michigan over the past 15 years – from 5k races, bike races, snowshoe races, and more – but she recently cancelled plans to participate in the Freighter Festival of Races at the end of March, and does not plan to participate in any more Michigan-based events moving forward.
“It'd be the first running race of the year for me, and then all of this happened with the U.S. government administration, tariff wars, and it was a tough decision,” she said.
“I felt torn between going and doing something really fun with a great group of people that's a well organized event, and at the same time, you know, elbows up, just trying to take a stand.”
For MacKay, continuing to cross the border means, on some level, signalling that the recent actions by the U.S. government are acceptable.
“I feel like we need to take a stand. If we just continue to cross the border, do the event, do the shopping, do the travelling, then maybe they're going to think it's okay. Maybe they're going to think we're okay with being the 51st state,” she said.
“I don't want anyone in the U.S. to get that impression,” she said.
“Things are not normal. They're not the way they used to be. Things are very, very different now.”
However, the decision does not come without consequences.
MacKay pointed out that the nearest snowshoe race she found in Ontario was six hours away in Huntsville, with some others as far away as Ottawa or Kingston, and said travelling to Michigan is generally a “no brainer” because of the travel required at home in Canada.
That said, there are still “lots of great options” in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., too, she said.
She’s heard from fellow athletes who feel the same way, and saw comments from others who plan to continue their travels into Michigan, but MacKay plans to find non-American alternatives to travel for athletic events for the time being.
“I decided that this is kind of my protest. This is what I can do to just let people across the border know that I'm not OK with their government and the trade war,” she said.
“We're in a steel town, for crying out loud – it's going to hit us really hard.
“This is aimed at us, so I'm not comfortable crossing the border right now at all.”
Over the Christmas holidays, MacKay said she was at a bar in Michigan with her son, where they asked for the World Junior hockey game to be played on the TV.
“Beside us at the bar, there was a couple sitting there, and . . . as soon as we asked for the hockey game, they were like, ‘You must be Canadian,’” she said.
“It didn't take a minute sitting beside those people, and they started to preach the ‘MAGA’ to us.”
“We came here on vacation, and I don't want to hear why your primary president is doing all these great things and going to make us a 51st state,” she said. “They were telling us we're going to welcome you with open arms.
“They believe we're going to become part of their country. That’s scary to me.”
In a statement to SooToday, the Yooper Running Company – organizers of the Freighter Festival of Races – said about 10-20 percent of their event participants come from Canada.
"We appreciate their support, participation, and camaraderie. We occasionally attend their local running group events and love to connect with the running community there. The Freighter Festival of Races events consist of a 5K Run, 5K Walk, and Half-Marathon. A craft show will also be going on during this event inside Avery Square. There is a 200 participant cap for the races that will likely sell out before race day. Entries continue to be strong with participants coming from as far as 7 hours away. We believe our running events provide an economic boost for both countries by promoting tourism to the areas while improving the quality of life for people within this region."
