For 25 years, writers have been discovering what happens when they simply say yes.
Registration is now open for the 2026 Muskoka Novel Marathon, which will celebrate its 25th anniversary from July 16 to 19, 2026, at Port Sydney Community Hall and online via Zoom. Organizers look to fill 40 in-person seats, along with unlimited virtual spaces for remote participants.
“You will not regret it,” says Bracebridge author Cheryl Cooper, who has participated in the marathon from the beginning. “But be prepared to have the most exhilarating and inspiring time of your life.”
Founded in 2002 by writers Martin Avery and Mel Malton, the nonprofit, volunteer-led marathon has become both a literary tradition and a community fundraiser built around one simple idea: Writers Helping Readers. The creative challenge invites writers of all experience levels to dedicate 72 hours to writing a novel while raising funds to support adult literacy services through YMCA Simcoe Muskoka.
Marathoners have often written through exhaustion, breakthroughs, self-doubt, bursts of inspiration, countless cups of coffee, and more.
Some arrive with detailed outlines and polished ideas. Others show up with little more than a spark, a notebook, and the hope that this might finally be the year they start writing the novel they’ve been carrying around for years.
By the end of the weekend, many leave transformed and with life-long friendships.
In all, 17 manuscripts drafted during the marathon have gone on to become published novels. The marathon has also helped launch literary careers, including that of author Amy Stuart, whose first novel, Still Mine, won Best Novel at the 2010 marathon and went onto become the first of a series of four international best sellers.
Cooper knows that journey too. Her first published novel, Come Looking for Me, began as a marathon manuscript and went on to launch her Seasons of War series set during the War of 1812. In 2026, she plans to pen the opening chapters of the series’ fifth installment.
But she says the marathon is about more than publication.
“The weekend is just so much fun,” says Cooper. “It builds confidence and it’s invaluable to have an opportunity to meet and share with others. This is key because, for so many of us, writing can be lonely – just you, your laptop, and your imagination.”
That sense of camaraderie is part of what has kept the event alive for 25 years through changing technology, shifting publishing landscapes, and even four fully virtual pandemic-era marathons.
KM Wehrstein, a Huntsville author and longtime marathon convenor who has participated since 2006, says the event offers something increasingly rare: uninterrupted creative focus and a supportive community.
“You take yourself into a different world,” says Wehrstein, an established author who has published three science fiction-fantasy novels. “For 72 hours, you can immerse yourself completely in writing. There is no writing experience like it.”
Meals, snacks, coffee, and tea are provided. Writers are also permitted to sleep in the hall overnight. Bonds are often formed and writers genuinely want each other to succeed.
Participants may compete for Best Novel and Best Spanish-Language Novel, though submitting work for judging is optional. Those who do receive judges’ feedback, and the winner earns a manuscript review from Winnipeg-based At Bay Press.
Wehrstein says the marathon’s reach extends beyond writing by raising funds and awareness for adult literacy services in Huntsville and area, where roughly one-third of residents are affected by literacy challenges.
“It’s a bigger problem than people think,” says Wehrstein. “Literacy affects confidence, opportunity, and people’s ability to fully participate in life. What we do here really matters.”
The 25th anniversary event will include commemorative swag, celebratory moments, cake, and new workshops focused on writing, fundraising, and the marathon’s history.
Wehrstein says ensuring the marathon continues past 25 years is all the motivation needed to stay on as a participant and convenor – and to celebrate: “We have survived for 25 years, so I’m going to enjoy it, eat some cake, have a great time, and try to ensure everyone else does too.”
For Cooper, the milestone year feels like the perfect time for new writers to finally take the leap.
“I hope to see a whole new crop of aspiring authors joining us in Port Sydney,” she says. “Maybe there’s a story that’s been nudging them for years. This is the year to start.”
After 25 years, the marathon veterans’ message is simple: say “Yes.” Sign up, show up, and start writing.
To register or learn more, visit MuskokaNovelMarathon.com or follow the Muskoka Novel Marathon on Facebook.