 Hello and welcome to Amusement Insiders' first ever ride history video. My name is Jazim and I'll be your host today. If you're not familiar with who I am and what I've been doing here on YouTube, I used to actually do ride history videos on my own channel as well as Wonderland vlogs and that was before I moved to a far far away land where there are no theme parks. So Brendan and I are partnering together to bring the remainder of that series onto this channel since my channel is in a bit of a different direction these days and see if that was something you guys would be interested in seeing and hearing more of. So without further ado, let's dive right into this ride history video. Now if you did watch the series on my channel about the first four roller coasters that opened when Canada's Wonderland first opened in 1981, then you will know that at the very end I hinted that there was a secret additional coaster that even Canada's Wonderland's website doesn't include as a traditional roller coaster. But this ride did open when the park opened in 1981 and it has been operating in Canada's Wonderland ever since and is still operating to this day. I'm sure many of you already know what this ride is and you're probably commenting down below and that's fine, please do so. But today we are talking about Thunder Run. Everybody's favorite mine ride going through Canada's Wonderland's Wonder Mountain. Now Thunder Run first opened on May 23rd 1981 as Blower and Zian. I don't know if I'm pronouncing that right, not even going to try. It was originally located outside of Wonder Mountain, sort of in the spot where the fly currently is, kind of near Jokey's Jalopees and not too far from the rainbow bridge that was to at the time Hanabar, Maryland. Now for five years it stayed in that location and operated as a typical Ma Blower and Zian roller coaster model. In 1986, however, the ride was relocated, extended and basically transformed into the ride that we know and love today, half engulfed by Wonder Mountain. Thunder Run in its current state uses 1,080 feet of track and reaches 40 miles per hour or 64 kilometers an hour, thanks to the power of its electric motors. This ride actually has individual motors underneath each car. And thanks to this motor, the ride actually picks up speed as it begins its ascent into its first upwards helix. As all 40 riders sitting in rows of two on the ride's only train twist and turn inside the depths of Wonder Mountain, they encounter a number of lighting effects and even get to see Wonder Mountain's dragon, Herman. From darkness to light as the ride weaves in and out of the mountain, riders will whizz by the station as their train powers into a second lap around the track. Overall, Thunder Run is a really fun little ride and even though it's designed for younger guests with the minimum height restriction of 102 centimeters or three foot four inches, it's a ride that I always try to get on during every visit that I make to Canada's Wonderland. It's one of my personal favorites. I feel like I've said that about every ride that I've done a ride history video on. But they're classics. There's a lot of fun. Now, the theming and experience of the ride hasn't changed too much in recent years. The recent Halloween haunt seasons have breathed new life into the ride, transforming it for the Halloween season into the haunted Thunder Run. And basically they add new lighting, sound and fog effects during this experience to sort of transform the ride just a little bit for the Halloween season. Now as with many older coasters, there has been talk in recent seasons of what lies ahead for Thunder Run and what potentially its future looks like. It is an older ride and Wonderland has started to branch out with how they're using the space within Wonder Mountain. So is it possible that we can see Thunder Run's removal in upcoming years? I personally hope not and I don't think so. This ride still has consistent lines and a super fun signature experience within the park that people who've been going for years know all about and look forward to an enjoy on every visit. But let me know what you think. Do you think that Wonderland's management wants to see this classical ride preserved? And do you want to see rides like this preserved? As always, I would love your thoughts and opinions in the comments below. And with that I'd like to wrap up this short little video with just a couple of fun facts about that secret fifth original coaster that opened with Canada's Wonderland back in 1981. Did you know that this ride was that old or that it was originally in a different spot? Are there any other fun facts you know about Thunder Run that you'd like to share down below? And what other rides would you guys like to see history videos on here on YouTube and specifically here on Amusement Insiders? Let me know down below and I look forward to seeing you next time. Bye!