Last year Jasperite Gerrad Lewin took the honours as the male winner of the annual 10 km Spring Run Off, which is seen as the opening event for the season, but this year he’ll have competition with Valery Joly, a totem ski shop employee and Jasperite for the last year-and-a-half, just one of his competitors.

The annual 10 km Spring Run Off, which is seen as the opening event for the season, is on Sunday May 10 and celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

According to Clare Everest from Totem Ski Shop, most of the 40 or so applicants so far are out of towners which she puts down to Jasper being a “last minute town.”

Everest said it does take a certain level of fitness to compete in the race, which was finished in 38:55 by Lewin and 43:29 by Monkia Brayn last year.

“Ideally you want to finish, you should be in reasonable enough shape to be able to complete 10 km,” she said. “Some people end walking to finish.”

According to Joly, he is in “good condition” but has “no chance to win.”

“I’m just going to do it for fun and for myself,” he said.

Chance or no chance, Joly will join about 100 other competitors at the picnic shelter out at Lake Annette where the 10 km run will begin, running counterclockwise on the road around the lake before heading along Trails 4 and 7 to finish back at Lake Annette.