A little mistake turned into a great success at the annual Totem Spring Run Off event held at Lake Edith on May 8.

Stephanie English, one of the organizers of the 10-kilometre run, says a mismarked trail led to all of the 156 racers – except one – running a different course than usual. The little gaffe ended up being a great alteration to the course, although it was slightly longer than the promised 10 km. 

“It seemed like everybody liked the new course – the accidental course,” English said. 

The original course goes around Lake Edith and into the trail system, and ends at Lake Annette. This year, the racers skipped the Lake Edith loop and lapped the trail system twice. 

The 156 racers is the second largest entry number for the run off event. It is slightly lower than last year’s numbers, which set the record. 

Topping the race was Nadyia Fry, who also won last year. The first male runner was Jasper’s Chad Freil.

The event was a fundraiser for Jasper 2 Japan 4 Humanitea, and raised $750 for the cause. The charitable group sent 13 volunteers to help with registration and more. 

The race began just as the sky began turning blue, allowing the racers to avoid the rain that had threatened all day. English said the blue sky helped brighten the spirits of the runners that travelled from Hinton, Edmonton, Radium, Grand Cache, Grand Prairie, and of course, from Jasper. 

The race is mostly non-competitive and just for fun, but the top five or so runners can get a bit competitive. English said the race is about 60 to 40 per cent women to men, a change from the early years of the race when men dominated the field. Many women come out to celebrate Mother’s Day with their daughters or moms. 

English said the race is on for next year again, and promises the trail will be fixed and clearly marked.

“We will do our best to never have that screw up again,” she laughed.