The Banff-Jasper Relay is a challenge that many have undertaken in its more than 30-year history, since starting in 1979. After a five-year hiatus from 2000 to 2005, the race is now in its seventh year with new management, but the same difficult course. It will leave from Castle Mountain Junction on June 4.

The race was stopped in 2000 after Parks Canada raised concerns about night time wildlife conflicts. When the race was revamped in 2005, it was organized so that no runners would be on course at night. A running club from Edmonton used to organize the event until the hiatus, now the race is organized by a new group. 

Blair Shunk, race director, said the race was re-started in memory of his friend Garth Huck, who passed away in 2004 from a brain tumour.

“I promised him right before he passed away, that I’d bring the relay back,” Shunk said. 

Shunk was able to pull it off the following year, and since then teams have been running the Banff-Jasper route every year. 

There are no longer any issues of night-time wildlife encounters, because a new process ensures all racers are into Jasper before the sun sets. Shunk has worked with Parks Canada to make sure the race is up to their standards.

“Parks Canada has been awesome to work with,” he said.

The race sponsors many great charities and causes. The main charity is the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, but many local groups in Jasper benefit from the dinner that follows the race. 

Last year 650 people were served dinner in the Jasper Activity Centre’s curling rink. The dinner is prepared by École Desrochers as a fundraiser. The Jasper Brew Pub donates beer, which is served by the Jasper Fire Brigade Society to support a burn unit in Edmonton. 

“There’s a lot of community involvement,” Shunk said. 

This year he expects upwards of 700 guests will attend the celebration dinner. So far the race has raised about $70,000 to $80,000 for its charities, Shunk said. He expects about $15,000 to come in this year. 

The race itself is a gruelling 258-kilometre stage race split into two halves. It’s run in two stages, with one start from Castle Mountain Junction outside of Banff, and the other at Saskatchewan Crossing.

“It works really well,” Shunk said. 

Both starts are at 7 a.m. Each stage offers different challenges, and Shunk said some racers enter just for the toughest legs – one being the jaunt up to the Icefields Centre. 

“Some of them are pretty tough,” Shunk said. “They’re pretty challenging.”

It was decided well before Shunk signed up to help organize the run, that the race would go from Banff to Jasper. Shunk said it works well because Jasper has better facilities and the ability to host the 650-plus dinner. 

“It just works better that way. It promotes the park,” Shunk said. “We like it the way it is.”

The race has been won by a Calgary team called Adrenaline Rush for many years in a row, but this year, Shunk said they will be given a run for their money with a few new teams that have signed up. Last year, Adrenaline Rush’s runners ended up stopping for an hour to let the other runners catch up, and they still came into Jasper first. 

“We get some great teams,” Shunk said. 

Some of the most exciting categories are the female runners, and corporate category. Shunk said the corporate category sees a lot of friendly rivalries between businesses. Teams usually arrive in Jasper from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

So far 45 teams are signed up, and the race is capped at 60 teams. Anyone interested in signing up can do so online at www.bjr.ca. More information is also available by contacting Shunk at info@bjr.ca, as well as on the Banff-Jasper Relay Facebook group.