The third annual Mount Robson Marathon will mark the end of summer celebrations for the 100-year anniversary of Mount Robson Provincial Park.
“We’ve had an event every weekend since July long weekend, and we’re kind of the last part of that summer celebration,” said organizer Darryl Polyk.
The event, which includes a full marathon, half marathon, 12 km race and free kid’s run, takes place Sept. 7.
The full marathon takes runners on the world famous Berg Lake Trail, while the half marathon takes runners along the Robson River to the shores of Kinney Lake.
The 12 km run, which is described on the website as being for “non-endurance runners”, is to Kinney Lake and back.
In last year’s full marathon, Jasper had a fantastic showing with seven runners finishing in the top three in the nine categories. That includes first place finishes for Suzy Whitty in the female 40–49 category, Michael D’Antonio in the male 40–49 category and Dave MacDowell in the male 50–59 category.
“As far as individual communities go, Jasper’s probably the source of more of our entries than any other single community.
“But we draw people from the east and the west and the south and the north for this,” said Polyk. “It’s an amazing place to run.
“We’re probably expecting about 100 full marathoners, probably 125 doing the half and then a lower number, probably around 60 for the 12 km.”
But the best part of the day, according to Polyk, is watching the kid’s run.
“The kids are all very excited and they get their own bibs, so it’s pretty neat.”
There are two races for youth between five and 12 years old, one that’s a lap of the nature trail near the visitor centre and another that’s two laps, equalling 1.5 km.
The registration deadline for all of the races is Sept. 6. Registration can be done online at www.mountrobsonmarathon.ca. The children’s event is a fun run, so it doesn’t require registration.
Nicole Veerman
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