Runners encouraged to hit trails
It's a tradition that typically marks the arrival of spring-like weather, and this year isn't any different.
It's a tradition that typically marks the arrival of spring-like weather, and this year isn't any different.
Spring conditions have finally arrived in the Yukon capital, with temperatures expected to hit 18 C this weekend.
As if on cue, the Coast Mountain Thursday Trail Run series will kick off tonight along the Hospital Ridge. Runners are encouraged to meet at the Yukon Education Building in Riverdale at 6:30 p.m.
Results from the easy 6.5-km run will be posted online on the Athletics Yukon website. Each week, the run location will change and will also be announced online.
The weekly runs take advantage of the huge network of single-track trails in the Whitehorse area, organizer Nancy Thomson explained.
She pointed to Outside magazine's recent nomination of the Yukon as a top mountain biking destination for vacationers in 2013.
"Those trails that the mountain bikers bike on are the very trails that trail runners run on,鈥� Thomson said. "We love them for the same reasons mountain bikers love them.鈥�
The challenging, twisting trails feature good amounts of elevation gain and loss, she noted, which keeps runners interested.
"They're beautiful,鈥� she said. "The allure is you're not pounding the flat, boring pavement. It's the best.鈥�
Thomson started the trail run series in 2007, and was shocked to have 13 runners show up. The popularity of the event has only grown, with 53 attending the first run of the season last spring.
"They are hugely popular,鈥� Thomson said of the series. "On average, we get 30 people out per run.鈥�
The weekly runs are of varying degrees of difficulty and lengths, and will go on until mid-October.
The races are free to Athletics Yukon members, but will cost newcomers $2 per run for insurance costs. A membership is $30, and those that register before the May 16 run will be eligible for an early bird draw of a pair of toe shoes.
The routes are flagged, and chocolate milk is served up post-race to give racers a good boost of protein.
"All levels of abilities are totally encouraged and welcomed,鈥� Thomson said.
"You will always find someone in these runs to race against, no matter what level of ability you're at. If you just want to run it and converse with people, you can do that too.鈥�
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