麻豆社区

The northern village of Mayo became a boomtown overnight Saturday as more than 100 runners and walkers converged on the area for the 18th-annual Mayo Midnight Marathon.

Participants were able to choose between four different race lengths that began with staggered start times at the Mayo community centre.

"It was fantastic to be a part of,鈥� said first-time runner Ben Yu-Schott, who finished first in the men's age 20 to 39 half run with a time of 1:38:17. "I was pretty impressed with the turnout and the organization of it. The community all came together and put on a fantastic event. It just seemed like the whole community was proud of this event.鈥�

Stephan Atmanspacher was the big winner of the half marathon, finishing one second ahead of Tom Ullyett, who recently won the Skagway Marathon.

It was the little things that made the event special, Yu-Schott said. Hot chicken soup post-race, followed by a largely homemade breakfast Sunday morning were highlights.

Athletics Yukon president Tanya Astika said it is that breakfast that keeps her coming back year after year.

"Champagne breakfast,鈥� she chuckled. "The breakfast is definitely a big part of the race. It's a destination event. People like to go away to do things.鈥�

Astika finished second in the 10-km walk, in 1:09:11.

Original race founder Cheryl Klippert explained that the race began 18 years ago after she had completed her first marathon in Calgary, Alta.

Since then, it has turned into the village's summer showcase.

The 2013 race was the first without Klippert at the helm. She stepped back from the event last year, leaving it in the good hands of a local committee.

"The reason we decided to do a midnight marathon is we wanted something different,鈥� Klippert said.

Premier Darrell Pasloski and his wife Tammie completed the five-km run, while deputy premier Elaine Taylor served as race cheerleader and superfan, handing out stainless steel water bottles full of cold water to finishers in lieu of race medals.

Mayo, a village of 400 people, is located 400 km northwest of Whitehorse.

Top results

鈥� Marathon: Kealy Sweet, female (3:46:07); Jonathan Belanger, male (3:52:03).

鈥� Half run: Susan Bogle, female (1:37:13); Stephan Atmanspacher, male (1:30:49).

鈥� Half walk: Linda Elliott, female (3:35:20); Mark Newman, male (3:11:32).

鈥� 10-km run: Laura Erickson, female (46:21); Yanik Freeman, male (39:35).

鈥� 10-km walk: Bonnie Love, female (1:06:47); Peter Johnson, male (1:20:04).

鈥� 5-km: Cynthia Freeman, female (22:43); Naoise Dempsey, male (22:39).

Visit http://www.mayomidnightmarathon.ca for full results.