History was made over the weekend as nearly 700 runners laced up their shoes and hit the streets for Jasper鈥檚 inaugural half-marathon, April 16.
With picture perfect weather, the energy in town was contagious as supporters lined Connaught Drive to catch a glimpse of the runners at the starting line in front of the Jasper Information Centre.
The 21-km race, known as the Jasper Canadian Rockies Half-Marathon, took runners past the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and around Lake Edith, before returning the way they came.
A last minute change shifted the finish line from Patricia Street, in front of the post office, to the corner of Hazel Avenue and Connaught Drive, where more supporters eagerly cheered the racers on.
The first to cross the finish line was Charles Allan, a 25-year-old from Edmonton, who finished with a blistering time of 1:10:32, nearly 10 minutes ahead of the next competitor.
鈥淚鈥檝e never done one so I can鈥檛 compare it to others, but it was terrific out there,鈥� said Allan, explaining it was his first half-marathon.
鈥淭he course was beautiful, it was well organized and the lead biker did a great job,鈥� he said of Jasper鈥檚 Rich Potter, who biked the course on a townie.
For his efforts, Allan earned himself $500 in prize money. Following the race, he said he would be back again next year to defend his title. Second across the finish line, earning himself $250, was Jasper鈥檚 Jean-Yves Doucet, with a time of 1:20:19, and third was Bryce Stewart, who walked away with $150.
The first female to cross the finish line was Hinton鈥檚 Nicole May who finished with a time of 1:35:59. She was followed by two Jasperites, Amber Burgess who had a time of 1:39:49 and Erin Black who had a time of 1:40:05.
Trevor Soll, of MultiSport Canada, which organized the race, said he was pleased with how it went.
鈥淚t was awesome,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e had great weather, great attendance and the feedback during the race and post race there was nothing negative.鈥�
He said the municipality decided to move the finish line from Patricia Street at the last minute so they wouldn鈥檛 have to close the road, which could impact local businesses in the downtown core.
Officially, 691 runners crossed the finish line, slightly lower than the number of people who actually signed up.
In addition to the half-marathon, there was also a 10 km, 5 km and 1 km fun run.
At the top of the results sheet for the 10-km run, which attracted 202 of the 691 racers, was Joseph Power with a time of 37:42. He was followed by James Linthorne and Kevin Thorburn.
On the ladies side, Patricia Patten came out on top with a time of 45:28. She was followed by Clare Addison and Larissa Borchert.
Soll said he hopes to make next year鈥檚 event bigger and better with more runners and perhaps more entertainment for spectators, such as a beer garden or live music.
鈥淣ow it鈥檚 a matter of doing the post-race debrief, seeing what we can do to build the numbers up gradually, maybe push for 1,000 or 1,200 people,鈥� said Soll.
鈥淚f we can keep it small, it keeps that small town flavour and makes it more of a high profile event that you have to hunt to get into.鈥�
MultiSport Canada鈥檚 next big event in Jasper is the second annual Gran Fondo, June 11. To register visit www.granfondo-jasper.com.
Paul Clarke
[email protected]
