The majestic Moose Mountains awoke to a quiet morning on Sunday, Aug. 11, though Saskairie soon became busy as 75 runners arrived, ready to take part in the 5th Annual Moose Mountain Marathon.
The event has slowly been evolving and more runners are continually found every year to participate.
Open to all ages there are three options to race including the 5 km, 10 km, or 21.1 km.
The Marathon began after organizers Lucille Weber, Cathy Burton, and Eugene Brown attended the Coal Country Run. They decided that it was something perfectly suited to the area, which boasts a beautiful "run on the wild side," as their motto exclaims.
Beginning at Saskairie the run winds along the road to the south. Organizers do have a route mapped to the north, yet this trail seems to evade them every year because of the bountiful rains meaning in the last five years they have only opened it once.
Racers took off from the starting point at 7 a.m. with 5 km runner Kelsey Hengen of Arcola able to beat Quinn Brown of Arcola by a mere second with times of 25:08 and 25:09.
The 10 km run saw Joe Van Heerden of Kipling cross the finish line with a time of 51:58, while the first female to cross was Stephanie Weber of Saskatoon with a time of 49:45.
From the half marathon came Jon Hammett of Kenosee Lake in first for the men with a time of 1:33:35. Nora Houston of Arcola came through with a time of 2:13:09 making her the fastest woman on the half marathon this year.
Fellow participant Bob Neufeld, now living in Stoughton, was happy to take in the event. Neufeld has participated in approximately 70 full marathons, including ones across North America, as well as in Australia, Africa, Chile, and Poland. Neufeld has therefore competed on six continents and was happy to partake in a "short run" at the Saskatchewan Moose Mountain Marathon, as he has been to another Moose Mountain Marathon in the states as well.
When asked about this particular run Neufeld explained, "At first it's easy going down, but then coming up was interesting. That one hill is a bit of a challenge."
The hill is in fact lovingly referred to as the Hill of Death by organizers and other regular Moose Mountain runners.
Overall the Moose Mountain Marathon is about camaraderie and a love of running. The competition is secondary to being a part of the larger community.
"I like the competition of the marathon, it's kind of like everyone's in it together," Eugene stated while speaking with a participant.
