Year 12 of the annual event is going virtual this weekend, allowing particpants to choose their location to run, so long as they submit photo evidence of their race result. (Submitted Photo/Fin Island Trail Run Committee)

By Josh Ryan

Virtual Run

Fin Island Trail Run kicks off Friday

Aug 27, 2020 | 2:30 PM

While residents in the Battlefords have been unable to enjoy outdoor events throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s one opportunity to enjoy a fun-run weekend before the school year.

The 12th Annual Fin Island Trail Run kicks off Friday morning, with a family run of one kilometre and five, 10 and 16 km runs as well. Due to the pandemic, this year’s run will be virtual. Committee member Jes Kohut said they made the decision to keep tradition alive and encourage each other during uncertain times.

“There’s a lot of virtual races right now and it’s just to keep it going,” she said. “It’s such a good thing we have in our community and our committee enjoys putting it on every year, so this was our plan B.”

As a free race, there’s typically a chosen local charity available to receive donations. Since it is a virtual event, the committee is encouraging participants to choose their own charity.

“What matters to us is that, yes, we’re a part this year, but we’re still staying strong together as a community,” Kohut said.

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Thanks to several local sponsors, there will be prizes available for anyone who completes their event, which will be done by providing photo evidence of their travelled distance on a fitness tracker. This can be done at any point during the weekend, so long as they pick a specific day to run. By going virtual, Kohut said that will allow more people to participate who may not be in the area.

“People can literally walk out their door and start walking or running,” she said. “They can choose their own location, wherever they are in the province or out of the province, whether they want a flat course or rolling hills.”

Registration for the event closes at midnight, as participants can begin running at 8 a.m. in the morning. Kohut said there were around 80 participants as of Thursday morning, which is less than the average attendance.

“Our typical turnout in person is over 200, but as you know, it’s different this year,” she said.

For now, Kohut said they’re happy to retain the tradition and encouraging exercising outdoors. But she hopes that by 2021, they will able to return regular format of the trail run.

“Next year, like everyone, we hope it is going to be different,” she said.

Details on registering and results submission are available on their website.

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports