A local running club is finding a new way to keep Lloydminster residents active after cancelling two of their races.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Lloydminster Runners had to cancel their Titanium Half-Marathon scheduled for June at Bud Miller Park and the Mount Joy trail run called Cirque De Sore Legs. Brown says they were expecting to have about 400 participants in the half marathon and are now giving out refunds for those that have already registered.
“It’s not just us it’s happening everywhere and all the races are being cancelled. It’s just the reality right now unfortunately,” Race Director Mackenzie Brown says.
Instead, Lloydminster Runners will be testing out a virtual running competition from June 26 to 28. RunRevival will have multiple distance options including a 2-kilometre, 5-kilometer, 10-kilometer and half marathon for people wanting to try it out.
Brown explains how the virtual run will work.
“In virtual races you do your own run of a set distance between a certain set of times. We have Friday, Saturday and Sunday to do it and you have to log your run on some tracking application and upload your results. It’s this really cool way to still be competitive with other people with everything going on.”
Participants have to start and finish their run sometime between the dates in order for their submission to count. Brown says there is no age restriction and runners don’t need to be from Lloydminster in order to participate.
The event is free but there are some paid options which include t-shirts or other locally produced items. The group is also providing an option to donate a regular race fee to the Lloydminster Salvation Army Food Bank.
While Lloydminster Runners members aren’t able to meet in person for their gatherings and events, they’ve still found ways to connect. They’ve been offering running clinics using Zoom meetings and other virtual options.
“We’re finding new ways to support each other and stay in touch to talk running and wellness despite everything going on. It’s interesting because when you look out in the community I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many people running in Lloydminster.”
Registration and details for RunRevival are available on the website.