Endurance runners from across North America have braved the first snow of the season to compete in Fernie’s annual half marathon.
On Sunday, September 30, residents awoke to snow-covered homes and backyards after temperatures dipped below freezing overnight.
Snow continued to fall as Fernie Half Marathon participants competed in the 21km, three person relay and 10km events, greeted by blankets and cheering supporters at the finish line in Annex Park.
Despite the less than ideal conditions on the day, the event surpassed last year’s total registration of more than 410 people.
Co-organizer Roxana Djonlich said it was an incredibly successful year with competitors travelling from across North America.
“A lot of them are from Calgary, Lethbridge, the Pass, Cranbrook, Sparwood, from all over,” she said.
“We have people here from Libby, Montana, so they’re coming in from across the border.
“I think people are starting to appreciate this race, it’s such a fun event.”
The Fernie Half Marathon is volunteer run and hosted by The Fernie Academy, with the majority of proceeds going towards the library.
“The rest of the money goes to children’s programming in the community and the school, it’s a great fundraiser,” said Djonlich.
In the half marathon, the first competitors across the line were Courtenay man Derek Vince, Travis Epp of Pincher Creek and Fernie’s own Dallas Cain.
The relay event was led by Where’s the Wifi (Sparwood), 2 Men and a Lady (Fernie) and Annas (Blairmore), while Lethbridge’s Peter Clack placed first in the 10km, followed by Tomaz Ciegler and Caleb Bate, both of Fernie.
To view the full results, visit Startlinetiming.com.
