More than 400 people have already signed up for Jasper鈥檚 second annual half-marathon, more than double the number of people who signed up for the event at this time last year.
Slated for April 8, the 21-km race will follow the same route as last year, although race organizers would like to move the finish line onto Patricia Street in front of the post office and Information Centre.
鈥淭hat would be the ideal finish line,鈥� said race organizer Trevor Soll, with MultiSport Canada.
Last year the finish line was supposed to be located on Patricia Street, but was moved at the last minute onto Connaught Drive a few hundred metres east of the traffic lights at Hazel Avenue.
鈥淲e are looking to have the finish line relocated, but that鈥檚 still tentative,鈥� said Soll.
In order for that to happen he said one lane of Patricia Street would have to be temporarily closed.
鈥淲e would keep one lane along Patricia Street open for regular traffic so it wouldn鈥檛 shut everything down and impede business.鈥�
Closing down streets in the downtown core for sporting events has become a sensitive topic for many business owners in town, after extensive road closures for the Tour of Alberta in 2015 hurt businesses鈥� bottom line.
The issue came up again in December when municipal council unanimously approved spending $50,000 to host a stage of the international bike race on Sept. 1. The funding is contingent on support from other members with the Jasper Partnership Initiative, including Tourism Jasper, Parks Canada and the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, which has yet to sign off on the agreement.
鈥淭he discussions regarding the half-marathon are very premature at this point,鈥� said Pattie Pavlov, general manager for the Chamber.
鈥淚t is scheduled to happen, however the route, the road closures, anything to do with the actual logistics of the race have not been put through the Jasper event festival committee for discussion.鈥�
Known as the Jasper Canadian Rockies Half-Marathon, the race takes runners past the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and around Lake Edith, before returning the way they came. Last year 691 runners crossed the finish line, slightly fewer than the actual number of people who signed up.
According to Soll, the cap for this year鈥檚 event is 1,000 runners. Last year the cap was 800.
Last year 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. For his efforts he walked away with $500.
Soll said he wasn鈥檛 sure if Allan had signed up to defend his title, but said there鈥檚 always a lot of last-minute sign-ups. Prize money will remain the same this year with $500 up for grabs for the fastest runner, followed by $250 for the second fastest time and $150 for third.
In addition to the half-marathon, there is also a 10-km and a 5-km race as well as a 1-km fun run.
In an effort to keep things local and give back to the community, Soll said $10 from each race entry, or $5 if they are doing the five-kilometre run, will be donated to the Jasper Healthcare Foundation. The foundation in return has promised to provide volunteers for the event.
鈥淭hey are our official charity,鈥� said Soll. 鈥淎ll the money is going to stay local.鈥�
Last year the money went to support the Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton, which was struggling to find volunteers.
Prior to the race MultiSport Canada will also be hosting a pre-season training camp at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Feb. 24-26.
For more information about the half-marathon visit: www.jaspercanadianrockieshalf.com.
Paul Clarke
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