Red Deerians will travel through the city’s trail system during the 31st annual Harvest Run next weekend.
This year’s edition of the event, hosted by the Red Deer Runners, will start and end at Canada 150 Square in Red Deer’s Capstone neighbourhood on Sept. 10. There will be a 3K walk/run and an 8K run, with people of all ages welcome to participate.
“Since the beginning, we’ve had the same goal, which is to promote healthy living in Central Alberta,” said Otto Stepanik, chairperson of the Harvest Run committee.
“Sometimes we get whole families running together. There are kids as young as five or six years old. … This year we’re going to have some runners in their mid-70s.”
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, about 300 people would participate in the annual event. The last couple of Harvest Runs had lower turnouts, but this year’s event is on pace to be a return to form, Stepanik noted.
“We are quite excited. This year looks like it’s going to be close to or right on where we were pre-COVID,” he said.
“To date, we have about 230 participants who have registered. We’re expecting that to go up leading up to the race on Sunday, Sept. 10.”
There will be cash awards for the top three male and female finishers who race in the 8K run.
Any extra funds raised through the Harvest Run will go towards the Red Deer Runners Athletic Bursary program, which supports runners between the ages of 12 and 22.
“The bursary is designed for young runners to help them cover some of their expenses. It’s helped some athletes in the past compete at a national level. But (bursary recipients) don’t have to be at a level as high as that,” Stepanik said.
Stepanik said the Harvest Run wouldn’t be possible without its volunteers and sponsors, including lead sponsor Elite Chiropractic and Sports Medicine.
The last day to register online is Tuesday, Sept. 5, but people can still register in person during the weekend of the race.
For more information, or to register for the event, visit www.harvestrun.org. Information regarding the Red Deer Runners Athletic Bursary program can be found on the same website as well.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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