A Calgary couple will be making a quick run into Millarville to do some shopping at the community’s renowned farmers' market this weekend.
It will literally be a quick run for Nathan and Melissa Kendrick who will join approximately 300 runners in the first Run To The Millarville Farmers’ Market half-marathon June 16.
“I guess we will check it out after the race, we have never been there before,” Nathan Kendrick said of the market. “We have heard it is quite nice.”
The vendors at the Millarville Farmers’ Market might want to open their booths a bit early. The starter’s gun for the run will go off at 7 a.m. and you can expect Nathan to be at finish line at the market before 8:30 a.m.
“It’s hard to say how long it will take me to finish,” the 32-year-old Nathan said. “It will depend on a lot of things — who else is running, what the weather is out, what the course is like. I don’t know how hilly the course is.”
Nathan’s fastest time for a half-marathon (21.1km) is under 69 minutes. He doesn’t plan on being that fast this weekend, he estimated he will finish at around 75 minutes. His main goal is to just enjoy the run, the scenery and maybe stop at a water station to visit a relative.
“The biggest reason I am running this is because my aunt lives just outside of Turner Valley and she’s volunteering at one of the water stations,” Nathan said. “She knows we run a lot, and ran it by us. It will be part of our training.”
He competed in track and field at Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School in Calgary and stepped up his distances when attending the University of Calgary.
That is where he learned running is truly good for the heart.
“That is how Melissa and I met, was on the university track team,” Nathan said.
Melissa recently was the first female to cross the finish line at the 10km race at the Calgary Marathon on May 27.
Her time was 37:16.40. Nathan didn’t run in Calgary, choosing to cheer his wife on from the sidelines.
She has also run in full marathons and half-marathons.
Nathan also has run full marathons, turning in a time of 2:24.31 over 42.2km in Ottawa in 2008.
Other top runners in Millarville include Calgary’s Emily Kroshus, a three-time All-American at Princeton who now attends Harvard. She was the Canadian women’s marathon champion in 2011 with a time of 2:42:27 in Ottawa.
Also running in Millarville is Adela Salt, the reigning silver medalist in the 55km ultra-marathon distance in Great Britain. She recently moved to Calgary.
Rick Charlton, chairperson of the Millarville Run to the Farmers’ Market said despite some elite runners, the goal of the 21.1km run is to promote the market.
"As far as we know, this is the only longer-distance race in North America finishing at a flourishing farmers market,’ Charlton said. “The concept is designed to fit our mandate of supporting our local agricultural producers through raised awareness of our farmers market. Our agricultural society also wants to support volunteerism, community building and health and wellness in our rural community.”
The race starts at the Oilfields Arena in Black Diamond and ends at the Millarville racetrack, the home of the market.
There will be shuttle service for runners from the track back to the Oilfields Arena.
For more information about the run go to www.millarvillehalfmarathon.com
