There are always going to be a few twists and turns to a friendship that has lasted a decade.
The 10th annual Big Rock Runners Friendship Run is May 12 at 9 p.m. starting at the Okotoks Recreation Centre. It will finish approximately two and a half hours later at Carlson’s On Macleod in High River.
However, as the friendship between the two communities has grown so has the traffic between the two foothills communities. As a result, there will be a new route.
“We have heard from a lot of the runners that they just didn’t want to run down Highway 2A anymore,” said the run’s founder Norm Brennand from Okotoks. “So this year we will be running about a mile west of the highway.”
The route has runners going over McAlpine Crossing and then a slight cross-country trek onto the old Burnco Road. The runners will then cross Highway 7 and head south on a gravel road to Tongue Creek Road. They will then proceed into High River.
This run is more informal than a kindergarten graduation ceremony.
“We don’t care if you can run the whole thing, half the distance or just the last kilometre,” Brennand said.
“There is no clock or anything like that we just want to have participation. If someone gets too tired we will have support vehicles along the way to give them a ride back to Okotoks or High River.”
Relay teams have proven to be popular over the previous 10 years. However, there are no formal stations for the hand-off, the distances and where the exchange takes place is up to the discretion of the team.
In previous years, there have been teams from the Town of High River office and the Foothills School Division.
Besides the runners who are getting fresh air and exercise, there will be an official winner. The prestigious Big Rock trophy will be given to the winning community. It is awarded to the community that has the largest amount of participants.
If the organizers can find it. The last time High River won the trophy spent a year in the trunk of his hot Ford Escort.
Brennand is asking for all runners to meet at the Okotoks Recreation Centre at 8:30 a.m. to register and to receive instructions as to where the new course is. The course will be marshalled.
The run will end at Carlson’s on Macleod where the runners, their friends and family will socialize.
For more information about the run, participants from Okotoks, and the northern part of the foothills can call Brennand are 803-869-4122.
Those perspective runners from High River and the southern portion can call Bruce Campbell at 403-652-7644 or 403-336-7383.
Runners take off from the Okotoks Recreation Centre to High River for the 2010 Friendship Run. This year’s run is May 12 starting at the Okotoks Recreation Centre at 9 a.m.
