Despite a forecast for rain, the skies mostly held out for the 240 students pushing their limits at the May 2nd Challenge Cup Relay Race, also known as the RCMP Road Race.
Students join the race as teams, with 12 runners on each team tackling one mile of a relay that stretches from west of St. Brides, along highway 29, to finish at St. Paul Recreation Centre.
“Clear skies, a little bit cool, but it was wonderful,” said Const. Rowena Shea, who helped organize the day.
Fellow organizer Const. Branden Hansen noted it’s a “pretty longstanding event,” as this is the 37th time local RCMP have held the race to promote positive relationships with youth. Last year’s event was canceled as a result of the Fort McMurray fire and evacuation, but this year, things were back on track, with everything aligning to make the day go smoothly.
“I know a lot of schools expect it; they encompass it into their cross-country program,” said Hansen.
Eleven schools sent students to compete, with students from as far as Bonnyville and Cold Lake joining students from the local area to tackle the race.
Two Racette teams would place first and second respectively in the junior category, with the team of Dustin Dubrule, Trix Sierra, Matheo Martin, Matthew Nunweiler, Tyler Foote, Jayden Joly, Taylor Hebert, Denver Graling, Jordan Gerlinsky, Madison Leroux, Sydni Fedoruk and Anya Martin also posting the fastest time of the race, at 1:11:50.
Sierra was in high spirits after his team placed first, calling it a “pretty fun” event, particularly as it compares to cross-country.
Cross-country running can mean taking on some big hills and rugged terrain, which can destroy a person, he says. Even while you’re running on the highway and in plumes of dust, this event runs on flat ground, while the other appealing part of the RCMP Road Race is the fact that it’s a relay, he said.
“RCMP Road Race is a team effort. You can’t win the RCMP Road Race if you’re only one good player on the team.”
Racette coach Gilles Gervais said his students trained with a consistent schedule and committed to team practices.
“We had students that could not run a mile at the beginning and now they can,” said Gervais, who pointed out that for many of the kids, running is about meeting personal goals. Racette has won the junior category for 25 years in a row, which “was also motivation to do well” and place high.
In the senior category, St. Paul Regional High School students came in first with a time of 1:14:25, while in the open category, Ecole des Beaux Lacs from Bonnyville would come in first with a time of 1:14:14, followed by a team from Glen Avon, at 1:16:25, and in third would be Ecole Voyageur out of Cold Lake, with a time of 1:18:48.
