By Steve Hubrecht
The annual Loop the Lake race is back again this year (on August 10), and organizers are preparing for a record number of runners.
The event has been a staple of summer in Invermere for nearly three decades, but this year it could quite literally be bigger than ever, riding on a nationwide surge in the popularity of running races.
“We might have as many as 600 runners,” organizer Jamie Carrick told the Pioneer. “What we’ve been seeing in almost all running races right across Canada is that interest is exploding. Every race is sold out, at capacity or very near capacity. We’re expecting the same with Loop the Lake.”
The trend has been evident for the past year or two, but race organizers aren’t 100 per cent sure what’s driving it, explained Carrick. “It is certainly noticeable everywhere, but we’re still trying to figure it out . . . it may be as simple as people starting to realize that running is a fun hobby, a cheap hobby, and a hobby that keeps you healthy.”
Last year Loop the Lake drew 480 runners.
This year will be the 27th edition of Loop the Lake (It was cancelled in 2020 and again in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.)
The event got its name because in decades past the course would quite literally ‘loop’ around Lake Windermere, with runners making their way down Westside Road on the west side of the lake and then back up the east side along Highway 93/95.
However, as the population — and consequently the volume of traffic — in the Columbia Valley grew, safety concerns arose over running on Highway 93/95, which these days see plenty of vehicles moving at very high speeds and has only modest shoulders for pedestrians and cyclists. The maximum distance changed from a full marathon to half marathon (along with separate 10-kilo- metre and 5-kilometre distance races), and so has the course; in recent years runners have either stuck to Westside Road or made use of the paved Markin-MacPhail Westside Legacy Trail.
This year, as in the past two years, the bulk of the race will be run on the Legacy Trail. Runners will start at David Thompson Secondary School, head out of Invermere on Westside Road, hop on the Legacy Trail, head south, then loop back north and finish back at the school.
“People do enjoy it (the Westside Legacy Trail),” said Carrick. “It’s still pretty new, it’s really well made and it’s very well maintained. It is great to run on that kind of material. Our runners love it.”
Also new this year is organizers’ partnership with the Columbia Valley Food Bank, with some of the proceeds from the race going to the nonprofit.
“It (the Columbia Valley Food Bank) is a very worthwhile organization. The work they do is important, and they have a very local focus,” said Carrick.
The race is on Saturday, Aug. 10 starting at 10 a.m. There are still a few spots left for those wishing to sign up. To do so, or to find out more, visit www. loopthelake.ca.
