Organizers of the upcoming Cariboo Marathon Gold Rush held a mini-marathon on Jan. 30, as a trial run for local Nordic skiers.
Linda Peterson is the timing chief this year, and says it was a great day and a big help for those, like herself, who are new to putting on the annual marathon on Feb.12.
The trails were beautiful with snow sparkling in the bright sunshine, she says, adding folks who turned out didn’t seem to mind the nip of chill in the air.
Skiers did trial runs from 150 metres to six kilometres, while Peterson fine-tuned her timing process before the main event.
“I thought one person would do it [for timing], but we needed more,” Peterson says, adding she will also implement a form to document the bib numbers that are passed on verbally to the timing shed as a back-up record.
She notes previous organizers left meticulous records and procedures from past marathons that have been a “godsend” to her in learning the ropes.
Community volunteers have been amazing and are working very well together, Peterson explains.
“The people doing the physical work with computers and the CompuSport [timer] did it two years ago, and graciously agreed to come back and do it again, so we fortunately didn’t need to train for that.”
Support for the Cariboo Marathon Gold Rush is going great lengths so far, Peterson adds, with 32 skiers signed up and many more expected by the deadline.
The final registrations will be accepted the day before the event (Feb. 11) from 3 to 9 p.m. at
the Nordics Day Lodge at the 99 Mile Ski Trails.
The children had a good time too, and even got a sneak peek of what it’s like to be on the podium when they gleefully went up to collect their prizes, she adds.
BC Cup update
At the BC Cup No. 1 in Prince George on Jan. 16, Tracy Moore earned second place in the five-kilometre freestyle for females aged 20 to 49, as well as snagging second in the 7.5-km mass start classic.
Kirsty Bock won ninth in the five-km mass start classic.
