By Joe Pelletier
President, Skeena Valley Runners
The 43rd annual King of the Mountain Foot Race featured a virtual competition with a familiar King, a new Queen and an all new third coronation category.
Forced to cancel the regular in-person race due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Skeena Valley Runners opted to stage a virtual event.
Runners had 30 days to run their fastest time Flathead Trail on Terrace Mountain. Runners were armed with GPS watches or smartphone apps to record their race. Event organizers could then verify that they ran the race correctly, and awarded the historic trophies to the fastest finishers.
Connor Block once again earned the title of King of the Mountain with a time of 36 minutes and 40 seconds. A member of UBC’s running team, Block has won the event four times in the past five years.
Raina Trappl posted a time of 44 minutes and 37 seconds to take the Queen of the Mountain trophy. She bested her nearest competition by nearly five minutes.
With 30 days to compete, runners were encouraged to run the course multiple times. Special recognition was awarded to marathoner Adam Brown who completed 20 laps of the course, including a whopping 6 laps in one day for the first ever 42.2km marathon on the King of the Mountain trail.
The event raised over $1200 for Terrace Search and Rescue. Organizers also donated money to TORCA for trail maintenance and supported local business by buying prizes rather than seeking donations.
