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The Fin Island Trail Run is getting people outside this weekend

Aug 24, 2016 | 7:00 PM

The eighth annual Fin Island Trail Run will have people racing and walking all over the river valley this weekend.

Jes Kohut, one of the run’s organizers, said group members pride themselves on providing a free trail run for anybody in the community to enjoy.

“No matter where you are in life financially, socially, physically, you can participate in the trail run,” she said. “You can walk, you can run, it doesn’t matter, we just want our community members to come out together and enjoy our beautiful trails that we have in the river valley.”

The run is Saturday, Aug. 27 and begins and ends at the Destination Battlefords office. There’s a kids one-kilometre run in addition to the five-kilometre, 10-kilometre and long course runs. The long course is 18 to 21 km.

The run is entirely free, but during race package pickup and registration on Friday, the Battlefords Boys and Girls Club will be accepting donations. The Battlefords and Area Gender and Sexuality Alliance will be at the race Saturday to introduce themselves to the community, as the group just started a few months ago, and offer face painting.

Kohut said the run is great at getting people out to explore nature in Battlefords, because a lot of people may not know about all the trails in the river valley.

“I think it gives people the courage and encouragement to get out and enjoy the trails,” she said.

People have registered from the Battlefords and surrounding communities as well as further cities like Calgary and Saskatoon.

Kohut said people who haven’t registered yet still have a chance, with online registration open until 9 a.m. Friday and in-person registration available Friday from noon to 7 p.m.

The children’s run starts at 8 a.m. Saturday with all other runs beginning at 8:30 a.m.

 

Sarah Rae is battlefordsNOW’s court and crime reporter. She can be reached at Sarah.Rae@jpbg.ca or tweet her @sarahjeanrae.