A total of 30 runners participated in the annual Winter Solstice Run on Dec. 16 in Whitehorse.
The race was organized by Athletics Yukon with runners taking off from the upper parking lot up Grey Mountain Road at 10:30 a.m.
Athletics Yukon secretary Kelli Anderson said it was a good turn out and that the weather was great.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better day for it and thankfully, we were getting earlier reports that the trail was a bit icy, but it seems our reports from the runners is that it was quite nice, a few snow drips but nothing unmanageable.”
Tom Ullyett, who has participated in the run for about 20 years, said it was a beautiful experience. He said it was one of the best races in terms of weather conditions and temperature.
“Some people were worried about little ice glaciers over the road, but the snow that we had during the week took care of that. So, it was one of the best without a doubt. And, of course, it’s a great event and fundraiser for the food bank. Food banks are struggling across the country.”
Before the race, organizers asked runners to bring a donation to the Whitehorse Food Bank.
Juliana Tobon, who moved to Whitehorse in May, said it was a beautiful view and beautiful sunrise from the mountain and really fun on the downhill.
“This is my first time doing the Winter Solstice and it was fun.”
Anderson said their next official race is the Dion Yukon Snowshoe Race on March 21, 2024. The event is part of the Dion Canadian Snowshoe Series happening at various spots across the country and will take place at the Mount McIntyre trails in Whitehorse.
“It will be three weeks of training runs and then the last week is the race,” Anderson said. “That’s sponsored by Dion Snowshoes and they provide a set of snowshoes. People can either bring their own but we have snowshoes available.”
Contact Patrick Egwu at patrick.egwu@yukon-news.com
