Close to 300 primary school students from across the Yukon gathered for the second annual Grey Mountain Gallop at Grey Mountain Primary School on June 1.
Clad in costumes and decorated in face paint, the children ranged from kindergarten to Grade 3 and ran either a one- or three-km loop.
Kim Ramsay, principal of Grey Mountain Primary School, said the event was created to give younger students an athletic event to take part in.
“There were so many running events and extracurricular sporting events for the older age kids,” said Ramsay. “We just wanted to have a run that was focused on the primary-aged kids.”
The costumes, face painting, music and festival atmosphere were a natural fit for the event, and Ramsay said this year’s run was a hit with participants young and old.
“People enjoyed the light-heartedness of it, the opportunity to participate and exercise, having fun at the same time,” said Ramsay. “People were pretty happy with the result.”
Overcast skies and rain earlier in the day threatened to end the race before it began, but the clouds cleared up in time for a slightly delayed start.
“We had some calls in the morning wondering if we were going ahead or cancelling, but we decided to go ahead,” said Ramsay. “The weather cleared up just in time for us.”
This year, organizers extended an invitation to schools across the territory. Runners from Grey Mountain were joined by students from Jack Hulland Elemnetary School, Hidden Valley Elementary School, Ghùch Tlâ Community School, Christ the King Elementary School and Selkirk Elementary School.
Joining teachers and volunteers on the trail, two firefighters from the Whitehorse Fire Department also ran the race.
Contact John Hopkins-Hill at john.hopkinshill@yukon-news.com