The Mt. Pope Adventure Run will be in it’s 33rd year this year, proving Fort St. James is still full of adventure.
Started in 1980 by Gord Rennie, an adventure runner who was a teacher at the Fort St. James Senior Secondary, the run is now organized by Keith Gordon.
Rennie also organized the first Fort St. James to Vanderhoof relay race, which still continues to this day as well.
Rennie was known as an adventurer, and Gordon said Rennie spent his summers off doing bike trips, canoe trips and other “wild adventures.”
The run, which used to include a number of elite athletes from the region, has varied in participation over the years, from 34 people one year, to only two one year - Gord Rennie himself and Dick Voneugen.
Voneugen had run or walked the race every year until last year. It was the first time Voneugen - now in his late 70s - did not participate.
Over the years, the route of the run has changed somewhat, with the original trail being trimmed by about a kilometre in the mid-80s when the Mt. Pope trail was shifted to avoid a section overtop of homes along Stone’s Bay.
The run is now approximately 22 km if running the entire route from Cottonwood Park to the top of Mt. Pope and back, walkers normally begin at the trailhead and do just the 6.5 km trail up the mountain and back.
The format of the run also changed slightly over the years. Early on, there was a rule runners had to stand at the fire for 10 minutes near the top to take a break.
Each year a volunteer gets a fire started near the top every year to warm up participants. Now the rule is not in place and participants are just asked to pause briefly to rest before they head down the mountain.
Last year the race was won by Prince George runner Shar Jackson, the second female winner in the 33-year-old run.
Many participants run the route almost every year, with Craig Houghton running it nearly every year since he first participated in 1987. His parents Terry and Margaret Ann Houghton used to walk the route each year from town as well.
“Craig’s been a big supporter of our race since he was a boy,” said Gordon.
The race has also had groups come from outlying communities, one from Burns Lake participated one year, and a group from Smithers another year.
In about the third year of the Mt. Pope Adventure Run, Keith Gordon ran the course, and has run it about three or four times in total, but lately has had his hands full organizing the event. While he can’t remember the year he first started organizing the adventure run, he is still a fan of the route.
“I absolutely love it,” said Gordon, who thinks the route itself is an important asset to the community.
“You’d be surprised how many people drive to Fort St. James to do that trail,” he said.
While he hopes to pass on the job of organizing the event next year, Gordon said it still takes place thanks to the volunteers who lend a hand each year. Someone walks water to the top, brings snacks and goodies baked by locals, a photographer volunteers each year to take photos at the top of each participant, and the fire is always prepared and maintained by a volunteer for participants to warm themselves by before their descent.
Anyone interested in getting involved or who may have questions about the event can contact Keith Gordon at: kggordon@telus.net or 996-8572.