The 26 Estevan Road Runners who are participating in the Big Canada Run covered over 6,200 kilometres by Sept. 18 and picked up their Mountie Badge for reaching Regina.
While already on the virtual route to Calgary, 16 team members met at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course clubhouse last Tuesday to celebrate their progress as well as to celebrate Saskatchewan with a nice dinner.
Team captain Audrey MacMurchy said that even though members committed to just under a kilometre a day, they are currently doing about 80 kilometres per day as a group.
"Some are running 10 because that's what they run. Some of us do three or five or eight or whatever every day, so it's really come along quick," MacMurchy said.
"It's been a pretty good run."
Runners fulfill their kilometres anywhere they choose to. For MacMurchy, the recent dust and smoke in the air were a serious challenge that slowed her down, so she was running less than she used to in summer. But even though the summer is over, MacMurchy doesn't foresee a decrease in activity for the team.
"A lot of us will keep on (running) outside. Because I have a dog, I'll keep on outside. There is an indoor running track at the Leisure Centre and a lot of people go there, but a lot of us will still meet outside. You just layer up and if it's good enough weather … like -30 C and calm, it would be (good enough for a run)," MacMurchy said.
Estevan Road Runners meet and run at the Woodlawn Regional Park even in the winter. Many participants also work out at the gyms or other facilities. They also participate in other challenges on regular basis, most of which now switched to the virtual format as well.
The Big Canada Run challenge started on July 1 and gives participating teams a year to make it from coast to coast, jointly covering 8,000 kilometres. However, there is a good chance that the sporty and goal-oriented Estevan team will make it to the destination in less than half a year and possibly will reach Victoria, B.C., in November.
