On July 1st, (otherwise known as Canada Day in the Great White North) Canmore, Alberta hosted its Canada Day Fun Run. Despite the title, it was, in fact, a race, as dozens of local skiers toed the start line. Canmore is home to both Canada’s National Cross Country Ski Team, National Biathlon Team, the Alberta World Cup Academy National Development Center, as well as several powerful Canadian clubs–and the nordic sports were well represented.
The 8 k course was mapped out on dirt trails around Canmore, and was mostly flat. The morning was ideal for skiers – at 7:00 AM the temperature was cold, but sunny.
Headlining the womens’ field was former Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) skier and recently retired Olympian Madeleine Williams. While Williams has always enjoyed running, injuries during her ski career limited her ability to compete in the sport. According to her blog, in her recent retirement she has returned to running with a passion.
On July 1st, the decision clearly paid off. Williams won the Open Women category convincingly in a time of 29:41.1, besting second place finisher Canadian National Ski Team member, Brittney Webster by 15.2 seconds. Finishing in third place in a time of 30:24.1 was Magi Scallion, a former national level cross country skier, and now Williams’ boss.
In an e-mail to FasterSkier, Williams described her race as “better than planned”. She also mentioned she raced without a watch, “so I was pleasantly surprised by my time.”