The Melfort Multi-K on Saturday, Sept. 14 had a perfect day for the annual event which has become a September tradition in the community.
Race Director Allison Rogers said the turnout and the weather was great for the event which includes a 1K, 5K, 10K and 21.1K half marathon.
“It started out cool (and) a little rainy, which was okay,” Rogers said. “I don’t mind if it’s a bit cooler cause I don’t run into trouble with the runners getting too hot, so that was good, but it warmed up. The sun came out by the end of the morning (and) we were all pretty warm.”
Rogers said that there were 140 runners registered for the 1K and 408 in the 5K, 10 and 21.K.
“We had a pretty amazing turnout,” she said. “For me, the biggest tell is you can get all you want to register, but it’s who comes out to participate that is always a really good sign.
“The turnout was actually probably one of the best turnouts I think we ever had, which is awesome,” she added.
Curtis Glanville finished first in the 21.1 K Half Marathon with a time of one hour, 17 minutes, and 40 seconds to set a new course record. The previous course record was one hour, 20 minutes, and 24 seconds, which Glanville set last year. Before that, the record was held by Mark Rolfes from Birch Hills, who ran it in one hour and 25 minutes in 2012.
“We had a really, really fast 21K,” Rogers said of Glanville. “He is going to have to keep coming back and defend his title.”
Jake Prybyski from Yorkton placed second with a time of one hour, 35 minutes, and 14 seconds.
Runners approach the finish line at the Melfort Multi-K on Saturday, Sept. 14.
Runners approach the finish line at the Melfort Multi-K on Saturday, Sept. 14.
In the women’s half-marathon, Cyndi Jeffery of Langham finished first with a time of one hour, 48 minutes, and one second.
In the 5k first place for men went to Mauricio Cantillano Castro from Pleasantdale with a time of 19 minutes and 44 seconds, first place for women was Jodi Souter with a time of 20 minutes and 20 seconds.
In the 10K first place for went to Nelson Peters from Hepburn with a time of 37 minutes and 42 seconds. First place for women went to Dani Isberg with a time of 51 minutes and four seconds.
The 1K Kids run is always free and sees children start the morning off each year.
“This year we did a little something different, they didn’t get T-shirts, they got a cinch bag full of treats which seemed to be a hit with the kids,” Rogers said. “We weren’t sure how they would feel about not getting a T-shirt since that’s been the tradition for a lot of years.”
This is the 13th event. The 2020 event was run virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City of Melfort continues to be a great supporter of the Multi-K and there are several volunteers who continue to support the event.
“The City of Melfort again was out early yesterday morning, setting up the course, which we couldn’t do without.” Rogers said.
“We honestly couldn’t do it without them. They’re a huge part of making that course as straightforward as it is. We have lots of compliments about how easily the course is to follow, and so that’s a testament to the job that the City does to get that set up for us.”
She also thanked Chris Corbett and announcer Bill Wood for their work. Wood has announced all but one year of the Multi-K and has promised to return in 2025. The timing was done by SportStats.
“They do an amazing job,” she said.
Recently retired former owner of Melfort Ambulance Care and current owner of Maverick Medical Consulting also assisted.
“He comes out and he makes sure that everyone’s safe and sound, and that’s a good ease for my mind that he’s there to take care of everything that comes up quick. Thankfully we didn’t need him necessarily, but that was good,” she said.
Rogers also thanked local businesses who sponsored everything from water stations, to food and prizes.
Spa Fit by Linda did the warm-up. Although it is for the children in the 1K Fun Run, Rogers said that adults continue to take part.
“We didn’t really have anything go wrong, everybody made it back to the finish line in one piece,” she said.
The next Melfort Multi K is on Sept. 13, 2025. Rogers explained that they have now found a spot going forward in the week following the Queen City Marathon.
Rogers said that there were many new people in the race from outside of Melfort.
“(There were) A lot of new names, I would say in some of the bigger races like the 10 and the 21 which is really good to see because those are people who spend a lot of time going to different events, so it’s great to get some exposure to some new faces,” Rogers said.
She said that the race is inexpensive compared to other races, according to feedback.
“Our goal is to keep it accessible,” she explained. “I think it’s something that people can participate in without too much trouble, so it’s really good.
“Thank you to everybody involved. Our volunteers, we have like 100 of them. The city for that course and our sponsors and yeah, we hope to see you next year,” Rogers added.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
