A local squad of Sundre and surrounding region residents recently teamed up to tackle the 13th annual Banff Jasper Relay.
The group of 15 runners, which was captained by Bryan McBain, was one of 60 teams participating in the arduous 260-kilometre, daylong race that raises funds for the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada. The event was held on June 3, and the team ó running under the moniker Sundre Slam ó finished ranked 30th, up six spots from last year's 36th-place finish.
No stranger to the relay, McBain has run several in the past. However, this was his second time running with Sundre Slam, which had to find two replacement runners because of some injuries leading up to the event, he said.
"Everybody ran as expected or faster," he told the Round Up during a phone interview.
Usually a solitary sport, running in a relay provides a chance to become part of a team effort, supporting and rooting one another on as well as feeding off of each other's energy. Completing the challenging race as a group also generates a sense of team accomplishment, he said, adding the mountains offer quite the breathtaking background to boot.
"It's a beautiful setting."
Also a member of the Sundre Bike 'n' Ski Club, which he praised for doing phenomenal work for the community in terms of creating and sustaining trails during the summer and setting tracks during the winter, McBain said he has been an avid runner for roughly 30 years.
"I've always been an athlete of some sort."
Supporting efforts to raise funds for cancer research holds a special significance for McBain, whose wife recovered from a brain tumour that unfortunately required such aggressive chemotherapy treatment that the door was left open for another cancer that ended up claiming her life a couple of years ago.
The 68-year-old unreservedly plans to run the Banff Jasper Relay again next year provided there are 14 other foolhardy souls willing to go, he said with a chuckle.
"We'll be looking for more Sundre people to take part in it next year!"
Younwan Jung ó more commonly known in the community as Kevin ó rallied with support from his wife Namsoon the local effort to run the relay last year, when the team captain was Steven Brigden. The couple again got involved this year and plans to remain involved in future events.
Aside from the opportunity to challenge themselves while enjoying a race in the mountains for a good cause, Younwan told the Round Up that running the relay also offers a chance to promote Sundre to all the other participants and spectators they interact with along the way.
