Pair of endurance races, including 24-hour ultra-marathon, coming to Fort St. John next month

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A pair of local endurance races will grace the trails of Beatton River Valley and Fish Creek Community Forest next month.

Registration has begun for both the Vertical Slam Ultimate Challenge and the Sadownik Miles for Smiles events, to be held on consecutive weekends in June.

The Vertical Slam Ultimate Challenge will feature races at five and 10 kilometres as well as a half marathon, while the Sadownik Miles for Smiles will be a 24-hour distance race.

Vertical Slam starts at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 7th on the trails of Beatton River Valley near Cecil Lake, while the Sadownik Miles for Smiles event is one week later, starting at 8 p.m. on June 13th in the Fish Creek Community Forest.

The Miles for Smiles endurance event remembers Steve and Nicole Sadownik and, according to the registration website, was created because Steve once said the “most horrible” ultra-marathon would be repeated loops of Fish Creek.

Participants are invited to join the race for one lap, continuous laps for 24 hours or any distance in between. The page also says runners can complete evening laps and take a break before returning during the day. 

The final lap, starting at 7 p.m. on June 14th, will be the “memorial lap for all,” the page reads. 

The events are organized by the Vertical Slam Ultimate Challenge Society, of which Laurie Cardinal is the president and founder.

Participants are encouraged to “run, hike or crawl” around Beatton Park trails for the Vertical Slam Ultimate Challenge, and Cardinal says although it is promoted as a family event, serious competitors come to participate as well.

“We have some pretty serious contenders that come and race each other,” Cardinal said. “We have people that just come out and do it for some fun.

“They do a little bit of a hike and a little bit of run and a little bit of [a] mix.”

Both events will be fundraisers. The Vertical Slam Ultimate Challenge’s proceeds will go toward School District 60, with each of the district’s 22 schools getting equal donations, while Miles for Smiles’ proceeds will go toward cancer patients, with chemotherapy nurses distributing cards in Fort St. John Hospital.

“We actually buy meal gift cards and grocery gift cards for them,” said Cardinal. “We individually mail them to every school to make sure that they all get the same amount. 

“It all goes to where it needs to go, instead of just cutting a cheque.

“[For the Miles for Smiles], when one of our local patrons goes in to get chemotherapy, [a nurse will] hand them this envelope, just basically saying the Vertical Slam cares. We hope this takes a little bit of strain off of their life.”

Registration for the Vertical Slam Ultimate Challenge is $30 for a five-kilometre race, $40 for 10 kilometres or $50 for the half-marathon distance.

The Sadownik Miles for Smiles endurance event, meanwhile, is a flat fee of $40. 

All registration charges are non-refundable due to the fundraising nature of the event.

“We really like to see families come out,” said Cardinal. 

Cardinal also told Energeticcity.ca the recent Fish Creek Community Forest wildfire did not damage the Miles for Smiles route and should not impact next month’s event.

Sponsorship for the races include Pacific Northern Gas, Pembina, Enbridge, Optimal Trucking and ConocoPhillips.

To register, head to the Race Roster website and search for the respective race.