By Brenda Ann Babinski

Kimberley will play host August 21 to 23 to the Black Spur Ultra, an extreme sports version of off road, marathon running. These endurance foot races are 50 and 100 km in distance for individuals and 100 km for the team relay.

Similar to the Sinister Seven race, which has been held in the Crowsnest Pass for the past eight years, competitors will run a course that is split into three loops, starting and ending at the Kimberley Alpine Resort. The 50 km solos are given 12 hours to finish while 100 km solos and teams have 24 hours. Runners must carry the minimum required equipment and run through rough terrains with elevation increases of 2,838m for the 50k and 5,676m for the 100k.

Organized by Full Moon Adventure Company of Bellevue, Alberta, the Black Spur Ultra is the first event of this type for Kimberley.

Brian Gallant of Full Moon Adventure Company believes Kimberley to be a natural choice for this race. “Kimberly has a mix of world class facilities at the resort and amazing trails that are accessible from the host venue,” he said.

But it is the genuine friendliness of the community that sold Gallant on the location. “Our competitors travel around a lot and really appreciate the genuineness of the people. Even when I was walking around the city people were smiling and saying hi. The support has been fantastic,” he said.

Gallant hopes that positive word of mouth from this inaugural event will help to grow it for future years. With 212 registered competitors, the endurance race has the potential to draw people from all over the world.

There are still volunteers needed for this event. Anyone interested should visit the website to sign up: http://www.blackspurultra.com/volunteer.php

Photos by Raven Eye Photography.  Photos used with permission of Brian Gallant of Full Moon Adventure Company.

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