On Saturday morning in Air Ronge, Saskatchewan – nearly 400KMS north of Saskatoon – I marvelled at what was happening. It was -30 with the windchill but nobody complained. Almost 50 people stood at the start line for the first-ever Heritage Hustle River Run into the edges of the boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan.
Three friends in this northern village wanted to bring the joy of running to their community. It was the purest example of what running is all about. “Our trio loves to run. Fast, slow, tired, mad, sad… whenever we finished (our runs together) it was always so positive and we felt amazing,” said Emma Smallwood, one of the trio of friends. “We wanted to share this with other people. We wanted to build a community of running – not only for the physical benefits but for our mental health.
“So many of us have to go down south to do runs. But for some of us, that just isn’t a reality. So, we thought why not bring a run to our community?”
Sarah Prevost – a nutrition specialist – and Northlands College mental health & wellness teacher Keane Plamondon are the other parts of the trio that created the newest (and most northern) trail race in the province. For further context, Air Ronge is a part of the tri-community area that also includes La Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.
“Running is often tied to mental health,” continued Prevost. “Running is about the conversation along the way (with friends) and it brings incredible friendships.”
Young and old, runners covered the beautiful trail beside the Montreal River on Saturday morning – with iced-tea and cookies served by volunteers along the way. A little known fact is that this trail is actually part of the amazing Trans Canada Trail.
“Every time I saw someone on the trail or cross the finish line, they had the biggest smiles on their faces,” explained Smallwood. “When we finished, everyone got to warm-up with food (in the library), sit around and chat about the run with lots of laugh and enjoy the company of others. Many people are wanting this to be an annual event, which I think we’ll have to make happen.”
Social running is exploding around the world – and thanks to these three friends, it is now growing in a small picturesque northern community.
(Photo above (L-to-R): Keane, Emma, Sarah)
