The 44th Wild Goose Chase Race took place in Vanderhoof on May 11, attracting hundreds of participants to the town’s streets. This yearly tradition began at 10 a.m. on Saturday from W. L. McLeod Elementary School.
“It went fantastic! Beautiful day with lots of smiling faces,” said organiser Zoe Dhillon.
Since its inception in 1978 with just 22 runners, the Wild Goose Chase Race has steadily grown in popularity, now firmly established as a highlight of Vanderhoof’s annual event calendar.
Featuring a selection of race options to suit various preferences and fitness levels, participants could opt for a 3.5km or 8km run, or a 5km walk.
This year, 182 runners participated, including 23 children aged eight and under who took on the 3.5km course.
Several records were broken, particularly in the women’s 3.5km race, with Mandi Davidson setting a new benchmark for the 30 to 39 age group, and Wanda Nemethy surpassing the record for the 60 to 69 category by an impressive five minutes.
Notable winners of the day included Kavita Dhillon and Alex Nemethy in the 3.5km run, and Ailis McCleary and Nicholas Bartell in the 8km event.
In the walking category, Bob Currie and Suzanne Sharp claimed top honours, with Bob also setting a new course record for the 5km walk.