The start of the Moonlight Run’s 6Km walk n run race on March 18.
City runners have a wide variety of trails to choose from whether it’s a light run around a lake, stairs and trails, along the coulee hills or down through the river valley.
The 30th Annual Moonlight Run was held March 18 and had 2,800 participants.
Throughout the years the event has grown so popular that organizers needed to cap the event as it was drawing too many people.
Runners Soul hosted the run which started from Casa on 3rd avenue, down through Indian Battle Park and back to Casa, runners had a choice of a 6 km and a 10 km run.
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Crowds were kept entertained by local singing and drumming groups as they ran the race. With a strong western chinook, the evening was just warm enough for a good run.
Each race division held cash prizes for the top runners in both genders and the overall total of the donations from the run came in at $180,000.
This year’s community support recipients were the Southern Alberta Lions Walk for Dog Guides which helps disabled individuals in need of service dogs.
The next was the Dragon Boat Association of Southern Alberta and Victoria Park High School’s Math Canoe Program where students build canoes for additional credit in Career and Technology Studies.
The Moonlight Run has evolved over the years from its start in 1987 where there were only a few hundred runners who met up at the Lethbridge Lodge in February in minus 20-degree weather to run the river valley, then met up for beer, a fun affair. Now there are thousands of participants, mostly families.
“It’s a totally different event now because there are so many more people in it. I don’t remember the families in the original runs, but now it’s a real family event,” said Joyce Thibert who has run every race since its beginning.
So what drives someone into the windswept chill of a Southern Albertan street or trail to test their ability to endure the stress of a good run?
According to a study by the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, running has the benefits of reducing depression, stress and anxiety. It also causes after burn where your body constantly burns fat even when you’re not running.
A study published in Physiological & Behavior Running says running has many benefits as it causes the same neurochemical adaptations in the brain shared with those who do drugs, so it actually does get you high.
“It’s relaxing, it’s therapeutic. I feel it helps me learn how to cope with things in life in general just pushing through things that are difficult and I feel good after,” said Adria Snowden who took the top overall spot in the women’s 10 km.
The Moonlight Run has now become one of the annual main events in Lethbridge and comes to show that a lot of people enjoy a good run for a cause who aren’t afraid of a 1,600 meter climb up the final hill, the height of the train bridge.
