Walking through campus on Saturday, you could feel the excitement and camaraderie emanating from the 2,700 runners that took part in the annual Great Trek half-marathon, 10K and 5K road races.
As the runners passed the 11K mark of the half-marathon, which looped back through the UBC campus, supporters lined the race course to cheer them on. With 1.5K to go in my 10K race, I drew energy from the crowd as I climbed the University Boulevard hill towards the finish line.
Jeremiah Ziak of Vancouver came away with the half-marathon win in a time of 1:14:16, and Ally Baaske, also from Vancouver, won the women’s race in a time of 1:24:06. In the 10K, Gabriela DuBues-Stafford was the first woman to cross the line in a time of 38:49, while Dayton Bath was the first man, finishing in 33:12. Munkhbat Tumurbat took home first place in the men’s 5K in 16:44, while Alex Varty was the top woman in a time of 18:55.
The races commemorated the original Great Trek, where students marched as part of a successful campaign to replace their overcrowded Fairview campus with a new one on Musqueam territory in Point Grey. Since 2019, UBC and RUNVAN have partnered to put on the Great Trek, formerly the Fall Classic, on the UBC campus.
“This is a great partnership we have with UBC,” said Kevin Koonar, chair of RUNVAN. “This month is the 100-year anniversary of when the first Great Trek actually happened. So it’s a very special event.”
The event is also called “A jaunt through Musqueam territory,” to acknowledge that the races take place on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the Musqueam people, the same land that students marched to during the original Great Trek. UBC partnered with the Salish group Tsatsu Stalqayu (Coastal Wolf Pack) to provide post-race traditional song and dance performances. Darryl Blyth, a Musqueam artist, also designed the medals that runners received at the end of their races and the socks that were included in each race kit.
“We really want to push forward with reconciliation as a big part of this race,” said UBC Rec Intramural Events Coordinator Alex Northey. “We want to continue our involvement and deepen those ties with the Musqueam nation. It’s a partnership that I find super rewarding personally, that the university takes very seriously and Athletics and Recreation takes very seriously. [I] just want to thank the Musqueam nation and the Musqueam people for the partnership that we have with them.”
Despite the ideal running conditions on race day, leading up to the race, organizers were not sure if the race would be able to go ahead. Smoke from wildfires in BC resulted in an air quality advisory that extended from October 14 until October 20 and concerned organizers that pollutant levels might be too high on race day.
“If [the pollutant levels] were as bad as they were, we might have had to actually consider cancelling the event or bringing on extra medical staff,” said Koonar. “So we’re glad that the weather just suddenly changed and it seems to be perfect weather conditions.”
At times, the highly competitive atmosphere of races can be a deterrent to new runners. For students who are new to running, the Great Trek provides many opportunities to get involved and participate in a predominantly recreational race. Currently, approximately 20 per cent of UBC students participate in the Great Trek, but UBC Recreation is working to increase that number through various initiatives, including a student discount. New to the event this year was the 5K relay race, in which students could compete in teams where each member runs 1K. There is also the option to run a virtual race, for those who cannot be there on race day or prefer to run on their own.
For those students who are hesitant, Northey suggests that they start out where they are comfortable. “Something like the 5K is a great starting point. If you want to run-walk, if you want to take it at a light jog or if you want to do it at an all-out sprint.”
Though the event is primarily for recreational runners, you still might have the chance to toe the line next to a world-class runner. If you follow the elite Canadian running scene, you are likely familiar DuBues-Stafford. The Tokyo 2020 Olympian ran both the 5K and 10K on Saturday as she returns from an injury that sidelined her from the summer track season. Running beside her for a mere few seconds before she sped past me was enough to make my race, regardless of my finishing time.