Burns Lake is firmly on the map for mountain biking and cross-country skiing but its potential as a trail running destination is waiting to be tapped.
Trail running is growing in popularity and trail races in British Columbia attract thousands of runners each year from all over the world.
Last year there were about 135 trail races in the province and at least 40 of them were ultramarathons of 50 kilometres or more, Clifton Cunningham, Road and XC Running Technical Manager with BC Athletics told Lakes District News.
One of the most popular trail races in B.C, the Squamish 50 - held in the eponymous town north of Vancouver - has sold out through its online registration faster each year since 2016 for each of its 23 kilometre, 50km and 50 mile races.
READ MORE: Squamish 50 sells out in record time
On Nov. 23, 2018 spots for its 50km race sold out in less than 10 minutes.
Whoa whoa whoa! You aren't messing around. The 50k is sold out in under 10 minutes!
— Squamish50 (@Squamish50) November 23, 2018
Burns Lake and the surrounding area has plenty of running trails that wind through varying types of terrain and with different elevations.
“You go up to Kager [Lake] and there’s lots of trail runners up there. The trails have been designed so well. They’re great for trail running,” Burns Lake resident and ski coach Chris Paulson said.
The local mountain biking community has contributed a lot to the quality of local trails, Paulson added.
“Those trails are there for everybody to use.”
Burns Lake has had trail races in the past, namely the Boer Mountain Challenge that offered 10, 20 and 30 km races.
“Fall 2017 was the last time. Was done two or three times before that. We didn’t have a lot of people because we didn’t do a very good job of promoting it,” Paulson said.
“We haven’t jumped on the wake of the excellent marketing that the mountain bikers have done. All the other clubs could be riding that wave.”
Several years ago Paulson joined the 125-km Canadian Death Race, a trail event held in Grande Cache, Alberta.
That race, which takes runners through beautiful but tough scenery and includes thousands of feet in elevation has been going for 20 years.
With a population of around 3,500 people, Grande Cache is slightly bigger than Burns Lake and is also situated in a remote area.
Both towns are also surrounded by wilderness and forest.
But what Burns Lake might not have seen yet is the sustained push to promote the area’s natural beauty and gear it towards runners.
“You have to have a vision. You need to have somebody that is going to really see it through because there is a lot of work to put on,” said Brian Gallant, race director with Sinister Sports, which organizes the Death Race and the Sinister 7 event - also in Alberta - and the Black Spur ultramarathon in Kimberley.
“Offering something unique is important. Or in an area that’s never had one before, that’s a good draw,” he added.
“The runners typically like to try a new challenge.”
For trail running events to become well-known and successful it also takes a lot of time.
“With Sinister 7…for the first few years the average person in town didn’t take interest. It took 10 years before people really started to notice it,” Gallant explained.
But for those willing to stick with the project, it can be a rewarding investment for the sport and the local area.
The weekend-long Sinister 7, which in 2017 brought in 1,600 runners generated about $1.9 million. That includes event attendees’ expenditures on hotels, camping, restaurants, and local shops in Crowsnest Pass.
“Through additional spin-off tourism it brings in about $3.1 million a year,” Gallant said.
The add-on tourism is where community involvement becomes key with trail race events because it shouldn’t be only about the race.
Commenting on the annual Morice Mountain Trail Run in Houston, Cunningham said, “The run almost becomes secondary to the trip. If you’re going to make your way to Houston, the run is the excuse. But what else is there to do there?”
LOOK BACK: Morice Mountain run
Morice Mountain was among 41 trail races to receive sanctioning by BC Athletics in 2018, a status that gives the event access to BC Athletics’ insurance plans and the visibility that comes with inclusion on the organization’s event calendar.
With the Morice Mountain run to its west, and the Mt. Pope Adventure Run just to the east in Fort St. James, Burns Lake is well-placed to link up a regional chain of trail running.
READ MORE: Dozens participate in 39th annual Mt. Pope Adventure Run and Walk
“To get trail runners here could just go off the back of what’s already here,” Paulson said. “It would just take a small initiative to add it.”