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Flexburn an international event

It’s official: Hope’s inaugural Flexburn 5 and 10K run will be an international event.
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Hope run organizer, Paul Stock, says online registration is now open for the March 18 run. Sign up early and get the best rates. Barry Stewart/Hope Standard

It’s official: Hope’s inaugural Flexburn 5 and 10K run will be an international event.

Paul Stock, who is leading the organization of the run for the Hope and District Chamber of Commerce, said Tuesday, “We have had a registration from as far away as Essen, Germany.”

Online registration for the March 18, 2018 event began Nov. 9.

“The community support has been enormous. We’ve got a lot of sponsors, including The Running Room in Abbotsford,” Stock said.

Dave Murphy of the Hope Running Club said he is excited that a race is being organized in Hope.

“While travelling to other places to race is always exciting, it’s hard to beat racing in your own community and on the roads we regularly train on.

“I sense a lot of enthusiasm from runners affiliated with Hope Running Club as well as others in the community. I hope that this inaugural event will encourage more people to get involved in running and both the serious runners and those who are just starting out will take part,” said Murphy, program director for Camp Kawkawa.

“I appreciate the effort that is being made by Paul and his team to make this happen and hopefully the local running community will get behind it and help make it a very successful event.”

Murphy and others will be pleased to learn that the longer route has been altered, using the safer and more scenic trail at Thacker Marsh, rather than the original plan to run straight along Kawkawa Lake Road.

Stock said his planning team has chosen to go solely with on-line registration, to streamline the process.

“There will be no money management hassles for us,” he said. “The site takes all major credit cards. Most major runs do it this way.”

Those without a credit card can hopefully work with a friend who has one, added Stock.

The link to the registration portal at The Running Room is on the chamber’s site at hopechamber.ca. Scroll down the banner on the left.

There’s a big incentive to getting signed up early, as you’ll save about 40 per cent if you register by Dec. 1, instead of waiting until the last weeks before the race.

Youth and seniors are $25 now and others are $28. Seniors are age 60 and up and youth are 18 years and younger.

Another option is to sign up as a team, with rates mirroring the youth/senior rates.

After Feb. 3, the full price will be $45 for individual adults and $42 for the senior/youth runners. There is a 5K walk/run as well, with the same fees as for the longer challenge. And, no, you can’t sign up on the day of the race. As of Friday, March 16, registration will be closed.

Included in the race package are a numbered bib (with timing chip), finisher medal, certificate and a race day photo, which will be taken after the race and emailed to participants.

“This one is really important: Race packages can be picked up starting three days prior to the race – but not on the day of the race,” Stock said.

Pickup in Hope is at Erica Press. Central Valley residents may wish to pick up at The Running Room.

After expenses are covered, all proceeds will go to the Hope Food Bank, said Stock.

To keep participation as affordable as possible, organizers are offering options to be added to the basic fees. A hosted lunch in the park is an additional $9, an event shirt is $18 and a personalized water bottle is $20.

“We’re going to do a gourmet lunch, and we’ll be having a kids’ zone, with popcorn, balloons and face painting,” Stock said.

“And this is amazing – the chip timing is in real time, and you can allow your family and friends to follow you online in real time. We had to pay extra for it but we felt it would be something that would make our run stand out.”