Edmonton Bear of a Challenge 2025

Mark Jacobs(MM15983)- Edmonton (Canada) “Bear of a Challenge” marathon immediately followed by 5K.
Cool and flat, this is a great race if you just want something uncomplicated to run. But by far the best part was the timing and layout of the multiple races. The marathon starts at 7 and runs a quarter marathon out and back, then another (different) quarter out-and-back; the half itself starts later and is identical to the back half of the full course. The 10K starts later still, and is basically just half of the half-marathon course. The 5K starts 4½ hours after the full and, yet again, is on the same course as the rest of the races. The result is that the ENTIRE TIME, one is running with other people. Instead of winding up alone and isolated if you do, say, a 5-hour marathon, you wind up coming down the home stretch right along with the slowest half-marathoners, a host of 10Kers, and some 5K runners. The overlapping sections are on the city’s BIG downtown thoroughfare – some 7 lanes wide – so there’s no crowding or getting trampled. Instead, you just have a constant, all-morning flow of thousands of runners of all shapes and sizes and the livelihood and excitement and energy stays with it right the way through noon. It does wind down quite a bit after the 5-hour mark; the tiered starts mean that the slower runners from all groups end up together and by 5½ hours into the marathon, most everyone is done. But up until that point, it really is a great way to keep the whole marathon atmosphere buzzing. I loooooved it.
Re. the challenges:
With the widely-staggered start times, runners could do as many races as their speed allows. Most challenge participants did the half marathon and 5K… faster ones did the half and the 10K. One woman did the half, the 10K, and the 5k. I’m only aware of 3 of us who did the full and then the 5K. To do that, you have to be able to run a sub-4:30 full. There’s one general challenge medal for anyone who takes on multiple races. Actually the medals are all the same and only the lanyards differ, but whatever. I had a lot of fun.

Photo and post credit Mark Jacobs(MM15983)