The long-running Moose Mountain Trail Races is still looking for volunteers to help support runners Aug. 25, as they make their way up and down the rocky and wooded trails of the popular Bragg Creek area network. The long-running Moose Mountain Trail Races is still looking for volunteers to help support runners Aug. 25, as they make their way up and down the rocky and wooded trails of the popular Bragg Creek area network. Started in 1992 by two members of the Calgary Roadrunners Club, Bruce McKay and Roger Davies, the trail race has a close history with volunteers, as well as with the explosion of trail culture. “We’re the longest-running trail event in Alberta, at this point,” said Alan Lam, race director. “But back then, there wasn’t a whole lot of trails in the area. I’ve been trail running since the late ‘90s…and back in those days, there weren’t that many options when we went out to Bragg Creek. There [was] just a handful of trails.” According to Lam, volunteers are needed to help at the start and finish lines, checking in racers, recording times and lending a hand during and after the races with water and prepping snacks. He added he volunteered and ran the race himself before filling in the vacant director role, which is also a volunteer position. Moose Mountain Trail Races’ operation as a non-profit is rare for races these days, he said, especially a Calgary-Roadrunners-sanctioned race. The mountain culture of Bragg Creek and nearby Kananaskis is a key part of the event, according to Lam – from seeing wildlife, to sunrises and sunsets. Lam and his co-directors donate the proceeds of the race back to the Greater Bragg Creek Trail Association, he said, which helps build and maintain trails in the area. The race’s non-profit status helps keep costs down, and consequently helps retain the entry-level-runner aspect of the race. “There’s constant turnover and new blood signing up for our races,” he said. “We have three different races – 16 kilometres (K), 29K and 42K. It’s a good progress for someone starting new.” His experience in the running world has also enabled him to witness the transition of introverted runners focused on training to the experience as a whole becoming more of a social event, he said. Registration for the race is closed, Lam said, but will open again early in the new year for future runners. For more information on the race and volunteering, visit moosetrailraces.com According to the website, volunteers also have the chance to win prizes by participating. The Greater Bragg Creek Trail Association is also looking for volunteers to help with trail maintenance Aug. 22, and trail building Aug. 25. Detailed information can be found at braggcreektrails.org
