This weekend there are three smaller races to run in the Calgary area. We won't see anything on an epic scale like the the Calgary Marathon until Melissa's Half in September.
Five Peaks, Sundre, Saturday, July 19
Probably the toughest and most scenic run will be the Five Peaks in Sundre, which is a hilly cross-country series, and this instance is about an hour northwest of Calgary. Registration is still available.
Open Minds Walk & Run 10k, Saturday, July 19
About 200 people should line up for a 5 or 10k in Edworthy Park, which probably means a nice run along the river on the pathways. Registration is still available, package pickup is today at Eau Claire Running Room from 4pm-8pm.
Bragg Creek Days Fun Run 10k, Sunday, July 20
This will be the smallest race of the weekend, but there's nothing else on Sunday and Bragg Creek is such a nice place to visit. Despite the intention of the race to raise money for building more trails in the hills, this should be a flat, pretty course.
The following weekend has nothing nearby. There's a half marathon in Wainwright though.
The next biggest thing is in Invermere, BC, with their Loop the Lake ultramarathon / marathon / half / relay, August 9. The ING Edmonton Marathon is August 16, the same day as the Cross Calgary Ultra. August 17th has the 2nd running of the 10k/5k Rock the House Run, which is a flat loop starting at the Children's Hospital. And the last race in August is the Robert Hamilton Memorial Road Race on August 24. It's a 5 Mile and 10 Mile, or approximately 8k and 16k, and should get about 200 people.
Last year the Rock the House Run had lots of fun stuff for kids, including a stage where bands played, a few demonstration races by the SuperDogs, and I think there was an inflatable bounce room. This year they're expecting more kids, more fun, and more people.
After the spring and summer marathons, there is a lull while people are going to start building their base of long runs in preparation for fall cross country and marathon season. It's a good time to get in on some of the free group runs around the city. There's a good list of them at the Calgary Roadrunners Learn to Run Blog.
