Under sunny skies and 30 C plus temperatures, more than 600 people pushed themselves through gruelling obstacles Saturday at the fifth annual Miner's Mayhem event.
With the green Adanac Ski Hill and Rotary Park serving as a backdrop, participants young and old made it through the 6.5 kilometre mining-themed obstacle course to have fun and raise money for a good cause.
While the fundraising figure wasn't available Saturday, the beneficiary this year was the Rich Griffin #1Saves8 campaign, which is raising awareness and money to assist transplant patients and their families.
Griffin passed away suddenly in May 2015 and became an organ donor. He was a participant in the 2014 Miner’s Mayhem and his wife, Nancy, participated in his memory in 2015, when she also presented the inaugural Spirit of Rich Griffin team spirit award.
“We have a huge number of returning miners who have had a blast at our previous events and come back every year, anxious to see what new obstacles we have in store for them,” race director Donna Smrek said in a news release.
This year, there were 135 groups of athletes taking turns at the start line. That figure includes 64 teams participating in the team challenge.
The team format was established last year in response to many requests from participants to create teams and promote the spirit of mine rescue, where “no miner is left behind.”
Groups of five had a single timing chip and tackled the course together and had to cross the finish line as a team.
