ST. PAUL - Of the 200 runners expected to arrive in St. Paul for the Sept. 30 Iron Horse Ultra 100, 32 of those athletes will come from the St. Paul, Elk Point and Bonnyville areas.
The ultra marathon has been taking place in the St. Paul-Elk Point area for several years, offering athletes an extreme challenge with 100-km and 100-mile routes available to be tackled as a team or soloist.
This year's race is the first time since the inception of the event that organizers have had to close registration, reaching the 200 maximum number of participants earlier than usual.
"We are very excited to reach out capacity of 200 runners," says Monique Poulin, one of many organizers who help make the race happen.
Of the 200 racers, 70 of them will be tackling the 100-km soloist race, 21 will be attempting the 100-mile race as soloists, and the rest will be part of teams working together, each taking legs of the race to complete.
There will be runners coming in from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario, says Poulin.
And while no more registrations are being taken, there is still opportunity for locals to get involved to see what the race is all about - in perhaps a less extreme way.
"We are always looking for volunteers," says Poulin. Volunteers can fill a variety of roles.
To become a volunteer, visit ironhorseultra.com and sign up on the volunteer page of the website.
