Medicine Hat College Rattlers mascot Rowdy keeps his pace in the 3 km fun run Saturday morning in the 43rd annual Rattler Run. NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
After two years away, the Medicine Hat College Rattler Run made a sunny return.
The 43rd annual run Saturday was the first non-virtual Rattler Run since 2019 with over 500 runners and walkers taking on the trails and roads around the college and Kin Coulee Park.
Those participating had the option of running 5 or 10 kilometres or taking part in a 3 km “fun run.” The top three male and female runners in the 5 and 10 km races received prize money with medals given to the top three in each age category for all three distances.
Calgarian Callum Drever took the top spot in the 10 km race, posting a time of 34:37. Medicine Hat’s Andrew Lehman, a runner at Lake Head University in Thunder Bay, was a close second finishing at 34:54. MHC Rattlers running assistant coach Chris Jonker placed third.
The women’s 10 km was closely contested, with only 10 seconds separating the first three runners. Second-year MHC nursing student Becky Ross overtook 2019 Rattler Run winner Charlene McGrath in the final kilometre and clocked a time of 43:38 for the win.
Madison Scrimger, a Grade 12 student at Crescent Heights High who has committed to attend MHC and run for the Rattlers Cross Country team this fall, placed third.
All six 5 km winners were Medicine Hat and area residents. Landon Swartz, who runs for SAIT Polytechnic, triumphed in the men’s 5 km with a time of 18:07, 42 seconds ahead of Quinn Haldorson. MHC Rattlers runner Brandon Sumner placed third.
In the women’s 5 km, Medicine Hat Panthers/Hat High’s Hannah Kozakewich took the top prize with a time of 21:24. SAIT Polytechnic’s Jasmin Salmon placed second, while Medicine Hat Bulldog’s Devyn Perrett, was third.
The men’s 3-km fun run was won by Laine Gauthier, another Medicine Hat Bulldog. Gauthier ran the course in 10:40, almost two minutes ahead of second place. Azelynne Ferguson was the top female in the 3 km.
Rattler Run director and Rattlers cross country head coach Bill Corcoran said Saturday morning’s run was, “a stellar event.”
All runners received a Rattler Run race memento and a downloadable certificate for each finisher.
