A popular Lacombe annual tradition, Bill’s Trail Run 4 Track is set for Sept. 30.

Those interested in taking part or volunteering at the event are asked to register at www.lacombeathleticpark.ca or at www.billstrailrun.com.

Organizers also point out that the deadline for getting a special race T-shirt is Sept. 9.

All races start/finish at the MEGlobal Athletic Park and use Lacombe’s trail system.

According to www.billstrailrun.com, “Bill Nielsen ran 100 marathons; more than 30 with Parkinson’s disease. Bill transformed people’s lives by encouraging and mentoring them to become runners.

“For the benefit of all, he tirelessly built and maintained miles of trails in Lacombe and Fort McMurray. Most of his ‘leisure’ time was spent in the service of others.

“The literal and figurative trails he built are a legacy for future generations.”

Nielsen passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 73.

“I just want to carry on Bill’s memory,” said Diane Hayduk, race director for Bill’s Trail Run, adding it was always Nielsen’s dream to bring a running community together here in Lacombe. “That’s who he was.

“He used to run three times a day with different people. He was on the move.”

Hayduk, who is also chair of the Lacombe Athletic Park Association (LAPA), said that ultimately, Bill’s Trail Run is also a fundraiser and a get-together for the Lacombe community and for folks from clear across Alberta.

“Bill’s friends come to this – people who used to run with him, and they love to run in the spirit of Bill, too,” she explained. “He started a great community here, and we just want to continue it.”

Orange T-shirts are available for participants as the event is held on Truth and Reconciliation Day. As mentioned, Sept. 9 is the T-shirt purchase cut-off.

As to the run itself, there are routes that vary in length including 2km, 5km, and 10km.

There is also a family fun run to take part in, said Hayduk.

Jay Adamson, past LAPA chair and current board member, said funds raised will go to support the track and field expansion project at MEGlobal Athletic Park.

“We are looking at putting a fully certified Class 2 track and field facility at the park — everything that would hold large-scale track and field events within central Alberta.

This would include an eight-lane, rubberized track around the football field and also putting in various features for events ranging from high-jump, shot-put, and hurdles to name just a few.

“Lacombe has great trails — it’s a great running community. We don’t want to take away from runners and what they are doing with the trails, but we also want to provide another surface that is also for those who want to run on a track, or for those trail runners who would like to train on a track,” he said.

Overall, the expansion would be a tremendous asset for not just local residents from people from across the region.

“It would be another athletic venue to provide the people of Lacombe with, and for central Alberta as a whole.”

Pictured here is the family of Bill Nielsen. Quiet Mime Photography

Pictured here is Bill Nielsen standing at the entrance of Bill’s Exercise Trail on Elizabeth Lake. Photo submitted