Official Results
Beaverlodge to Grande Prairie Marathon & Relay
Sunday, August 31, 1997
Summary
The fog in Grande Prairie was thick; in Beaverlodge it was only patchy. Runners took a chance that the fog would lift as they approached the city so the race started on time. Ten runners were going to complete the full distance; another ten teams would challenge the course in sections.
At the 10Km mark, the fog rolled in and remained thick throughout the next 20Km. At times the highway was very dangerous and there were concerns about the safety of the runners. No one stopped. When the fog lifted at 30Km, it was clear sailing to the finish line.
Numbers were down this year for the 15th running of this event. A total of 43 runners were involved, down from 75 last year. Ten entrants were running the full marathon, 4 of them for the first time. Jim Smith was running number 14, having only missed 1985. There were only 10 teams, with seven of them being four person teams. Only 3 two person teams were involved.
All competitors were from the Peace Country with the exception of Jackie Kruger who journeyed all the way from Canmore to take part in our run.
The first to cross the finish line was the two person team of Catherine Mullaney and Marlene Corcoran in a time of 2:59:03. They were followed by the four person team of Cal, Kati and Kyle White and Patrick Mackenzie of Grimshaw in 3:04:19.
Todd Wilson was the first marathoner home. He finished in a time of 3:08:47, well ahead of Patrick Coppens who finished in 3:30:47. Aaron Ruptash was third in 3:53:53. Both Coppens and Ruptash were running their first marathon.
It was good to see a number of young runners in the relay portion. Fifteen year old Kyle White of Grimshaw had the fastest time over Section #3. Others included Kati White (12), Amarylis VanderKaaden (12) and Kris Clarke (13).
A special thanks to all the participants, volunteers, support crews, and sponsors for making this another successful marathon.
Watch for important information regarding next year. Major changes will be taking place due to highway construction and the event may not be quite the same.
Full Marathon
| Place | Name | Address | Category | Time | Cat Place |
| 1 | Todd Wilson | Grande Prairie, AB | M20-39 | 3:08:47 | 1 |
| 2 | Patrick Coppens | Grande Prairie, AB | M40-49 | 3:30:47 | 1 |
| 3 | Aaron Ruptash | Grande Prairie, AB | M20-39 | 3:53:53 | 2 |
| 4 | Jim Smith | Grande Prairie, AB | M40-49 | 3:57:20 | 2 |
| 5 | Greg Scerbak | Grande Prairie, AB | M40-49 | 4:06:12 | 3 |
| 6 | Douglas Osmond | Grande Prairie, AB | M40-49 | 4:11:07 | 4 |
| 7 | Tom Simpson | Fairview, AB | M40-49 | 4:20:38 | 5 |
| 8 | Jackie Kruger | Canmore, AB | F40+ | 4:35:55 | 1 |
| 9 | Luke Roffel | Grande Prairie, AB | M50+ | 4:57:28 | 1 |
| Fred Brown | Grande Prairie, AB | M50+ | DNF |
Relay Teams
| Place | Team Name | Address | Category | Time | Cat Place |
| 1 | The M & M's | Grande Prairie, AB | OWH | 2:59:03 | 1 |
| 2 | Bald Redded Eagles | Grimshaw, AB | OMQ | 3:04:19 | 1 |
| 3 | Clydesdales | Grande Prairie, AB | OMQ | 3:10:01 | 2 |
| 4 | Big Dogs & Little Dogs | Grande Prairie, AB | OMQ | 3:10:55 | 3 |
| 5 | Young & the Bald | Grande Prairie, AB | OMQ | 3:12:10 | 4 |
| 6 | Haley's Bunch | Grande Prairie, AB | OMQ | 3:17:59 | 5 |
| 7 | Chris's Idea | Fort St. John, BC | OMH | 3:23:08 | 1 |
| 8 | Hagglund's Crew | Grande Prairie, AB | OMQ | 3:29:23 | 6 |
| 9 | Van Schaik | Fort St. John, BC | OMH | 3:33:59 | 2 |
| 10 | Road Kill | Grande Prairie, AB | MXQ | 3:45:36 | 1 |
Team members
1 The M & M's - (Marlene Corcoran & Catherine Mullaney)
2 Bald Redded Eagles - (Cal White, Kati White, Kyle White, Patrick Mackenzie)
3 Clydesdales - (Mike Dutove, Mike Carson, Rick Prediger, John Breemer)
4 Big Dogs & Little Dogs - (Franco Carlacci, Mike Driver, Sarah Swart, Bill Corcoran)
5 Young & the Bald - (Harvey Syrota, Amarylis VanderKaaden, Kris Clarke, Andy Beal)
6 Haley's Bunch - (Jim Smith, Rick Scott, Gary Jantz, Ken Haley)
7 Chris's Idea - (Don Riddle & Chris Maundrell)
8 Hagglund's Crew - (Garry Hagglund, Bob MacNeill, Greg Gillespie, Will Schroer)
9 Van Schaik - (Robert & John Van Schaik)
10 Road Kill - (Pam Chislett, Roland Diehl, Shirley Olson, Wes Zidkovich)