FINALLY, THE RACE IS ON

Get ready runners because the Bear Paw Marathon will finally be coming to Havre this Saturday. The marathon was originally set to hold its inaugural run last year but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented it from going forward.

With the marathon finally set to go, Julea Robbins, from the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce which is putting on the marathon, is ready to get it started.

"It feels fantastic and I think having that extra year definitely gave us the push that we need to make this marathon great," Robbins said.

Over 300 runners will compete Saturday, with the event that will consist of three races: the marathon, the half-marathon and the 5K. The full marathon will consist of 30 runners and will start at 6 a.m. Saturday.

The full marathon is 26.2 miles and will begin 3.2 miles up Sucker Creek Road. The marathon will go through Beaver Creek Park as the racers will mostly run along the highway. The runners will also go off the highway and race around Bear Paw Lake and Beaver Creek Reservoir. They will run along the highway until they get off on Butte Road south of Havre for the final leg to the Montana State University-Northern campus where all the races will end.

The half-marathon is 13.1 miles and will start at 7 a.m. at Beaver Creek Reservoir with 100 runners. The 5K will be 3.1 miles and will consist of 113 runners beginning their race at 9 a.m. on Butte Road. Both these races will converge with the full marathon runners to the finish at the Northern campus.

With the marathon going along the highway, the chamber made sure to put in safety precautions to protect their runners from traffic. The southbound lane of the highway will be closed for the marathon and there will be road monitors at every intersection of the highway. There will also be aid stations about every two miles which will have water for the runners.

While she believes the course may allow some runners to race faster because of its steep terrain, Robbins believes that this being the first time a race has been held in this area will be a challenge.

"A lot of it's downhill. I think it's going to be kind of a faster course for some runners," Robbins said. "It's a new race and that's always a challenge. There's a lot of dirt and then pavement and then gravel roads so the difference in just what they're running on could be a fun challenge."

The rest of the marathon's participants will race virtually. This option was given to runners if they were not able to make it to Havre or they did not feel comfortable being in a large crowd yet. Virtual runners chose the distance they wanted to run and were allowed to run that distance anywhere they want, including at home on a treadmill. They would then submit their times and receive their swag bag.

The winners of each marathon distance will be awarded a prize for each age group and gender - 12 years old and younger, boy and girl; 14-18, boy and girl; and 19 and older, man and woman.

Runners registered online and paid to be able to participate in the marathon. The Chamber put the fees right back into the marathon itself.

Runners will have until 2 p.m. to reach the finish line before the roads are reopened and the aid stations are closed.

Other events for the Bear Paw Marathon include a pub crawl and an after party. The pub crawl will take place Friday night where participants will be given five tokens that they can use to purchase drinks at local bars, breweries and distilleries in Havre. The after party will take place after the marathon at the football field and next to it on the MSU-N campus.

Robbins urged racers to pick up their packet and bib Friday between noon and 9 p.m. at the Holiday Village Mall in the former Famous Footwear location. All racers and pub crawl participants need to pick up the packet because they will not be allowed on the bus to the marathon Saturday morning without their bib.

Runners will have to take the bus to the starting line in order to compete in the marathon.

The bus pickup location will be at the south parking lot of the Nothern campus Saturday, with the buses for the full-marathon leaving at 4:30 a.m., the buses for the half-marathon leaving at 5:30 a.m. and buses for the 5K leaving at 8:15 a.m.

With this being the inaugural Bear Paw Marathon, Robbins had several tips for those running the course for the first time.

For this specific marathon, runners should be on the lookout for wildlife, cattleguards and cars on the road. She also advised them to get their bodies ready for the long run.

"People need to stay hydrated. You want to keep your fluid intake below 25 ounces per hour during the run," Robbins said. "Make sure that you're staying fueled doing a carbo load the night before and then keeping your electrolytes up. All those types of things that every runner knows."

The Bear Paw Marathon will begin Saturday at 6 a.m. on Sucker Creek Road. The half-marathon will begin at 7 a.m. at Beaver Creek Reservoir and the 5K will start at 9 a.m. on Butte Road. The finish line will be at the MSU-Northern campus.