After 49 years as a Prince George event, the Labour Day Classic road race has undergone a few format changes being implemented this Sunday.
Gone are the unconventional 17-mile (27.3-kilometre) and 8.5-mi (13.6-km) distances that became the local standard in 1974, when the first Prince George to Boston Marathon originated at Salmon Valley and finished at Spruceland Mall.
The 50th annual is now a full marathon, and runners will have their choice of going the 42.2 km distance or running a half-marathon (21.1 km). There are also 10 km and five km events, and a one km race for kids.
“It’s a different route, different distances — we are a legit marathon now,” said Labour Day Classic race director Julie Ubdegrove.
“It just made more sense when we were moving it to change it to real distances that people run in normal races. The distances before were just because that was how far it was to run from Salmon Valley into town.”
With fewer traffic lights and less congestion, Ubdegrove said avoiding the downtown core lessens safety concerns and reduces the cost of securing the route for runners — a cost that gets passed down to participants.
Race fees range from $65 to $80.
The Classic starts and ends at the Ice Oval at Exhibition Park. From the oval, runners entered in the 42.2 and 21.1 km routes will head north to 18th Avenue, then tackle Cranbrook Hill past the UNBC campus before heading back down the hill on Tyner Boulevard to Ospika Boulevard. Full marathoners will follow Foothills Boulevard to North Nechako Road, heading west until the end of the pavement, then turn around and return to the Ice Oval.
“It definitely will be a tough one — there’s a lot of elevation to this race — but it doesn’t seem to be stopping people from registering,” said Ubdegrove.
Registration is up over last year, with about 100 registrants already as of Monday morning, in advance of the 6 p.m. Thursday deadline for online registration.
Participants can register online through the Prince George Road Runners website.
The marathon racers get their feet in motion first at 8 a.m., followed by the half-marathoners, who hit the course at 8:30 a.m. The kids race starts at 8:40 a.m., just ahead of the 10 km (9 a.m.) and five km (9:30 a.m.) events.
Terry Fox completed the 17-mile course on Sept. 2, 1979 and started his Marathon of Hope Canadian Cancer Society fundraising run across Canada the following year.
This year’s Labour Day Classic is dedicated to longtime community booster and racing advocate Dick Voneugen, who died Feb. 24, 2025, in Prince George at age 92.
Voneugen was known for his horn — a transport truck horn he brought with him and blew trumpet-style to signify the start of every race. A former runner and competitive cyclist, Voneugen was one of the founders of the Labour Day Classic, and the sound of his horn became a trademark of the event for the hundreds of participants it attracted each year.
There will be limited in-person registration spots available on Saturday during race package pickup times between 5 and 7 p.m. at the Prince George Civic and Conference Centre — site of the post-race banquet that starts at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Environment Canada is predicting a sunny day for race day Sunday, with a forecast high of 25 C.
After five years, Ubdegrove is handing off her duties as race director to Mitch Guitard, who sits on the Prince George Road Runners organizing committee. Ubdegrove plans to retain her voluntary position as Prince George Iceman race director.
