The Wapiti Bush Run is a race that grew from a challenge. When local high school cross-country coach Harvey Weber was challenged by his friends to organize a trail running event back in 2015, no one could have predicted the field of 128 athletes who showed up that first year — including local high school athletes and trail runners from as far away as Saskatoon and La Ronge. For three years, the race was a popular season opener for high school cross-country teams. Then, when the 2017 event was held, Weber retired from teaching and the race went quiet.
Now, after a nearly decade-long pause, the Bush Run is back. On Saturday, Aug. 29, the Melfort Cross Country Ski Club will host the 2026 Wapiti Bush Run at the Gronlid Cross Country Ski Trails, tucked inside the Fort à la Corne Island Forest, about 46 kilometres north of Melfort. Organizers expect between 50 and 100 participants for this reboot — a fraction of the inaugural crowd, but a cohort that organizers believe will bring a new generation of runners, families, and nature lovers into the forest.
The setting is the real star. Fort à la Corne is a uniquely beautiful landscape where prairie parkland meets the boreal forest. Runners on the longer courses will pass through trembling aspen and birch stands, then climb a glacial esker that overlooks woodland meadows and forests of lodgepole and jack pine.
The event is sanctioned by Saskatchewan Athletics, but the tone is less about racing and more about the experience. "The Bush Run is intended to be a fun and enjoyable event for all," Martin Green, president of the Melfort Cross Country Ski Club, told SaskToday. "We hope it will encourage people to get out and enjoy all that this unique slice of nature has to offer." Those sentiments come from a club that, since its founding in 1985, has dedicated itself to promoting cross-country skiing as a lifelong activity. The club's 140 members — a mix of children, families, and seniors — maintain nearly 20 kilometers of trails, work that Green describes as a year-round labour of love. "Volunteers are the heart and soul of our club," he says, noting that hours go into grooming and track-setting in the winter and dead-fall clearing and mowing in the summer.
That sense of community is built into the Wapiti Bush Run itself. The event was, at its core, a high school effort — a season opener for cross-country teams across the region. That spirit is being revived, but with a twist. "We heard from previous participants that the hills and the available distances were a little much for some," Green explained. "So we introduced the Wild Ones 2 km Fun Run to provide an enjoyable experience for families and those looking for a little less challenge." The new short course follows the gentle terrain of the Cabin Trail and the Skate Trail loop, winding through the birch and aspen forest with little elevation change. For those who want the classic challenge, the 5.5 km course climbs the Ridge Trail before returning along the Skate Trail, while the 8.5 km adds the undulating Ridge Trail rollercoaster before returning on the Skate Trail. The event features water stations and support from local Co-op organizations.
Registration comes with a promise of abundance. Every participant gets a pre-race snack, a hot lunch with dessert, a beverage, and a swag bag with the signature Wapiti Bush Run toque. Medals will be awarded to the top three finishers in each of the two longer races. All proceeds from the event will support trail infrastructure and nature conservation at the Gronlid Ski Trails.
For the Melfort Cross Country Ski Club, the return is as much about the forest as about the run. "The Wapiti Bush Run is hosted in the Fort à la Corne Island Forest, a beautifully unique interface between prairie parkland and boreal forest," Green says. Runners on the longer courses will pass through trembling aspen and birch forest, then climb to a glacial esker that overlooks woodland meadows with stands of lodgepole and jack pine. It is a landscape that invites the eyes to linger, and a reason why the club, which has worked so hard to protect its trails, wanted to bring people back to see them.
The return of the Bush Run also comes at a time when the club is marking its 40th anniversary. Last season was among the longest and most successful in the club's history, with a record-breaking 150 registered members. "I think our recent record year was due in part to several factors," Green said. "The great snow year can't be overlooked. After last year, I'm sure people really wanted to make the best of all the snow and weather." The club has expanded beyond the winter, hosting wine-and-wax nights, candlelight skis, and summer trail maintenance sessions. The Bush Run is the culmination of that year-round outreach.
The event will draw on the support of local businesses and the Gronlid community, from the lunch at the Gronlid Hall to the accommodations offered by nearby Outerbanks Cabins and the Wapiti Campgrounds. While registration is online through the Race Roster page, organizers are still recruiting volunteers to help with everything from registration to course monitoring to cheering on runners at the finish. "We couldn't do this without our community-minded sponsors," Green said. "Sponsor funding supports trail preparation, signage, race snacks and water tables, and lunch for our volunteers."
For those who remember the first edition, the 2026 version will feel familiar yet fresh. The two long races are unchanged, the medal ceremony will take place at the Gronlid Hall, and the toque is back. But the new Wild Ones Fun Run ensures there is a place for children and beginners. It’s a design that honors the past, the race as a high-school season opener, and leans into the future of bringing families into the island forest.
"The Bush Run is intended to be a fun and enjoyable event for all," Green reiterates. The goal is not just a morning of racing, but a lasting invitation to a forest that sits at the edge of the prairie. For the Melfort Cross Country Ski Club, that is the mission: to welcome the next generation to this wild and wonderful landscape, and to show them why it’s worth protecting.