Babies line up for annual diaper dash

Babies get running in Diaper Dash Some really young runners took part in the Calgary Marathon's first-ever Diaper Dash Saturday.

As adult runners prepare for the Servus Calgary Marathon on Sunday, May 26, some pint-sized competitors took part in another race on Saturday. The Wee Wild Ones Diaper Dash saw 64 babies and toddlers race down a 42.2 foot long raceway at GMC Stadium at Stampede Park.

“The intention was to crown four winners but it was absolute chaos, so I don’t know if we can even pick four because they were back and forth, it was a lot of fun,” said Kirsten Fleming of Run Calgary.

The carpeted course was designed to protect little hands and knees, and mini-pylons helped keep the competitors on track.

Excited parents waved toys and cheered on their little ones as they waited at the finish line to scoop them up.

“This was great, just seeing her interact, she loves to people-watch, so getting to watch the older kids was fun too,” said Shar Fernandes, mother of nine-month-old Celeste.

“It’s been a great experience," she added. "We’ll definitely do it again next year.”

Every participant went home with a custom race bib and bragging rights. Organizers say they hope it’s the beginning of a love of sport and an active life.

“These are our future marathoners, so we are building the pipeline,” said Fleming. “Today they are crawling and 20 years from now they are hopefully running a marathon.”

The Wee Wild Ones Diaper Dash was billed as the inaugural event, but there was actually a similar event in Calgary decades ago.