The Vancouver Island marmot population has come a long way, making a remarkable comeback from the brink of extinction. The endangered species had fewer than 30 recorded animals left in the wild in 2003, according to the Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation. Today, conservation efforts have helped bring the population to an estimated 427 marmots across more than 30 mountains. This weekend, hundreds of runners will be stepping into that recovery story. Mount Washington Alpine Resort is hosting its inaugural Monster Marmot Trail Run on Sunday, with all net proceeds going to the Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation. For Adam Taylor, executive director of the foundation, the race is a unique way to connect people with the animals they are helping protect. “It’s just incredible,” Taylor said. “What a great way to get people out and into marmot habitat.” The two courses will take runners through the alpine terrain at Mount Washington, where they could encounter some of the mountain’s resident marmots along the way. The five-kilometre route passes near the Tony Barrett Marmot Recovery Centre, where some of the foundation’s most important work takes place. The centre is a conservation breeding facility, with marmots living there year-round and producing pups that are eventually released into the wild. It also serves as a staging area for young marmots arriving from the Toronto and Calgary zoos. They spend their first winter at Mount Washington, in the middle of natural marmot habitat, before being released. “It gives them a solid start before we release them,” Taylor said. The facility also provides a place to care for marmots that need medical attention before they can return to suitable habitat. Taylor says Mount Washington has become an important part of the recovery effort, and some of the animals runners may see on Sunday are there because of that work. “As runners go through the course, they’re going to be going past marmots that we’ve released to that site because we know they’re going to survive there,” Taylor said. There are an estimated 35 to 40 wild marmots around Mount Washington at the moment, although the animals move around the mountain. Nick Thornton, marketing manager for Mount Washington Alpine Resort, says that makes the race a little different from your typical trail run. “They like to sit on the rocks and sunbathe,” Thornton said. “So, if runners are lucky, they’ll be able to spot them.” The race grew out of a partnership between Mount Washington and Frontrunners Cumberland. Thornton, who is part of the Cumberland trail running club, invited members to the resort last summer to explore its trails. The response helped spark the idea for a larger event. “We kind of put our heads together, and I thought it would be a really good opportunity to host a race together,” Thornton said. More than 200 runners have signed up for the inaugural event. While the race is new, the relationship between Mount Washington and the marmot recovery program is not. Thornton says the resort has supported the foundation for years and saw the race as an opportunity to combine outdoor recreation with conservation. “We share a mountain with these marmots,” he said. “We just thought it would be a good way to give back to them and just generally raise awareness for what they’re doing.” For the foundation, that support is about more than a single fundraiser. Taylor says more than 75 per cent of the organization’s funding comes from the public. “Without this type of support, it is not possible to recover this species,” Taylor said. The work is not finished. The foundation continues to breed marmots, release them into suitable habitat and monitor the wild population as it works toward a sustainable future for the species. For Thornton, bringing people onto the mountain and into that story is part of what makes Sunday meaningful. “It’s exciting to have them on board,” he said. “To raise funds for them is a good feeling.” The Monster Marmot Trail Run takes place Sunday at Mount Washington, with five and 10 kilometre courses starting from the base area. Registration is closed, but spectators are encouraged to come out and support the runners and the conservation effort.
