The Legend of Billy Loutit
In Athabasca's 1904 flood, a Metis mailrunner named William (Billy) Loutit ran from Athabasca to Edmonton with an important message to tell of the town's emergency.
Billy made the trip over flooded roads and undeveloped terrain in 16 hours - an hour quicker than the messenger on horseback.
Billy's legacy continues as his family is huge supporters of the race and frequently travel far distances to cheer on our athletes. The photo below left was taken at the 2014 event of Billy's nephew, Charlie, who traveled all the way from Seattle to show his support. The unique hat he is wearing was created by Billy's grandson, Roland A. Courquin.
Billy made the trip over flooded roads and undeveloped terrain in 16 hours - an hour quicker than the messenger on horseback.
Billy's legacy continues as his family is huge supporters of the race and frequently travel far distances to cheer on our athletes. The photo below left was taken at the 2014 event of Billy's nephew, Charlie, who traveled all the way from Seattle to show his support. The unique hat he is wearing was created by Billy's grandson, Roland A. Courquin.
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Our 2008 race was extra special for the Loutit family as Shannon Loutit, Billy's great-granddaughter, retraced her great-grandfathers steps and ran from Edmonton to Athabasca. She ran the route with children joining her for a variety of distances along the way. Her extraordinary run finished in the company of many race supporters (photo above right) as she entered the Athabasca community.