For the 20th straight year, Yukon runners converged on the village of Mayo last weekend.

More than 200 walkers and runners took part in the annual Mayo Marathon Saturday night – a unique race that sees runners pounding the pavement under the midnight sun.

Participants were able to choose between four race distances: five-km, 10-km, half marathon and marathon.

The event has become a summer showcase for the northern village of 400 people, said Mayo recreation director Ian Spencer.

“Not a word of a lie, it’s one of the best events our community hosts in terms of promotion,” he said.

However, talk has turned to the future of the event, run by the village’s Fly-By-Night Running Club.

“There’s going to be a fair amount of turnover this year with our executive and volunteers,” said Spencer. “I think there’s a little bit of concern about us being able to run the event, losing so much experience.

“I’m not going to say it’s going to be the last, last one, but it might take us a while to get up to speed.”

Whitehorse’s Tedd Tucker finished second in the full marathon, slightly more than 15 minutes behind winner David Stanford of Edmonton.

“The best part about this marathon is how much the Mayo community gets behind it,” said Tucker, who ran in the men’s 20 to 39 division. “The event has a very unique feel.”

Many local residents help stage the race – from manning water stations to serving snacks, Tucker said.

Conservation officers and RCMP are also out on bear patrol.

“The course is challenging,” he added. “It’s got a big hill about five km into the race, and then a steady rhythm of rolling hills after that.”

Sue Bogle of Whitehorse took victory in the women’s half marathon, crossing the finish line in 1:35:33.

“It happens at night, which is a neat thing,” she said. “That’s what drew me out to begin with, just the uniqueness of running at midnight.”

Race alterations now see the majority of runners finishing around midnight, under the gleam of the late-night sun. While Bogle competed in the women’s 40 to 49 category, her sons ran shorter distances.

“It is something I would like to see continue,” she said of the race. “A lot of different places are always represented. ... This year, there were people from Poland, U.K., Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand. It has a real international flavour.” The atmosphere surrounding the run is what makes it special. Hot chicken soup is available to runners post-race, followed by a much-anticipated homemade brunch Sunday.

Whitehorse’s Richard Zral, who finished the half marathon in 1:59:40 – tops among men age 60-plus – said it would be a shame for the marathon to go. He’s run 15 in a row.

“They’re running short on volunteers,” he said. “The same people have been doing it for 20 years, and like me, they’re getting older.

“We could do some of the organizing from Whitehorse, I think. The big thing for them is the breakfast. It’s got to be a nightmare to organize that. But it’s amazing.”