Participants who took part in the first Intersport 5-km run and walk competition will have the opportunity to see how much they have improved tonight at the second race of the 2008 season.

The race series is held every Tuesday at F.H. Collins Secondary School, starting at 6:30 p.m. and is open to anybody interested in attending.

"The biggest thing is just the camaraderie that ends up developing," said Don White, one of the organizers for the event.

"You might not know all of the 40 or 50 people's names that come out to do the competition, but you will recognize faces. So that kind of becomes important later on."

The 5-km run and walk has been held for more than 20 years.

The series is put on by Athletics Yukon and features three different courses that participants can enter.

The longest distance is the 5-km discipline, which begins at the entrance into the F.H. Collins bus turn around and follows the sidewalk north to a turnoff point by the city of Whitehorse pumping station, which is by the skateboard park.

From there the course cuts over onto the Millennium Trail and follows along the trail all the way to the top parking lot, which is just to east of the dam.

All individuals participating in the 5-km race must touch the big triangular shaped rock at the top of the hill.

From there, the course turns around and comes back down the hill onto Lewes Boulevard and finishes just with F.H. Collins school sign is located.

The 3-km and 2.5-km courses also have the same starting point, but both have markers along the Millennium Trail to signal the turnoff.

With the exception of the Tuesday closest to June 21, all races in the Intersport 5-km run and walk competition are held at F.H. Collins.

Participation in the Tuesday race series cost $2 for all members of Athletics Yukon, while non-members pay $4.

All race entries can choose to sign up in the walk or run category for the three different distances, which are both timed.

There are no prizes that can be won for the individual races, but Athletics Yukon does give out awards at the end of the running season.

In the past, these prizes have included plaques that acknowledge individual achievements, such as a runner's hard work, dedication or improved time.

Last week's race featured a total of 44 participants, who walked or ran in sunny conditions, while trying to stay warm under a raw south wind.

The top three women finisher's in the 5-km walking category included Ruth Hall, who won the top position with her time of 34:13.

Arlene Ogden concluded the race in a close second, crossing the finish line at 34:57, while Tanya Astika's time of 35:20 earned her sole possession of third place.

The top three 5-km walking male times were Rick Griffiths, who posted a time of 34:33 that earned him first place, while Phil Gibson was right behind him, finishing second with a time of 34:53.

Lorne Whittaker rounded out the top three with his time of 45:48.

Kate and Taylor Mitchell were the only participants in the 3-km running category.

Kate ended up winning the incredibly close race by only four seconds, finishing at 19:24, while Taylor clocked 19:28.

The 5-km running category was by far the most popular, featuring 16 male participants and 18 female competitors.

The top three male finisher's all posted times under the 20-minute mark. Ray Sabo, Scott Westburg and Will Palahick all concluded the race at 19:48.

Tom Ullyett was the next individual to cross the finish line, posting a time of 20:09.

Sue Bogle recorded the best female time in the 5-km running event with her time of 20:42. In a photo finish Melissa O'Brien managed to beat out Amy Riske for second place by a mere second, coming in at 21:29.

White said he was pleased with how the inaugural race of 2008 went.

"It was fun," he said.

"It's an opportunity for people to get together to run a set course to actually be able to monitor how their fitness levels are improving over the season and to meet other people.

It would be nice to get as many people this time as we got the first time and we always hope that we will get a few extras."