Conditions conspired to make for a perfect run for Whitehorse’s David Eikelboom as the runner blazed to a new course record at the Mt. Lorne Mis-adventure Trail Race Sunday.

In his fifth time at the race, Eikelboom finished the 21-kilometre trail course in 1:10:51, breaking his previous 2014 record of 1:12:09 and beating the rest of the field to the finish line by 17 minutes.

“Having run it now five times, I know the course well enough that I have no excuses if I run it like an idiot,” he said at the finish. “I was really happy with the strategy and really happy to be able to push hard in the last few kilometres.”

The course started off flat, following a dirt road before runners cut across the Annie Lake Golf Course and run across the Annie Lake Road, crossing the highway at Bear Creek.

The back half of the course involved a hill and followed a section of the same trail you would use if you were to hike Mount Lorne.

“In the past, this has been a bit of a hard race to run strategically because it’s sort of flat and then you have a giant uphill,” said Eikelboom. “If you go out too fast at the start then you just suffer for the entire back half of the race.”

The Mt. Lorne Mis-adventure Race started in 2003 after some residents in Robinson, who were runners, and one who was also a volunteer at the fire department asked for help running the radios and coordinating the road crossings, said race organizer, Judy Beaumont.

In the first year she recalls they made about $300 and used the money to buy a chainsaw.

Beaumont said the fire department, which is celebrating its 20th year, uses the money raised to buy extras for their team that the fire marshall’s office doesn’t supply. In the past these have been things like extra gloves and the Nomex overalls used for wildland fire fighting.

“We’re always putting it back to make life easier and safer for the guys and gals,” she said.

Last year, with just over 40 participants they made about $1,000, which “was wonderful,” said Beaumont. They’re expecting to raise about the same this year.

The community is really proud of their fire department said volunteer Cindy Boyd and the runners are happy to support the cause.

“They do it for the run; they do it for the community; they do it for themselves,” she said. “It’s win-win-win.”

There are no prizes for the run, but the spouses and friends of the firefighters donate their time preparing the impressive spread of food awaiting the runners at the finish.

This year Beaumont made three pots of chilli.

“The moose chilli after this race is just the best chilli you’ll eat,” said Eikelboom, remembering one of last year’s batches. “It’d be worth it just for the chilli.”

For Kendra Murray, who grew up in Mount Lorne and knows many of the volunteer firefighters personally, the race is a great way to fundraise for the department.

“I grew up here, so it’s kind of like coming home to go for a run,” she said.

She hasn’t participated in the event for a number of years, but had a lot of fun this time around.

Murray was the top female finisher in a time of 1:31:19.

She said she really didn’t know how long the 21k would take her to finish.

“I don’t really train for running. I’m a cross-country skier and an orienteer so it’s cross-training,” she said. “I was just kind of going with how it felt.”

She felt pretty good. As she ran across the Annie Lake Road, she thought there was someone close behind her, so she picked up the pace.

While the woman behind her got turned around a bit, Murray thought she was on her butt for the whole race. “I thought the rest of the race she was right there, so that helped me pick it up a bit,” she said.

The Mis-adventure race was exactly two weeks before the Trail Marathon on August 8 and Eikelboom is looking forward to the challenge. After battling back from an injury last year, he said he’s feeling good.“I’m excited to see what I can do.”