When Nancy Thomson first took up running regularly about three years ago, she was content just to let her feet hit the pavement, but it wasn't long before a friend of Thomson's had her hooked on a more scenic route.

'I went running in the bush and thought, This is so much better,'' says Thomson, on a walk through some trails in the Hidden Lakes area Thursday afternoon. 'It's like a little journey.'

After months of enjoying what the Yukon wilderness has to offer on her own, Thomson decided to share her passion for trail running with the public. The inaugural Sportslife Trail Run was held Thursday evening, with many more planned right through October 4.

'I thought, If we have so many trails here, why don't we have weekly timed runs that take place on trails?'' explained Thomson, pointing to the weekly Intersport fun runs which take place on pavement in Riverdale.

'I know that lots of people around here run in the bush. It's so much softer on your joints. I know there's a whole group of women out at Mary Lake who do weekly group runs.'

The local runner approached the Boreal Adventure Running Association (BARA), which organizes the annual Yukon River Trail Marathon, and its members were all receptive to the idea. The president of BARA, Ken Sylvestre, has been helping Thompson out with the initial steps to get the new weekly trail runs up and running.

A total of 13 runners turned out for the first event Thursday and Thompson said everyone seemed to enjoy themselves even the three runners who inadvertently took a wrong turn.

The first course featured was on Grey Mountain, about 2.2 kilometres up the Grey Mountain Road.

A different course will be featured each week, with difficulty ratings ranging from easy to tough as nails. Lengths will range from five to eight km. Thomson said if local runners know of a trail they would like to see incorporated, they are welcome to share their ideas. As long as there's plenty of parking in the area and it's easy to find, it could become a part of the weekly event.

'Really, with the number of trails we have here, you could never have to repeat a trail,' she said. 'We probably are going to a couple of times though, just so people can compare their times.'

However, while it will be timed, Thomson pointed out it's not really a race. Some people just want to run recreationally, she said. All of the trails will be flagged to try and avoid wrong turns.

'With the easy course, novice runners could do them.'

Besides a chance to view nature and wildlife, the trail runs also provide participants with a chance to improve their reflexes and strengthen their legs and endurance, particularly on those courses which feature a number of hills.

It's also a chance for people who run trails regularly to meet and perhaps plan to hook up with other runners in their neighbourhood. Some women have safety concerns about running by themselves, Thomson said.

'If they come out to the weekly run, they might meet someone from their neighbourhood to run with regularly.'

While the first week's trail run was free of charge, Thomson said they may have to charge $1 or $2 per race in the future for insurance costs.

The next Sportslife Trail Run is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on May 31 at Long Lake. Runners are asked to meet at the day use area. The course rating is moderate and the length will be six km.

The location and details on each weekly run will be posted on the Athletics Yukon website. For more information, you can contact Thomson at 333-0983, or Keith Thaxter at 334-3987.

Here are the results from the inaugural Sportslife Trail Run Thursday:

1. Keith Thaxter, 28.05

2. Nancy Thomson, 30:45

3. Amy Riske, 30:56

4. Melissa O'Brien, 30:58

5. Kelvin Leary, 33:40

6. Ken Sylvestre, 34:50

7. Tory Russell, 35:35

8. Anissa Guenfoud, 36:18

9. Bryan Craven, 38:05

10. Brenda Dion, 38:05