Pink flagging marked one of the more physically gruelling courses used so far this season at the weekly Sportslife Trail Run.

There were a few more hills and a few more accidental detours, but neither aspect deterred individuals from having a pleasant experience or from finishing the run.

Although the course was a little bit more technically challenging, plenty of new and old faces still came out to participate in the event, which was held on Thursday in the Grey Mountain area.

"It was good," said Nancy Thomson, the organizer and founder of the Sportslife Trail Run. "We had about seven new people out that we didn't see before at all. So I think that is really encouraging because that means that people are hearing about it and they want to come out."

Some of the challenges individuals in Thursday's run had to overcome included a narrow, hilling terrain, which included a few wet patches along the way. However, the weather and the beautiful scenery made getting past these obstacles more than worth it for participants.

The run was approximately 6.5 km in length and the course was set up so that it looped around to conclude at the same location where it first began.

Participants had to test their athleticism with the steep hills that ended the first half of the race, as well as with getting around a creek, which required small jumps onto rocks, small logs and patches of dirt.

This is the second year the Sportslife Trail Run has been put on.

The run is free for all members of Athletics Yukon, while non-members are required to pay $2. The fees are given to Athletics Yukon for insurance purposes. Sportslife is the main sponsor of the run and contributes money for things such as the flagging of the trails used.

Gatorade is also given out to all of participants in the trail run, which is provided by Energy North.

The special thing about the Thursday night trail run is how it uses a new course every week. Some of the different trail areas used at this event include Chadburn Lake, Porter Creek, Crestview, the Magnuson Trails and Hidden Lakes.

All of the weekly runs begin at 6:30 p.m.

Thomson said among her goals is to have a championship trail run sometime around mid October to conclude the season.

If the championship run is held it would feature a larger course and award medals for top finishes.

Thomson said she also plans on holding a membership drive for the trail run.

"I think because the trail running is proving to be so popular," she said.

"A lot of people come because they want to be competitive every Thursday on the trails; a lot of people come because they want to experience new trails; a lot of people come because they don't want to run on trails alone and what I think would be useful is if we could have a membership drive and have people come and join."

An exact amount hasn't been decided for an individual membership fee, but Thomson said it would cost no more than $20. The money would go to covering insurance costs.

Denis Chaot was the top finisher on Thursday, showcasing his skills at trail running with an overall time of 36:16.

Chaot was pursued closely behind by Darren Holcombe, who was less than 30 seconds behind him.

Chaot said his strategy was to pace himself while climbing the steeper hills on the trails in order to conserve his energy for the rest of the race.

Melissa O'Brien also proved that she was more than up to dealing with the difficulty of the terrain, coming in at 36:54 to lock down third place.

This was O'Brien's first trail run of the season and she said she plans on participating in next week's event.

O'Brien said she was glad about taking part on Thursday.

"It's a fun group and I normally run the roads, but trail running is just way better," she said. "I normally run on my own, so it's nice to come out and meet new people."

She said there are advantages to running the trails with a group.

"It's good to have people that challenge you and people to chat with afterward," O'Brien said.

O'Brien, who participated in a couple of Sportslife Trail Run's last year, said the weekly races provide great training for other running events, such as the Trail Marathon.

In 2007, O'Brien entered the half marathon category and said her involvement with the weekly trail run group really helped improve her overall time.

Thomson, who also participated on Thursday , came in at 37:16, while Fred Vandenot was just two seconds behind her to round out the top five.

Vandenot said he was pleased with how the race went.

"It was actually very pleasant on the downhill and it was a bit different on the way back up hill," he said.

"You kind of get carried away going downhill and you can barely feel your heart beating and then on the way back, that's a different story.

Vandenot joked that the most challenging part was admitting that he wasn't in as good of shape as he once thought he was.

One of Vandenot's goals was to finish with a faster time than Chaot, who he has developed a friendly rivalry with in both the Thursday trail runs and the Tuesday fun runs, which are held at F.H. Collins.

This week, the two broke even at the two events, with Vandenot finishing with a faster time on Tuesday and Chaot placing first on the trail.

Vandenot said this course was more technical than the previous trail runs he has been on this season.

"This is my third one and this is the most challenging one for sure because you really had to watch where you were on your feet," he said. "Then at the same time you have to pay attention to where the flags were otherwise you got lost."

Kerri Kilmartin was one of the runners who got lost on Thursday. This was Kilmartin's first time taking part in the Sportslife Trail Run and she said despite having to run an additional 2.5 km the experience was still enjoyable.

"The run was pretty good," she said.

"There was lots of down hills, lots of up hills, mixed with dirt roads. We took a few wrong turns, so it was very challenging. I definitely need to work on my endurance I think, but all-in-all (it was) pretty darn good."

At the Thursday trail run, Kilmartin ran with two other girls and said that staying together was a big help with her finishing the race.

"I wouldn't have ran as far if I didn't have them in front of me, motivating me," she said.

She said despite getting lost, she is not turned off on trail running.

"I am not discouraged. No way," Kilmartin said. "It takes more than that. If it was freezing cold and dark I would have been scared, but I think I have a long ways to go before that thank goodness."

Kilmartin said her only goal for next week's run is to avoid getting lost and that being more conscious of the trail will help her achieve this goal.

She said she feels better about her chances after taking part on Thursday.

"I am more confident for sure," Kilmartin said. "That was my first one, so it can only get better."

The next Sportslife Trail Run will be held at Mt. McIntyre and will feature an 8-km course.