When Nancy Thomson first started the Thursday night trail runs nine years ago, she was worried no one would show up.

But a crowd of 13 was there for the inaugural race and the weekly event has been going strong ever since. It’s now an established social event for Whitehorse runners.

Thomson wanted to offer a dirt option alongside Tuesday’s Millennium Trail run.

“I just knew there were so many trails and I thought why not take advantage of them,” she says. “I like trail running because it’s a lot harder than running on the road.”

The course is different every week, taking advantage of Whitehorse’s more than 700-kilometres of trails.

“I can find any new combination of trails when I’m out there,” says Thomson. “It’s fluid. It’s not set in stone.”

This Thursday runners were treated to panoramic views from atop Grey Mountain.

“(The views) were spectacular,” says Bryan Craven. “You can see all the way down to Marsh Lake.”

After finishing the shorter – about 5.5-kilometre – course runners gathered on a wooden helicopter pad for post-race refreshments.

“Perfect,” says Craven after enjoying a cup of chocolate milk.

The sun is still high in the sky as Sharon Pfeiffer smiles standing next to her partner, Elden, after the run. “The chocolate milk hits the spot.”