Penticton gets a taste of normal with 'freeing,' 'awesome' Beer Run, held Saturday

Yesterday, Penticton got a taste of "normal."

The Farmer's Market was bustling, the beaches and beachside strips were packed, and fun-seeking, costumed participants zipped through the downtown streets for the always riotous Penticton Beer Run.

Actually, it was the first of two Beer Runs scheduled for 2021 (the other will unfold in October), but Saturday's was the trendsetter. It was one of the very first in a variety of coming-out-of-pandemic events that'll reappear this summer and fall.

And it was really, really good to see.

"The Beer Run is back, baby," laughed a clearly upbeat Lyndie Hill of event organizer Hoodoo Adventures while she chatted with passers-by at the Cannery Brewing finish line.

Turns out it was kind of a last-minute deal facilitated by the latest step in the BC "Restart" plan.

"We spoke with Interior Health and got approval by basically booking tastings at the breweries for all of the participants," Hill explained. "So they have a time to show up, a time to leave, and we spread everybody out over the entire day. And there's no hanging around at the end."

The decision to go ahead with the event was made at the end of May, but there's never been a formal media announcement. Yet it attracted 160 wild and crazy people.

"We didn't announce it formally," said Hill. "We wanted to see how many would come and make sure everything was able to move forward."

Saturday's Beer Run saw entrants run/jog/speed-walk ten kilometers through the city, stopping at all the local breweries (including the still-under-development Hwy 97 Brewing and Oliver's Firehall Brewery, which set up shop at Hoodoo's new watercraft rental facility near the Prague Café), and grabbing ice-cold tasters -- and fries at Patio Burgers -- along the way.

Lisa Montpetit of Kelowna, running with a gang of buddies, most of whom also entered the most recent, pre-pandemic 2019 Beer Run, called it "awesome."

"It's like…normal," she said "It's so great to see people out again having fun."

Meggan Gibson of the same group agreed, but said it was "kind of weird getting ready for today."

"We've all been stuck in our houses. Work and home, work and home. I've gone with some of the girls a couple times for a beer, but this is completely different. It's an actual organized event, which we haven't had since 2019.

"It feels freeing. It feels wonderful, and amazing."

Barring a reversal of current COVID trends, the second Penticton Beer Run of 2021 will take place on Oct. 16th as a kick off to Penticton Beer Week. According to Hill, registration will open "fully" this upcoming week.

It's $75 per person, and Hill said it'll likely operate like a regular Beer Run, with less distancing and potentially group gatherings at the start and finish lines.

For more details, go to the website here.