Family was the theme behind an iconic Okotoks running shirt — sheep and family.
“There were a few variations but they all had the sheep on them,” said Carol Klippenstein, who created the Sheep River Road Race running shirt emblem in 1979.
“Because it is a family race, I thought I would have a bunch of sheep running that are of different ages — family.”
The locally legendary shirt is back for the Sheep River Road Race on Sept. 16 in Okotoks. However, those wanting the shirt must register by Aug. 1.
Klippenstein, a former Big Rock Runner, did some homework before drawing the design.
“The race is based on the river and I had talked to Bill Holder and apparently the source of the Sheep River is sheep territory,” she said.
The sheep are running along the river with the Canadian Rockies in the background.
The shirt is more popular than a Led Zeppelin 1977 Tour t-shirt in these parts. And besides the cool logo, one of the reasons for its popularity is it is long-sleeve.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, long-sleeve running shirts were rarer than a Trudeau supporter in the Foothills during those NEP days.
“That’s what attracted a lot of runners to our race because everyone else had a short-sleeve shirt,” Klippenstein said. “We put out a long-sleeve cotton-shirt. The run was in the fall, which led into the winter when runners could use the long-sleeve shirt.”
The shirts have been used around the world.
“We had a lady from Australia who ran the Sheep River Road Race, so we are assuming it’s been used down there,” said Chuck Holmstrom, the director for this year’s 39th annual run.
Although the emblem has remained the same, much like the Sheep River Road Race course, it has seen plenty of changes.
The Big Rock Runners went away from having the year on the shirts so leftover shirts could be used for future races.
“Runners didn’t like that, they wanted the year on it so they knew which year they ran,” Holmstrom said.
A different colour is used for each year.
It was originally the cotton-shirt, and later evolved into the now tech shirts (there was one special sweatshirt variety for the 10th anniversary of the run).
This year’s shirt is anti-bacterial and wicks moisture.
Participants can opt out of the shirt, but those who are interested in getting the legendary shirt must register by Aug. 1.
The Sheep River Road Race is organized by the Big Rock Runners. They are an Okotoks running club who hold a social running every Saturday at 9 a.m., starting at the Recreation Centre.
To register go to zone4.ca or the Big Rock Runners website at bigrockrunners.com
