Pastry Arts students provide extra incentive for a race to the finish line

Okanagan College has come up with a few sweet and savoury reasons for runners to register for the 14th annual Half Marathon, 10 K and Relay Race, which will take place on Sunday, April 3 at the Kelowna campus.

In addition to the traditional post-race fare of bagels, fruit, cookies, and other carb replenishing snacks, students in the College’s Pastry Arts program will be serving up an assortment of warm baked goods, fresh from the oven.

With input and guidance from instructor Chef Danny Capadouca, the Pastry Arts students developed a post-race menu that includes something for everyone’s palate.

Runners will be able to snack on fresh baked field berry scones, rich chocolate brownies with walnuts, peanut butter and jam muffins, homemade trail mix and a hazelnut truffle, to satisfy those with a sweet tooth.

“Our students are involved in a number of community events and the half marathon was a great fit for us,” said Chef Capadouca. “It provides another opportunity to showcase the skills of our students to an audience who otherwise might not be aware of the talented chefs we have in our program. It’s also really nice for the students to present their food and get out of the kitchen to interact with the community.”

Race Director Christine Ulmer says the addition of the Pastry Arts students into the annual event makes sense on a whole number of fronts.

“I’ve been organizing this race for the past six years and I can’t believe I never thought to invite our student chefs into the mix,” she said. “I was running in a race this fall and was so excited to see a group of our Pastry Arts students serving amazing snacks on the course. It made me wonder why we weren’t doing this at our own race. I put a call into Chef Danny and he’s put together a really special selection for our runners. I think people will be very impressed by the food they get to enjoy and I think it will add a special touch to this unique event.”

Registration is still open for the race, which offers three different distances: a half marathon, a 10 K, and a relay race that covers the half marathon course. Online registration is available until Wednesday, March 30. After that time, runners can register in person the day before the race at Okanagan College’s Centre for Learning or on race morning. All proceeds from the race go to support Okanagan College student bursaries.

Visit www.okanagan.bc.ca/halfmarathon for more information.