Photo: Alana Brown

Vancouver Island teen Mackenzie Loyer is asking Trudeau to participate in the Port Alberni Paper Chase.

A sixteen-year-old girl is challenging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to a 15-kilometre race in Tofino.

Vancouver Island teen Mackenzie Loyer is hoping Trudeau will participate in the Port Alberni Paper Chase, reports CTV News Vancouver. 

Last year, Loyer finished first in her age group in the eight-race Vancouver Island Race Series, which the Paper Chase run is part of.

"I'm challenging the prime minister to a race in Port Alberni," she says.

"I know that Prime Minister Trudeau goes through Tofino a lot, and our town has been struggling, especially with the mill workers being on strike. So, I'm doing it to bring more to the town."

She has reached out to Trudeau's office to issue the challenge, and also contacted her member of Parliament.

There's been no official response from Trudeau yet, but Loyer remains hopeful he will participate, and help put her city on the map.

"It's such a great place, and it's just kind of gone in the shadows and struggled. There's just so many beautiful places that are not heard of."

Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bill Collette says Loyer's efforts could be a "game-changer" for the town. 

"It's a game-changer for everything. Obviously, he's the prime minister of the country. To actually have him do this would be incredible, right? It would certainly quadruple my work, because I'd have to have a completely different strategy in place, which we'd welcome. So, were she to be successful, we would just be thrilled."

But would Trudeau finish before Loyer does in a race?

"I've been training pretty hard," she said with a laugh, then addressed Trudeau directly. "So, bring it." 

- With files from CTV News Vancouver