Record setting Day for Natasha Wodak and the Eastside 10K
Vancouver local Natasha Wodak continued her banner year with a win at Saturday’s 3rd annual Vancouver Eastside 10K, a Canada Running Series event. Wodak’s time of 33:04 was enough to break the course record and was awarded an additional $500 for her efforts. Dayna Pidhoresky was second with a time of 34:01 and rounding out the field was Kelowna’s Malindi Elmore with a time of 34:32. On the men’s side Geoff Martinson ran a fine solo effort of 29:32 to crush the trailing pack by more than a minute. Calgary’s Trevor Hofbauer was 2nd and Chris Winter 3rd in 30:25 and 30:55, respectively. Defending champion Kelly Wiebe finished a disappointing 4th in 31:18. …more at Canada Running Series
2015 BC 10K Champions Crowned at Summerfast
Rachel Cliff and Blair Johnston won the 2015 BC 10K Championships this morning, at the VFAC hosted Summerfast 10K.
Cliff successfully retained her crown, winning in 34:49 under sunny skies. Erin Burrett, returning from injury, took second in 35:36. And Lissa Zimmer of the host club was close behind to complete the podium in 35:48. Top master was Melanie Kassel in 40:54.
The men’s race featured a much closer finish as 23 second covered the top 4, including the first master. Blair Johnston triumphed in 31:30. Theo Hunt took the runner-up spot in the race for the third year in a row in 31:37. And Jerry Ziak just outsprinted Jim Finlayson for third in 31:52. Finlayson had the consolation of being top master in 31:53. …more at BC Athletics
Reid Coolsaet and Lanni Marchant take convincing wins in Scotiabank Vancouver Half-marathon
Reid Coolsaet and Lanni Marchant both cruised to comfortable wins on a hot morning at the 17th annual Scotiabank Vancouver Half-marathon, in 65:40 and 71:08, respectively. Temperatures were between 20 and 25 celsius under bright blue, sunny skies for the 4,400 runners who took off from UBC to run the 21k down to Stanley Park, along the Pacific shores, in one of the world’s most-scenic urban road races. Another 2,150 ran the accompanying 5K that was held entirely within the park, around Lost Lagoon and the stunning Stanley Park Seawall. Combined, the 6,500 participants were drawn from 8 Canadian provinces and 29 countries. …more at Canada Running Series
Stephens-Whale edges Haraguchi by tenth of a second in thrilling sprint to win 38th BMO April Fool’s Run
In a full-out, no-holds-barred sprint to the wire, Roberts Creek’s Shaun Stephens-Whale finished in what looked like a dead heat with Vancouver’s Takanori ‘Tsunami’ Haraguchi, at the 2015 BMO Sunshine Coast April Fool’s Run. Both recorded 1:10:15. Electronic timing confirmed what was visually evident to those with the right viewing angle, giving the victory to Stephens-Whale.
Langley’s Lisa Brooking led the women’s field in 7th position overall. She was well pleased with her 1:18:42 clocking, her fastest time on this course by several minutes, and only a minute off her half marathon personal best. This was Brooking’s third victory at the Fool’s Run since 2012. …more at foolsrun.com
Kelly Wiebe, Lanni Marchant win Modo Spring Run-Off 8K
Kelly Wiebe and Lanni Marchant recorded impressive victories ahead of a record-sized crowd of almost 1,300 runners at Sunday’s Modo Spring Run-Off 8K in Stanley Park. The event was “Opening Day” for Canada Running Series 2015, the country’s #1 running circuit, and drew runners from 7 provinces and 8 countries. It was also an important fundraiser for the Take-A-Hike Foundation. …more at Canada Running Series
BMO St. Patrick’s Day 5K: Wiebe and Cliff Prevail
The 2015 BMO St. Patrick’s Day 5K took place today under cloudy skies and mild temperatures. The torrential rain that pummeled Vancouver through the night and into the morning cleared up shortly before the race started.
The winners were Vancouver’s Kelly Wiebe and Rachel Cliff, who repeated her 2014 record-setting performance. They finished the race in 14:27 and 16:15, respectively, while the top-three overall were rounded out by Luc Bruchet, who finished in 14:35 and the 2014 winner Geoff Martinson who finished in 14:39. Dayna Pidhoresky finished the race in second place with a time of 16:37, while Erin Burrett of Nanaimo finished in 16:58. …more at Athletics Illustrated
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