#st patricks

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2010 Race Reports

Squamish Days 10k

(from BC Athletics blog entry)

Squamish was the latest stop for the Steve Nash Sports Club Lower Mainland Road Race Series, as the ninth race in the series was held in conjunction with the Squamish Days 10K and Logger Sports Day. As the penultimate race in the series, lots was at stake in the age groups. A thunderstorm the previous evening cooled things down, and thankfully no bears banditted the race this year.

Tristan Simpson and Graeme Wilson led out the field on the flat, out-and-back course, before Simpson broke away to win in a new course record of 31:39. Wilson ran the second half in isolation to record a time of 32:32. Third place was more closely contested, as Yue-Ching Cheng out sprinted David Palermo by two seconds in 33:39. Top master Paul Skarsgard was next to finish in 34:32.

Rachel Ruus and Catherine Watkins were clearly the cream of the women’s field, but Ruus ran out a comfortable winner in 37:27, with Watkins 150m back in 38:01. Teresa Nightingale completed the podium as well as being top master in 40:21.

In the accompanying wheelchair race, Simon Harrington dominated to win in 27:40. And in the Flashback Mile, Alex Nightingale was pushed all the way to win in 7:06.

The final race in the series is on August 15 — the Richmond Oval 10K.

North Shore Credit Union Longest Day 5k

(from BC Athletics blog entry)

Record numbers were drawn to UBC on Friday evening for the North Shore Credit Union Longest Day 5K, 10K and Kids’ Mile. The 5K also served as race #12 in the Timex BC Road Race Series, and race #7 in the Steve Nash Sports Club Lower Mainland Series, attracting top competitors from the Island as well as locally.

A fast pace was ensured in the 5K by middle distance specialist Nigel Hole, who was under the mistaken belief that there was a prize for the first athlete at the mile. Hole led for nearly 2K before being swallowed by the chase pack, comprised of Steve Osaduik, Scott Simpson, Richard Mosley, and Willy Langat. Langat was the first to lose contact, and was eventually passed by a late charging Tristan Simpson for fourth place. At the front, Osaduik, who ran the Ottawa Marathon only 3 weeks ago, showed his versatility by coming home in the fastest 5K time of the year – 14:29. Scott Simpson was close behind in 14:32, with Mosley third in 14:39.

Natasha Wodak also went out fast, passing through the first downhill kilometre in just over 3 minutes. Having clocked 16:12 on the track last weekend in Portland, Wodak was able to maintain her lead over the chasing women, winning in 16:41. Kristina Rody was 75m back in 16:56. Meredith MacGregor completed the podium in 17:18.

Winners of the 10K were Eddie Smith (33:41) and Martina Wan (38:21).

Complete results here: www.winningtime.ca/index.php?content=10ld10k

With the top places still undecided, final race in the Timex BC Series is the Midsummer 8K in Kelowna on July 11. Meanwhile the next race in the Steve Nash Sports Club Lower Mainland Series is the Summerfast 10K in Stanley Park on July 17.

Sandcastle City Classic 10k

(from BC Athletics blog entry)

White Rock was the venue for the latest race in both the Timex BC and the Steve Nash Sports Club Lower Mainland Road Race Series, hosted by the Semiahmoo Sunrunners. The point-to-point course may have a significant net elevation drop, but there are a number of ups and downs before the final descent to the finish on the waterfront.

Pre-race favourite, Scott Simpson, quickly moved to the front, closely followed by Tristan Simpson, with the chase pack some distance behind. Simpson S from Victoria, ran alone most of the way, to come home a clear winner in 31:01. Simpson T, settled for second in 32:12. A much closer battle ensued for third, with first master Kevin O’Connor ducking under 33 minutes to edge out VFAC teammate David Palermo, 32:58 to 33:03.

Natasha Wodak, like Scott Simpson, was looking to pick up points for the provincial series, and was equally successful. Never challenged, Wodak ran out a comfortable winner in 35:32. Good enough for 10th place overall of the nearly 300 finishers. Triathlete Martina Wan held off BC 5K Champion Catherine Watkins for second, clocking 37:45 and 37:53 respectively. Top master was Stephanie Kieffer in 41:50.

Complete results: www.winningtime.ca/index.php?content=10sand.

Attention for both series now shifts to the Longest Day 5K, at UBC on Friday, June 18.

Running Room Shaughnessy 8k

(from BC Athletics blog entry)

The 10th race in the Timex BC Road Running Series, as well as the fifth race in the Steve Nash Sports Clubs Lower Mainland Series, caught a break in the otherwise wet weather Vancouver has been experiencing. The 28th annual Shaughnessy 8K, organized by the Lions Gate Road Runners, is an undulating double loop of one of Vancouver’s classiest neighbourhoods. The good weather swelled the field with late entries, resulting in almost 300 participants in the main event, and a further 100 in the 5K Poker Walk in support of the BC Epilepsy Society.

From the gun, Tristan Simpson and Jay MacDonald surged away from the field. Throughout the first circuit Simpson pushed the pace, with Macdonald a stride back. Approching the 5K mark MacDonald moved to the front and tested Simpson on the downhill. Up the final climb to 7K MacDonald was finally able to break away, and was rewarded with a PB of 25:06 on a course not best suited for fast times. Simpson held on for second in 25:26. Third place was some distance back, as Gus Amundson came home in 27:05, ahead of first master Kevin McGinnis, rewarded for his trip from south of the border with a 27:27 clocking.

Katherine Moore was not so pressed in winning the women’s race, but nevertheless worked hard throughout, just failing to break the 30 minute barrier, as she improved her time from last year by almost a minute, to win in 30:04. Catherine Watkins was half a minute back for second in 30:38, with Shannon Thompson a similar margin behind to take third in 31:05. Teresa Nightingale took the masters honours in 31:51.

Herb Phillips’ 32:31 clocking for a 69 year old was more than good enough to come out tops in age grading. His time converted to 87.72%, compared to MacDonald’s 84.96% and Simpson’s 83.84%.

Complete results here: www.raceheadquarters.com/results/2010/run/Shaughnessy8K2010OA.html

With four Timex Series (www.bcathletics.org/RRSeries) races having now been run on both Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland, and a further two races in the Interior, the Timex Series rankings are starting to take shape. Two more Lower Mainland area races remain, plus one in Kelowna, to decide the winners. Participants must complete a minimum of five races to qualify.

Meanwhile the Steve Nash Sports Clubs Lower Mainland Series has reached its half way point. Again, participants must contest a minimum of five races to qualify. Next up for both series is the Sandcastle City Classic 10K in White Rock on June 6.

Sunshine Coast April Fool’s Run: Loutitt and Montgomery, BC Half Marathon Champions

(from BC Athletics blog entry)

The Sunshine Coast lived up to its name as it hosted the 2010 BC Half Marathon Championship in conjunction with the April Fool’s Run, hosted by Sunshine Coast Athletics. The point-to-point course from Gibsons to Sechelt has a net downhill, but there are a number of uphills along the way to test the competitors. This suited Jason Loutitt (Prairie Inn Harriers Racing Team), a mountain running specialist, who finished second at this race two years ago. This year he was unchallenged, and ran out a clear winner in 1:11:21. Second place in the April Fool’s Run went to an international entrant, who was consequently not eligible for the BC Championship. Matthew Laye from Copenhagen finished in 1:14:56. Second in the Championship, third place overall, and masters champion was Kevin O’Connor (Vancouver Falcons) in 1:15:39. Rounding out the Championship places was David Palermo (Vancouver Falcons) in 1:16:19.

Darcie Montgomery (Hershey Harriers) won the BC Championship, and was also the first masters finisher, in 1:24:52. The other Championship placings, which is restricted to Junior, Senior, and Masters members of BC Athletics, were Nicole Akeroyd (unattached) in 1:27:07, and Janette Purdham (Vancouver Falcons) in 1:29:50. For the first time the BC Championships awarded prize money to the top 3 eligible finishers.

The overall winner of the April Fool’s Run, who was not eligible for the BC Championship, was Katrina Driver, in 1:21:52.

In the age groups there were notable performances from Ed Ansems, 1:31:57 in the M6064 division, and Herb Phillips, 1:35:30 in the M6569 division.

The half marathon saw over 400 finishers, with a further 100+ participants in the two and four person relays.

Full results here: www.raceheadquarters.com/results/run_2010.htm#apr

Dave Reed Spring Classic 5k, March 27, 2010

The 2010 BC 5K Road Running Championship hosted by the Vancouver Falcons club, was held in conjunction with the Dave Reed Spring Classic in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. Eligibility for the championship component of the event was restricted to Junior, Senior and Masters members of BC Athletics. The championship winners were:

1. Matt Clout, Island Road Racers, 15:06
2. Jay Macdonald, VFAC, 15:21
3. Mark Bomba, Prairie Inn Harriers Racing Team, 15:39

1. Catherine Watkins, VFAC, 18:34
2. Natalie Closs, VFAC, 19:42
3. Lisa Morrow, Sunshine Coast Athletics, 20:19

The accompanying open race was also race number 7 in the Timex BC Road Running Series, as well as race number 3 in the Lower Mainland Road Race Series, drawing competitors from across BC.

2004 Olympian Malindi Elmore from Kelowna produced the outstanding performance of the day. Her 16:33 clocking not only made her a clear winner, but was also the top age graded performance of the day, winning her the Dave Reed Memorial trophy. Second best age graded performance belonged to Herb Phillips who turns 70 later this year, but still produced a 19:50 time. And third best age graded went to Paul Reimer, with a 17:17 time in the 55-59 age division.

Overall race winner was BC champion Matt Clout from Victoria with his 15:06. Second place in the open race went to Jerry Ziak in 15:16, with Oliver Utting close behind in third in 15:19.

Behind Malindi Elmore, Vancouver teenager Tanya Humeniuk took second in 18:09, with Erin Burrett from Nanaimo third in 18:25.

St. Patrick’s Day 5k, March 13, 2010

Both the men’s and women’s course records were broken at the St Patrick’s Day 5K in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, the second race in the 2010 Lower Mainland Road Race Series.

Ontario’s Dylan Wykes, who has been training in BC for the past two weeks, showed the locals a clean pair of heels. He sped through the first mile in 4:40.4, to earn a $50 bonus. In the early running he was shadowed by Willy Langat from Victoria. But Langat was unable to maintain the pace, as Wykes opened up a significant gap by the end, coming home in 14:32. Scott Simpson passed Langat before halfway, to finish second in 15:01. And Oliver Utting came through strong in the second half to claim third place in 15:30.

The women’s race was a much closer contest. Kristina Rody and Natasha Wodak were practically tied at the hip for the first mile, as both were timed at 5:18.1, with Rody given the nod to win the $50 bonus. And like Wykes, Rody pressed on in the second half to come home a clear winner, also in a course record of 16:46. Wodak held on for second in 17:15, while Anne-Marie Madden passed Meaghan McCollum in the second half to take third in 17:34.

The masters winners were Colin Dignum in 15:55, and Sheila Mullins in 19:20. Junior winners were Christian Gravel in 16:42, and Tanya Humeniuk in 18:15.

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2009 Race Reports

As submitted by event directors

27th Annual Running Room Shaughnessy 8k — May 31, 2009

Perfect weather conditions and a very competitive field of runners contributed to a new men’s course record at the 27th Annual Running Room Shaughnessy 8K. Ryan McKenzie (30) of Victoria, an athlete sponsored by Running Room, took control of the race very early and destroyed the course record by 38 seconds winning in a very fast time of 24:12. The previous course record of 24:50 was established in 2004 by David Wambui.

Saucony sponsored athlete David Jackson (also from Victoria) finished in second place with a time if 25:12 with Ryan Day (Vancouver) finishing third in 25:50.

The women’s race was won by Rachel Ruus of Richmond in a time of 29:15 followed by Anne-Marie Madden (Vancouver) in a time of 29:56. Masters runner, Joan McGrath of New Westminster took third place in 30:02.

While the last weekend in May is usually one of the busiest race weekends of the year, the Running Room Shaughnessy 8K still remains the most competitive of all the races on that weekend.

Age Group Course Records

New Age group course records were also established by:
Ryan McKenzie (30) 24:12 M30-34
Herb Phillips (68) 31:41 M65-69
Maurice Tarrant (79) 38:34 M75-79

Age Graded Winners

Age graded race winners this year were Herb Phillips 31:41 (88.99%) and Joan McGrath 30:02 (87.41%)

BC ROAD RACE SERIES

The Running Room Shaughnessy 8K has a long tradition of being one of the featured races in the BC Timex Road Race Series. With the change in format of the 2009 Timex Series, the event is now also part of the Lower Mainland Road Race Series complementing not only the BC Timex Series but several other road race series in BC. In addition to that the Running Room Shaughnessy 8K also gets great support from the Vancouver Sun as part of the annual Vancouver Sun Run Series. That Series was created to encourage Vancouver Sun Run participants to continue running throughout the year.

CINDY’S 5K POKER WALK

This year BC Epilepsy came on board as the charity sponsor with the 5K Poker Walk. With the enthusiasm and help from Cindy Devlin and the BC Epilepsy Society the number of participants in the 5K POKER WALK more than doubled in 2009 helping to create a greater awareness of BC Epilepsy and with that more charitable donations. Participants in the walk rave about the scenic 5K course where walkers collect poker a poker card at every kilometre of the 5K route.

Mother’s Day 5k Spring Classic — May 10, 2009

A record 402 entrants soaked up the glorious Port Moody sunshine which lit up the 2009 Mother’s Day 5K Spring Classic on Sunday, May 10th and helped provide near-perfect conditions for race #11 in the Timex BC Road Running Series and #4 in the new Lower Mainland Road Race Series.

First home — out of 371 eventual finishers — was Kelowna’s Tom Michie, who held off strong challenges from White Rock’s David Palermo and Yue-Ching Cheng from Port Moody to breast the finishing tape in a time of 16:28. Palermo (16:38) who had set the early pace and Cheng (16:44) who led just after half-way, were in hot pursuit.

The women’s race was also a closely-fought battle, Port Moody’s Natasha Wodak claiming the overall title in a time of 17:55, just 10 seconds clear of Vancouver’s Anne-Marie Madden (18:05) — with Madden’s VFAC team-mate and fellow Vancouverite Katherine Moore just five seconds further back (18:10) in third… a PB by over a minute.

Bagging the overall and men’s age-graded title was the ever-youthful 68-year-old Herb Phillips (18:55) with a score of 93%, which also earned him the Dave Reed Memorial Trophy. Dave Stephens, 50, of North Vancouver, took second with 84%, following a smoking run of 17:22 which also earned him 11th place overall. Making up the podium for the age-graded men was 79-year-old Frank Kurucz of West Vancouver (24:49) with 83%.

In the women’s age-graded competition, Joan McGrath, 47, of New Westminster led the way with an impressive 86% after clocking a time of 18:40 — making her sixth lady overall. North Vancouver’s Lenore Montgomery, 78 years young, glided home to second place and 82% in a time of 28:31, while Port Moody’s Natasha Wodak, just 27, was tied with a clutch of other runners on 80%, but took 3rd spot by virtue of her overall win.

The Tiny Tots 100m dash and Kids 800m Fun Run, which followed the main event, both proved a big hit — as well as a great spectacle — rounding off an entertaining Mother’s Day morning in Port Moody. With $2 of every entry fee going to charity, the event’s host, Phoenix Running Club, was also able to raise over $800 for the Alzheimer’s Society of BC.

New start & finish a big hit at 32nd April Fool’s Run, Record numbers signed up

April 5, 2009 – The first real spring weather of 2009 coincided with the running of the 32nd Sunshine Coast April Fool’s Run, to the delight of participants, volunteers and spectators. A record 537 people signed up to walk or run from Gibsons to Sechelt, as individuals and relay teams.

The super-fast elites of 2008 didn’t return this year, leaving the field wide open for a 1:10-1:12 runner to grab the top cash prize of $300. Past winner Graeme Wilson of Vancouver, the 2006 and 2007 champion, returned this year after some time off due to injury, and was never challenged on the way to a 4-minute victory in 1:12:40. Vancouver’s Ynuk Bosse was a solid second in 1:16:35, 43 seconds ahead of White Rock’s David Palermo who was thrilled with a personal best of 1:17:18.

Wilson led the other two through the first mile, then as they crossed the highway at MarketPlace IGA and headed down Pratt Road, Wilson began to increase his lead and never looked back. But it wasn’t an easy win. “Having not raced since July of last year, I kind of forgot how to really push it, and I’m glad I didn’t” said Wilson. “But still, I thought I would be a little quicker! Even though I thought I was running a conservative first half of the race, it was apparent that I still ran too fast for my current fitness level, as I really struggled up the long hill [Marlene Rd] leading to the highway, and then things went downhill from there – literally/figuratively!” Wilson also said he always finds this course enjoyable and hopes to be a little faster next year, “like three to four minutes faster”.

Bosse and Palermo stayed neck and neck for the first 4 or 5km, then Bosse made a move on the uphill portion heading back to the highway by way of King and Veterans. “David stayed on my heels up to 10 or 11k, before I really started to pull away from him” recalled Bosse. “I realized that I was not prepared for 21.1k yet. I really struggled (and probably slowed down) in the last 4 or 5k. But I’m happy with the outcome.”

Though Palermo kept Bosse in his view for almost the entire second half, he was unable to close the gap. “There were a few times when I was feeling quite tired, but the cheers from all of the friendly onlookers were enough to ease the pain of those undulating hills,” said Palermo. “I look forward to being right up there with Graeme and Ynuk next year. I really can’t say enough good things, it was my best race experience ever.”

On the women’s side, masters competitor Helen Ritchie edged out Vancouver Falcons teammate Rebecca Reid by just 8 seconds to take the top women’s open and masters prizes in 1:28:04 – good enough for 14th overall. Less than a minute behind Reid, Vancouver’s Janette Purdham took the final cash award by an even smaller margin, just 6 seconds ahead of North Vancouver’s Darcie Young. Demonstrating that getting older doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t win races, all five of the top women were in the 40-44 age division.

Ritchie got off to a fast start, taking an early 15 second lead on Reid and Purdham after the first kilometre. She was hoping to run in the 1:26 range after having run 1:26:25 in the Comox Valley half marathon two weeks ago. “Two weeks between half marathons is a bit short, but I wanted to come to the Sunshine Coast and do the run regardless” said Ritchie. “I figured the race was very good preparation for the Ottawa Marathon which I’m racing on May 24th. It’ll be my first marathon since 1997.”

Ritchie continued to lead, staying on pace and passing through half-way in 42:40, but in the later stages things got a bit rough. “I wasn’t sure about my pace in the last 5 km because of the hills, but my splits show that I was fading fast!” said Ritchie. Meanwhile Purdham was helping Reid to maintain pace during the difficult middle miles. Ritchie remained ahead the whole time but on the final long downhill towards Wilson Creek, Reid began a hard drive to the finish, getting within 8 seconds of the leader but running out of pavement and opportunity before reaching the finish line. But there was no disappointment: “I was happy with my run, a PB [personal best] for me,” said Reid. Ritchie knew she had a narrow escape: “If the race were half a km longer, Rebecca could have easily been the winner,” she admitted.

Top male master and winner of an extra $50 cash was Mike Palichuk of Langley, finishing 4th overall in 1:21:09.

A new category this year was the Club/Team challenge. This was an opportunity for groups or clubs to compete as a team, with the fastest 4 half marathon times combined to determine the winner (minimum 5 team members). The hands-down inaugural winner was Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club (VFAC) with an average time of 1:24:27.

Full race results and race photos can be found at www.foolsrun.com/results.htm. 2010 date will be April 11.

St. Patrick’s Day 5k — March 14, 2009

Despite being the first event in the new Lower Mainland Road Race Series, the 2009 St Patrick’s Day 5k turned out to be a clean sweep for Vancouver Island runners. Scott Simpson took the win from a strong field, while female winner Cheryl Murphy smashed the course record taking home the course record bonus sponsored by Patricia Houlihan. The overall depth of the field was top notch with 26 runners posting a sub-17 minute 5k time, securing the St Patrick’s Day 5k as one of the fastest and most competitive 5k races in the Lower Mainland.

Fresh off another 5K win the previous weekend, Simpson ran away from the men’s field in the second half of the race, coming home in 14:42, just 3 seconds shy of the course record. Graeme Wells went out hard, putting distance between himself and the pack over the first mile (4:45.9) to earn the Gleukos mile bonus, but faded in the second half of the race, eventually finishing fourth. Another Victoria athlete, Kris Swanson finished second in 15:05, with local Jerry Ziak close behind in third in 15:07.

The first two women both bettered Marilyn Arsenault’s 2008 course record of 17:09. Kristina Rody was quickest away from the start, and picked up the mile bonus in 5:21. But Murphy was only a second behind, and soon took over top spot, running out a convincing winner in 16:54. Rody was second in 17:07, with Anne-Marie Madden some distance behind in third in 17:41.

Top masters were Kevin O’Connor (16:11) and Rita Ivanauskas (18:11).

But it wasn’t all about fast times as the bulk of the 949 registered runners and walkers dressed in green with some great costumes. All there to not only take part in the Granville Island Brewing after party but also raising funds for the Canadian Diabetes Association.