Perfect conditions for 19th Annual Loon Lake Race

Despite being three weeks into September, you'd swear it was mid-summer this past weekend at the Loon Lake Race. Fortunately 99% of the course is fully shaded, so the temperature was comfortable along the 13km groomed flat trail where forest meets lake. Many participants enjoyed a refreshing swim in the lake afterwards, after being tempted by glimpses of sandy beaches all the way around the course.

A small group of walkers headed out on the early start at 10:05am, with the 13k and 7k runners starting 55 minutes later. New this year was a change of direction for the 13k: instead of heading out with the 7k (which is an out and back), they went in the opposite direction so everyone would finish facing the same way. Everyone, that is, except for course record holder Graham Cocksedge, who was making a last-minute pit stop during the pre-race instructions and missed this critical information. (We're assuming he didn't look at the website either.) He emerged from the outhouse to see the 7k group heading out so he joined them, going all the way to their turnaround on Anthony Island before realizing his mistake. He decided to just keep going in the wrong direction around the lake and make a workout of it....

Meanwhile, the 7k racers were heading back towards the finish. Ron Berezan of Powell River, age 52, was setting the pace, but was overtaken in last few kilometres by 17-year-old Alex Nightingale of Halfmoon Bay. Nightingale opened up an eleven-second gap to take top spot in 30:07. Rounding out the podium finishers was another teenager, Taku Ball of Powell River, in 31:48.

The top three women in the 7k were all from Texada Island. Nikki Spence of Gillies Bay and Jenny Isherwood of Van Anda finished together in 35:13, with Spence ahead by a nose. Samantha Smith of Gillies Bay took third in a distant 40:51.

The 13k was dominated by women, with only eight men out of 28 finishers. Powell River's Byron Fader was all alone out front, taking the overall title and masters win in 53:30. The second and third place men were Mike Van Hees and Stephen Ball of Powell River in 1:07:11 and 1:08:26 —well behind the top three women.

Powell River's Angela Gross led the women's field and placed second overall in 1:01:10. This was a much closer competition than the men's race, with Kaleena Young of Nanaimo and Margaret Rairie of Gillies Bay following her in over the next few minutes.

A pair of Special Olympics athletes, husband and wife Lance and Erika Barker of Powell River, went with the early walk start but ran most of the way to finish 1-2 in excellent times of 1hr 42 and 1hr 55.

Full results are posted at www.sunshinecoastathletics.org/loonlake/ .

Though registration numbers were down significantly from last year, possibly due to messed up back-to-school timing, the event still raised approximately $800 for Special Olympics BC.

Next SCA-hosted event is coming up this Sunday in Halfmoon Bay, at the 3rd annual HMB Fire Department 10k. Online registration is open until 10am Saturday, with in-person sign-up available Saturday and Sunday. See website for details: www.sunshinecoastathletics.org/hmb10k/.