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Timex 10k
Canadian Road Race Championship Results
October 20th, 2002, London, Ontario -- BC Team
members highlighted.
Women
1 Sarah Dupre-Healy ON 33:49
2 Alison Rendell BC 34:24
3 Maria Zambrano AB 35:14
4 Kristen Woodruff NS 35:25
5 Patty Blanchard NB 35:35
6 Karin Lockhart ON 35:44
7 Nancy Tinari BC 35:45
8 Barb Brych BC 35:52
9 Janine Moffett BC 36:03
10 Leslie Carson NS 37:07
11 Jackie Holloway BC 37:21
12 Lavinia Gough NS 37:53
13 Rayleen Hill NS 38:31
14 Darcie Montgomery BC 39:22
15 Louise Leduc NS 44:29
Men
1 Danny Tshidind ON 29:45
2 Jeremy Deere AB 30:04
3 Mark Bomba BC 30:27
4 Calvin Staples ON 30:31
5 Lanny Mann AB 30:41
6 Rory Sneyd ON 30:45
7 Jim Finlayson BC 30:48
8 Andrew Catton ON 30:50
9 Stephen Drew ON 30:54
10 Jerry Ziak BC 31:24
11 Chris Mclaren ON 31:46
12 Christopher Moulton ON 32:28
13 Michael Bown ON 32:37
14 David Polisi BC 32:55
15 Peter Cardle BC 33:03
16 Jeremy Helf ON 33:04
17 Jeremy Mitchell BC 33:07
18 Kirk Sabean NS 33:09
19 Thomas Bima MB 33:17
20 Simon Driver BC 34:11
21 David MacLellan NS 34:43
22 Jamie Black ON 34:50
23 John Lofranco NB 35:04
24 David Arnold NS 35:13
25 Stephen Morley NS 35:22
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Series Finale:
Labour Day Weekend 8k
 September
1/02, Steveston -- The question on some people's minds was "Where's
Norm?" Just by showing up and even walking the course, Maple Ridge's
Norm Tinkham was in line for the $500 second place Series prize -- if he
completed his 7th race (first place and $1000 was already locked up by
Colin Dignum). But Tinkham didn't appear and others like David Polisi,
Simon Driver, and Jeremy Mitchell benefitted by his absence. A few other
key players who had 6 races until now were also conspicuously absent,
causing some major changes in the scoring and some pleasant surprises for
a number of age division contenders.
 Former
(1996) series winner Kevin O'Connor wasn't concerned with any of that, not
being a qualifier this year. The 35-year old led the field over the
out-and-back Steveston course, completing 8 km in 26:13. He was chased by
two other "non-Series-qualifiers", John McCrank (26:30) and Mark
Cryderman (26:43). First male master was Mike Moon in 28:21.
Nancy Tinari finished off her Series with a victory,
scoring another 30 points for first place woman overall and in her 40-44
age division. This was Tinari's 7th race which moved her score to the top
of the rankings. Her time of 28:38 kept her just ahead of Janine Moffett
(28:44). Jackie Holloway, leader of the 45-49 Series division, crossed the
finish line 3rd in 29:44 and secured her 4th place overall in the 2002
Series.
Race results are posted on
the BC Athletics site.
The final points were tallied and the Series awards
presented following the 8 km awards ceremony. Here are the top finishers
(full listings in the Rankings section):
| Women |
Points |
Prize |
| 1. Nancy Tinari |
210 |
$1000 from Timex |
| 2. Cari Rampersad-Kuzyk |
183 |
$ 500 from Timex |
| 3. Sheila Mullins |
180 |
$ 300 from Timex |
| 4. Jackie Holloway |
170 |
$ 200 from Timex |
Men |
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| 1. Colin Dignum |
210 |
$1000 from Timex |
| 2. David Polisi |
185 |
$ 500 from Timex |
| 3. Jeremy Mitchell |
170 |
$ 250 from Timex |
| 3. Simon Driver |
170 |
$ 250 from Timex |
| (tie for 3rd) |
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See full Series results, including age division
rankings: Women Men
Congratulations to all who participated in the
2002 Series!
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Dignum and Tinari
defend Bowen titles
August 24/02, Bowen Island -- An improved course and perfect sunny weather
brought many runners out to the Run for the Ferry 10k, with 2001 champions
Colin Dignum of North Vancouver and Coquitlam's Nancy Tinari once again
leading the way to the finish line.
 From the 8:15 am start at the ferry dock, a leading pack
of four men set the pace: Dignum, Norm Tinkham of Maple Ridge, John
McCrank of Vancouver, and Ryan Ervin of North Vancouver. At 4 km McCrank
had moved ahead of the rest and seemed to be en route to a victory. But
near the 8k mark Dignum, winner of the Knee-Knackering North Shore 30
miler earlier this summer, decided he'd better "go hard to drop Norm
[Tinkham]," and ended up passing McCrank in the process. Dignum's
final time was 33:05, just 5 seconds ahead of McCrank. Tinkham was
comfortably in third at 33:21, Ervin having dropped off the pace slightly
to finish 4th in 34:02.
Tinari had some company for the first few kilometres, in
the form of elite steeplechaser Margaret Butler, whose parents live on
Bowen. Butler, who has been studying and training at a US college, decided
to "just jump in the race", never having run a 10k before.
Accustomed to shorter distances on the track and barriers to jump over
rather than uphills to climb, she found herself losing ground to Tinari
once they hit the hills.
 Tinari sped ahead to a 34:04 victory in 11th place
overall, enjoying the shaded forest paths on the latter portion of the
course. Butler finished second in 37:19, not too shabby for a first try at
the distance! Not too far back in third place was first female master
Jackie Holloway of Vancouver, in 37:55.
Rounding out the masters women field was Vancouver's
Leslie Black in 39:50 followed by Michele Carr of North Van in 42:21.
The masters men were dominated by Vancouver's Dave Reed
in 35:09, with Langley's Rick Hickson and Port Moody's Alex Seres taking
silver and bronze respectively in 36:02 and 36:06, just in front of and
just behind women's winner Tinari.
With a huge 50% increase in 10k numbers and 14% growth
in the accompanying 5k registration, new event director Wendy Wanvig must
be feeling pretty good today. Many participants stated how much they
enjoyed the new improved route, which avoided one of the biggest hills and
used more of the well-groomed shaded forest paths.
Complete event results can be found at Race
Headquarters.
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Triathletes
prevail at wet Squamish Days
 August 4/02, Squamish -- Well, overheating certainly wasn't
a problem. At this year's Squamish Days 10k, an early morning summer
storm turned into a downpour, keeping things relatively cool. Fortunately,
there was no wind to hinder a runner's progress on the out and back
course, and the times were fast for many of the 150 participants.
With so much water around, it only made sense that the
male and female winners should be triathletes, who are accustomed to
starting their races with a swim. Greg Bennett, an Aussie living and
training in Victoria, made short work of the 10 kilometres, crossing the
finish line in just under 30 minutes, while another Victoria resident and
past Series winner Lucy Smith recorded her second best 10k ever in 33:01.
 Bennett's main goal for this race was to see how fast he
could run the 10k distance, after taking a short break from triathlon
training -- before fall competition and World Triathlon Championships
coming up in November in Cancun, Mexico. The Aussie native has only broke
the 30 minute barrier two times before: the most recent at this year's Sun
Run, where he recorded his personal best of 29:54. Today's 29:57 was a bit of a
surprise: "I didn't think I was that fit." He went out hard from
the beginning, opening up a gap on the rest of the field right away. The
rain only affected him slightly, making his shoes soggy, but most
difficult was "trying to push myself alone," looking at his
watch every kilometre to stay on pace.
 Smith was also surprised, as evidenced by the smile of
delight as she approached the finish line in 7th place overall and saw the
numbers on the display clock. She had arrived in Squamish with 2-year old
daughter in tow, not sure if she would find someone to babysit so she
could race. Fortunately non-racing friends were available to help and she
was able to complete a warm-up and get to the start line in plenty of
time. Her pre-race estimate of finishing time was uncertain, "34
something? I don't really know, maybe under!" No prize for predicting
your time Lucy, but the excellent result more than makes up for poor
prophesizing skills!
Both winners left significant gaps behind them before
other competitors appeared. In the men's race, leading the rest of the
field was Victoria's Jim Finlayson in 30:43. He was followed by last
week's Summerfast winner Ken Myers of Burnaby in 31:11, a significant
improvement over his 32:01 there. In 10th position, Gord Addison of
Squamish (33:50) was the first local finisher and winner of the Slavo
Lehocky Memorial Trophy.
On the women's side, Nancy Tinari of Coquitlam made a
comeback appearance after being a no-show for the last few Series events,
due to injury. She was also pleased with her time today, running 35:38 and
claiming top female Masters honours. Tinari picked up the pace over the
last 2 km to pull away from Cari Rampersad-Kuzyk of Vancouver, whose 36:13
third place moved her into second spot overall in the Series rankings, now
having completed the minimum 7 races. Rampersad-Kuzyk had to outrun
Victoria's Lauren Graves to keep third place in the race, as the Island
resident came in right on her heels in 36:15.
Rounding out the Masters women were Leslie Black of
Vancouver, pleased with her 38:26, and Burnaby's Lori Spence in 39:16. A
notable masters performance today was Lenore Montgomery's 49:42 to win the
60+ category -- the North Vancouver resident is actually over 70 -- after being awake since 2:45 am
to hear news of daughter Carol's Commonwealth Games triathlon
victory!
The Masters men division saw a tight race for first, as
Vancouver's Mike Moon in 40-44 barely stayed ahead of 45-49 competitor
Alex Seres of Port Moody, 34:59 to 35:06. Roy Howes of North Vancouver
completed the top three masters in 37:03.
Full race results can be found at Race
Headquarters.
Only 2 races remain in the
2002 Timex-Asics BC Road Running Series, so Series participants with only
5 races can qualify only if they complete both events. Next one is the Run
for the Ferry 10k on Bowen Island, Saturday, August 24th at 8:15 am.
Bring the family and enjoy the island's summer festival afterwards --
tickets are included in the entry fee.
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Myers
surprises, Rendell repeats
July 27/02, Vancouver -- Held for the second time in the new Stanley Park
venue, the 2002 Summerfast 10k boasted a slightly improved route with new
start and finish locations. Participants appear to be voting
"yes" for the new arrangements, as numbers were up again this
year to a total of 315 finishers. (Or it could be the cookies... this has
to be among the best post-race food anywhere! The spread included at least
10 different types of chocolate chip cookies and banana breads, plus
other yummy treats, all baked by members of host club VFAC.)
 First overall finisher was an unfamiliar face on the
Series scene, leaving spectators asking each other, "Who was that
guy?" as he crossed the line over a minute ahead of his nearest
rivals in 32:01. The "mystery runner" was Ken Myers of Burnaby,
an fifth year SFU Physics student and varsity track athlete whose
specialty is the 5000m. It had been some time since Myers attempted a
road 10k, though he did record a 31:47 track 10,000m last year. In this
morning's race he could hear the other competitors behind him for about 3
km, after which he pulled away to run the rest of the route solo and earn
the winner's cash prize.
Meanwhile the chase pack included Norm Tinkham of Maple
Ridge, Vancouver's Bertrand Plouvier, and a man on the comeback trail,
Kevin O'Connor of Vancouver. O'Connor, who won the Series back in 1996 but
had been unable to race at the same calibre in the years following, was
feeling confident this time after some good training weeks.
Though not quite ready to set the pace, he felt
comfortable running a short distance behind Tinkham and Plouvier through
the halfway mark. Eventually Plouvier dropped back slightly but Tinkham
remained about 10 meters ahead. Then the unexpected happened: approaching
the finish area Tinkham took a wrong turn, allowing O'Connor to close the
gap. O'Connor didn't even realize what had happened until Tinkham suddenly
appeared beside him. As the two began to kick down the final stretch, he
encouraged Tinkham with a shout of "come on", but Tinkham's
heart didn't appear to be in it and O'Connor took the silver with a
2-second margin in 33:20. "I was of two minds," noted O'Connor
later, "whether to run in with him or not, but then I thought, 'It's
a race'."
 The women's race and accompanying cash dividend was won
by a now familiar face: defending Summerfast champion and rising star
Alison Rendell of Vancouver. Her 35:39 split was over a minute faster than
her 2001 clocking on this course. Vancouver's Cari Rampersad-Kuzyk cruised
in at 36:32 to take second place honours, while master Jackie Holloway of
Vancouver ran a solid 37:05 to stay easily ahead of 45-49 division rival
Cindy Rhodes of Kelowna for the bronze (37:43). Third women's master was
Richmond's Nurten Tasdemir in 39:57.
The men's masters competition was led by Vancouver's
Mike Moon for the second year in a row, whose 35:37 clocking kept him
safely ahead of Port Moody's Alex Seres (35:59) and Surrey's Rob Lang
(36:26).
First male under 20 was Vancouver's Spencer Morrison in
an excellent 34:09, putting him in 7th place overall. Shadrack Mende of
New Westminster was unable to repeat his sub-35:00 Post to Post result,
running 36:44 which was still good enough to take the second junior
position.
Full race results are posted at Race
Headquarters.
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Ketter sets
new Post to Post record
 July
1/02, Vancouver -- It seems that the Post to Post 10k was the place to be
on this sunny Canada Day, as over 500 runners and joggers -- including a
boy's school team from Edinburgh, Scotland -- came out to run the streets
of Vancouver, hear some live musical entertainment, eat a piece of the
giant commemorative cake, and if lucky win one of the many draw prizes
given away. And for the fastest competitors, a little extra motivation was
provided by the monetary prizes offered -- always a big drawing card for
cash-strapped elite runners.
 Taking
full advantage of this was Enos Ketter, a young athlete from
Kenya. After warming up to the strains of "God Save the Queen"
and "Oh Canada" played by a regiment band, the 21-year-old was
off like a shot right from the start, leaving the rest of the field far
behind. Running unchallenged with only the clock to beat, Ketter -- who
just last week beat 2002 Times Colonist 10k champion Jean-Paul Niyonsaba
to win the Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon -- pushed himself to zoom
through the 10k course in record time, just a shade over 30 minutes.
While the next competitors took over a minute and a half
longer to complete the distance, the race for second place was no less
exciting. Paul McCloy of Calgary stuck like glue to Norm Tinkham of Maple Ridge
for the entire course, Tinkham trying hard to drop McCloy but
unable to move ahead. (These two had already gone head to head twice this
year in a similar fashion, the "score" being one each -- McCloy
outkicked Tinkham at the end of Series race #2 in February, the First Half
1/2 Marathon, while Tinkham didn't let that happen again in the Scotiabank
Vancouver Half Marathon last weekend, digging down over the final stretch
to cross the line ahead of his friend and rival.) As the two approached
the finish line of the Post to Post, they were neck and neck, the
strain showing clearly on their faces. On this Canada Day it was McCloy's
turn to prevail, edging slightly ahead over the final few metres. Both
recorded 31:47, Tinkham noting "when we got up the hill on Cambie
Bridge and he was still there, I knew I was in trouble!"
 The
women's race was led by Calgary's Lisa Harvey (married to McCloy) who went
out strong and maintained a steady tempo, staying ahead of triathlete/10,000m
Olympian Carol Montgomery of North Vancouver and New Westminster's Joan
McGrath to run a very respectable 35:40 on this somewhat challenging course.
Montgomery, who is just getting back into the competitive scene after an
injury, tested her fitness with a 36:11, while masters competitor McGrath held off Vancouver's Cari Rampersad-Kuzyk to take third (and first
female masters honours) in 36:33.
Second masters female was Nurten Tasdemir
of Richmond (39:45), who was happy to have finished ahead of Vancouver's Leslie Black
(40:05) and Burnaby's Lori Spence (41:00), all three vying for 40-44 age
group points in this year's Series.
Top male over 40 was Vancouver's Art Boileau in 7th
overall with a 34:14 clocking, fending off 45-49 division leaders Dave
Reed (34:30) and Ken Bell (34:57), both of Vancouver. Reed was feeling
particularly good over the second half of the race, this being his best
race of 2002 after taking a few days off cycling (he is a bicycle
courier). Bell had stayed with Reed over the first 6 km or so, then
"Dave kept on going and I suffered up the hill." Taking third in
the 45-49 division, Port Moody's Alex Seres surprised Guy Smith of
Coquitlam on the last uphill: "I was having fun until then... I
didn't know he [Seres] was there -- have to work on 10k races instead of
8k!"
In the junior male
division 19-year-old Shadrack Mende of New Westminster led his division in
eighth place overall and 34:27, a huge improvement from the
Sandcastle City Classic where he ran 36:15 for the same distance.
Full results can be viewed at Race
Headquarters.
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Summer
hits Sandcastle City Classic
June 9/02, South Surrey -- It was hot and definitely summer today as
over 230 runners sweated their way along the 10k course starting and finishing near
Semiahmoo Secondary School on "the Bluff". Overall winner in
32:31 was Tammo Lotz, a university exchange student from Germany who placed second at
Shaughnessy, with Burnaby's David Polisi out-sprinting Vancouver's Jorge Parra for second
(32:45). The women were led by Vancouver's Cari Rampersad-Kuzyk in a solid 36:01, with master
Jackie Holloway of Vancouver 52 seconds back, thrilled with her best 10k result
in years.
Shaughnessy winner Byron Wood was a no-show here,
leaving second place contender Lotz to take charge of the pace. Lotz ran
with a small group of early leaders until about
halfway, after which he was out front on his own, leaving the others to
battle for the other top positions. Having just completed a year
studying English Philosophy in Saskatchewan, Lotz was in the Lower
Mainland for the past few weeks as a tourist, on the way to Victoria for a
week or so before heading back to his homeland. A three-time
provincial high school 3000m champ in Germany, the 24-year-old Lotz was pleased with today's performance: "Really
nice, really good run, good course, well organized, great conditions --
also challenging."
Polisi and Parra duelled right to the finish line with
Polisi just edging forward for the silver medal -- both recording the same
time of 32:45. Jeremy Mitchell of Vancouver took fourth spot in 33:15,
while 1996 Series winner Kevin O'Connor recorded 34:11, leading a close
group in fifth to eighth position.
Right behind O'Connor in 6th spot was first master Rick
Hickson of Langley in 34:14, followed closely by White Rock's James Mackie
and Vancouver's Paul Skarsgard. In 11th position overall was second master
Mike Moon of Vancouver (35:17), chased by Burnaby's Phil Green for third
masters honours in 35:25 and 13th overall. Green had earned his third
place by outrunning the next two finishers, masters Alex Seres of Port
Moody (35:35) and Guy Smith of Coquitlam (35:55).
First Junior male was 18-year-old Spencer Morrison of
Vancouver in an excellent ninth position overall (35:08), with Shadrack
Mende (19) of New Westminster picking up second place in 36:15. Surrey's
Tyler Donoghue, age 17, nabbed the third junior spot in 36:59.
 Rampersad-Kuzyk
had planned to go out hard from the
start, but ended up a little slower than intended. She ran with Sheila
Mullins for about 3 km before striking out on her own. Some sunglasses may
have been an asset: "I felt awesome, except for the last 2 km coming
back into the sun." Considering she is just recovering from an
injury, this was an excellent effort. Rampersad-Kuzyk plans to run enough
Series races to score and qualify for the cash and merchandise prizes.
First female master Holloway was in a state of happy disbelief at her finish
time. After passing Mullins at 4 km, she ran most of the loop course on
her own but kept Rampersad-Kuzyk in sight until the last 2 km where the
route started to turn and twist. Mullins easily held on to third
place for an unchallenged 37:23 clocking.
A last-minute sprint to the wire -- past a surprised
Aundrea Bertoia of Kelowna -- gained Kim Jones of Abbotsford a 4th place
finish and a personal best of 38:12, over a minute faster than her
previous record. A similar scenario was played out less than a minute
later as Richmond's Nurten Tasdemir kicked by Burnaby's Lori Spence at the
line, rounding out the top three female masters spots. Including the
Polisi-Parra duel, three such close finishes for top positions in one race made for some
great spectator viewing -- and a reminder to always check who's following
before approaching the finish line!
First junior female was 14-year-old Kayla Rawlins of
Surrey in 42:34, a great time for that age. Sixteen-year-old Meredith
MacGregor, also of Surrey, recorded a very respectable 43:35 for second
junior female, with 15-year-old Jessica Bruhn of Surrey taking third in
45:52.
Complete results are posted at Race
Headquarters.
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Favourable conditions at Shaughnessy
May 26/02, Vancouver -- Both Byron Wood and Nancy Tinari, the
male and female leaders at the 20th Annual Running Room Shaughnessy 8k, ran
"solo" throughout the race, leaving no doubt as to their
dominance over the competition. And this year's conditions were obviously
favourable, as nine age group 8k records were broken out of a possible 24.
Weather was moderate with a hint of
sunshine followed by a light summer drizzle---just enough to keep the
racers cool---and negligible wind. Participation numbers were well up from last
year, making the organizers happy.
 For
overall winner Byron Wood of Vancouver, with one year remaining in his
undergraduate degree at UBC, this event had a special significance: the
course runs right past his former high school (twice) -- and he didn't
even run back then, having only started running 5 years ago. Wood took the
lead early and was all alone by the half-way point, looking comfortable
and relaxed. Approaching the final section of the double loop course he
was even further ahead, and cruised in for a 25:37 finish. Look for Wood
to spice up the competition at the next Series race on June 9, when he plans to
enter the Sandcastle City Classic 10k.
Second place in 26:10 went to Tammo Lotz, a 24-year-old
visitor from Germany, who ran much of the way with Vancouver-based third
finisher Jorge Parra (26:20). Fourth to eighth place poured across the
line very quickly as locals John McCrank, David Polisi, Jaime Munoz,
Jeremy Mitchell and Royd Burkart all finished between 26:32 and 26:44.
Next to finish was first master Art Boileau of Vancouver in 26:54, with
another Vancouverite, Dave Reed, less than 10 seconds later. Burnaby's
Phil Green picked up third masters honours a little further back.
(From Frank Stebner, a bit of statistical trivia for
those of you who track such things: although the top male runner has only
come within 19 seconds of the course record, the times of the top males
over the last three years were within 2 seconds of each other.
1999 - Neil Holm 25:16 course record
2000 - Norm Tinkham 25:36
2001 - Colin Dignum 25:35
2002 - Byron Wood 25:37)
Women's winner and course record holder Nancy Tinari of
Coquitlam was also racing against herself in this 8k, despite a nagging
foot injury which has been keeping her from running more than twice a
week, cross-training on the other days. Tinari's final time here was
29:08, understandably well off her 2001 winning time of 27:41 -- which was
one of her best races last year. As Tinari noted, "this is a course
for people who are 100% fit -- it shows every weakness!" referring to
the undulating nature of the route. As someone who usually speeds up over
the second half of a course, Tinari experienced frustration caused by her
lack of fitness -- instead of catching the pack of men in front of her in
the second loop, she noted that she actually lost ground, despite working
as hard as possible.
Back at halfway a chase pack of five or six women
trailed some distance behind Tinari, but seemed unable to gain any ground
and began to break up over the second loop. Vancouver's Cari
Rampersad-Kuzyk was first to pull ahead from this group, Sheila Mullins
(Vancouver) staying with her until the final hill. Rampersad-Kuzyk
finished in 29:44, followed by Mullins (29:50 -- a PR for 8k), Darcie
Montgomery (North Van), Jackie Holloway (Vancouver), and Kim Jones
(Abbotsford) -- all within a minute. Top three female masters were Tinari,
Holloway, and Burnaby's Lori Spence, though for the Series age groups
soon-to-be-40 Nurten Tasdemir of Richmond could be counted as third.
In the 19 and under division Vancouver's Spencer
Morrison earned a top-20 overall finish with his 28:16, while Christina
Struik, also from Vancouver, led the junior women in 31:43 -- neither one
having any competitors within four minutes.
Overall age-graded winners were BJ McHugh and Dave Reed,
although they did not beat the age-graded course records of Nancy Tinari
& Herb Phillips. See the BC
Athletics Masters page for an explanation of age-graded scoring.
Full results are at
Race
Headquarters.
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The leaders at the halfway point
At seven races down, seven more to go, anything could happen in the
overall point races for both men and women.
On the men's side, defending champion Colin Dignum is at
the top of the list but right behind him is newcomer Abukar Mohamed with a
slightly higher points-per-race average. Mohamed, a newcomer to Canada,
hopes to regain the kind of speed he had in his native Somalia---
something he has not been able to attain so far in this year's races, due
to interruptions in training while settling into a new country. Beyond the
top two overall spots there is a wide open race for the 3rd and 4th place
cash prizes, with Mark Bomba, Norm Tinkham, David Polisi, Craig Odermatt
and Richard Lee all possible contenders.
The women's rankings are currently led by Sheila
Mullins, with masters athlete Jackie Holloway holding second place.
Sitting in third with only three races but a high points-per-race average
is rising star Alison Rendell, who continues to get faster every time she
sets foot on a starting line. Below these top three are a number of women
with just 2 or 3 races, so at this point it's anyone's guess who will end
up taking the remaining cash prize---or one of the top three.
Age group early leaders include David Polisi in the
25-29 division, Rick Hickson just ahead of Richard Lee in the 40-44
grouping, Ken Bell edging ahead in the 45-49 section, Iain Fisher at the
front of the 50-54 pack, Tony Amstutz heading up the 55-59's, Herb
Phillips squashing the competition among the 60-64 year-olds, and Stephen
Odwin dominating his new category 65+.
Women's leaders include Nicola Everton in the 35-39
group, Nancy Tinari injured but still leading the 40-44 division, Lilian
Wong and Carly McFetridge neck and neck by point averages in the 50-54
group, Kathleen McFarland ahead of the 55-59-ers, Mary Ann Carter first
among the 60-64 year-olds, and BJ McHugh topping the 65+ list, though
Lenore Montgomery and Gwen McFarland could overtake her with more races
under their belts.
This weekend's Shaughnessy 8k takes the Series into the
busier summer racing season, with two events per month over the next three
months, followed by the final race on the Labour Day weekend.
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Locals
are top Canadians at TC10k
Apr.28/02, Victoria -- Two hometown athletes improved on their Sun Run
results, as Lucy Smith won the women's race and Bruce Deacon was first
Canadian at the Times Colonist 10k in the province's capital city. The
weather was perfect for the 7000+ participants. Stories to follow. See www.timescolonist10k.com
for results and more.
Here's our first story to arrive, from triathlete Luke
Dragsta (13th, 32:37):
"On the
start line, people were surprisingly calm in the first five rows -- there
was no squishing or shouldering for position. One of the Kenyans, however,
was five rows back so I grabbed him and set him directly in front of me.
As a 5'9", 153 lb triathlete, I felt like a real Clydesdale in their
midst!
"Without
much further ado the gun went off and a lead pack immediately formed up
ahead, while a group of 5 triathletes plus veteran runner Keith Butler and
a few others made up the second pack. At 3 km we were already testing each
other, taking turns pushing the pace as we made our way down Dallas Road
along the beautiful waterfront.
"As we
passed the live band at about 4 km I started to play 'air drums' to deter
my competition. I was feeling pretty good at this point so I decided to
lead the chase pack for a second time. We had already dropped a number of
guys and I think there were four left: myself, Butler, National Team
triathlete Stefan Timms, and long distance triathlete Don King. As we
reached the turnaround point, Mr. Butler reassumed the lead from me but I
was tight on his heels.
"There
was a slight headwind after the turnaround, so I decided to remain tucked
in until we reached Cook Street and then make my 'make it or break it'
move. I strung the group out nicely when I went but Butler was staying
unnervingly close and I couldn't shake him. I tried to focus on the guys
from the first pack who were coming back to us, but I kept hearing those
feet behind me and they weren't getting any more distant.
"I really
started to hurt at 9 km and was worried I'd get passed, but I pushed
really hard for the last km and managed to put a little more time on
Butler. I crossed the line 13th in 32:37, which was a nice little PR for
me.
"It was
really a perfect day for a race and there were tons of people out to
watch, so I was pretty excited at the finish. A really nice booster for
the upcoming races in May and June."
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Sun Run Tales
Apr.21/02, Vancouver -- They came. They ran. They walked.
They took over the streets of Vancouver. Over 42,000 participants joined
the 2002 Vancouver Sun Run 10k, featuring a brand new route this
year.
 Detailed reports and results will be published in the
April 22nd edition of the Vancouver Sun newspaper. Like last year, rather
than making an attempt at something similar here, I thought it would be
more interesting to collect personal stories from Series participants.
Here is the first, submitted in record time by master Jackie Holloway of
Vancouver (37:24):
"I've had
some really good Sun Runs and I've had some really bad ones. My Sun Run
batting average was .500 (4 attempts, 2 finishes) until today. My personal
best 10k was at the Sun Run in 1992. Ten years ago...wow!
"While it
seems tragic that the course no longer goes through Stanley Park, I think
this course is faster. Maybe it was just me, but I don't think so. Other
people echoed that belief after the race, including Darcie Montgomery who
ran her personal best 10K today!!! The hill from Lumberman's Arch which
connected to the long climb up Pipeline Road in Stanley Park on the old
course was a bit of a silent killer, I think. The hills in this course are
either short and sharp; under Granville Bridge (on both sides!!!) and up
the Cambie Bridge access or the more gentle Burrard Bridge climb.
"I had
fun running today...my aim was to negative split. I didn't quite, though.
On my watch, I ran 18:42 for the first 5K and 18:44 for the second. Close
enough for me!!! And I ran my "granny" personal best. What more
can a somewhat long in the tooth Sun Runner ask for???"
Thanks Jackie for the great report. Okay, all you other
Series Sun Runners out there -- let's hear your version of this race!
April 25 -- Okay, we have some responses to the above call
for stories. Here are three more reports (thanks!):
Colin Dignum (17th overall, 30:38):
"My race went well. I wanted to break 31 minutes and did that. I
tried to go out relaxed and was 5:50 at 2 km which was fine. The lead group
of 15 or so was gone by Denman Street and I found myself at the back of
the second large group (the locals). I sat in there and we picked up
stragglers dropping back from the front. I worked fairly hard up the
Granville Street hill and over the Burrard Bridge and then settled back behind
Utting and Warick. They took turns surging and at 8km I looked at my watch
and went for it. Warick passed me going over the Cambie Bridge, but we
both caught a couple of guys in the last km. Overall it was a pleasing
effort.
"Although
I won a bunch of races last year my fastest time all year for 10km was
only 31:52, so it was nice to run reasonably fast again. I had thought the
course was going to be slower, but now I am not so sure."
Michael Ross (114th overall, 36:00):
"After a
previous year of hard training and personal success, I experienced a
'slump' in both attitude and performance in March and April. Having
enjoyed the old Sun Run a few times, and hearing about the ChampionChip
timing, the new route and the Wave Start, I decided to throw myself into
the ring for 2002. I am very glad I did.
"Every
second of the pre-race hour was thrilling for me. I found a great wall to
do my hamstring, glut and quad stretches on, tucked just around the corner
from the entrance to the 'Yellow Zone'. I popped in through the yellow
gate just minutes before they closed it, so as not to experience being a
hamster in a wheel as in previous years, going round and round and round
inside to keep warm. The old shirt I wore was perfect for keeping me
toasty warm until seconds before the start.
The actual
race was full of moments of strategy, tests of stamina, and I pulled off a
wonderful (for me) sprint to the finish, ensuring that I was close to
fainting and aching from deep inside my gut, a feeling I cherish at the
end of a race in some twisted runner's way. To boot, I managed 36:00, not
one hundredth of a second over or under!
"Now, if
only I wasn't the 101st fastest male runner. Missing that list by one
second and one runner was just a bit of a tweak! Never mind, there's
always a next year.
"Highly
recommended race for getting you out of any slump you may be in!"
Nancy Tinari (10th female, 1st female master, 35:49):
"I don't
want to say much about my Sun Run because I'm very unfit, still struggling
with my heel injury, and it was painful to be beaten by people who I can
normally beat. However, given my limited training I actually ran faster
than I expected and I guess it's due to the course. I liked the new
course, especially the finish. It was great for dramatic finishes.
"Today my
muscle soreness is finally almost gone. However, I was happy that my
injury wasn't too bad after the race and I'm hoping to be able to run
again at the Times-Colonist."
For race results see the April 22 Vancouver Sun or
the race website www.sunrun.com.
Overall winners were James Koskei of Kenya in 27:58 and Sara Dillabough
of Ottawa in 33:17. Top
BC finishers were as follows. Men: 5-Sean Kaley, 8-Bruce Deacon, 10-Greg
Bennett, 11-Jim Finlayson, 12-Mark Bomba, 13-Abukar Mohamed, 14-Steve
Osaduik, 17-Colin Dignum, 18-Scott McClennan, 19-Randy Moody. Women:
2-Lucy Smith, 3-Carolyn Murray, 4-Alison Rendell, 5-Shelley Smathers,
6-Karen Tulloch, 7-Barbora Brych, 8-Linda Huyck, 9-Janine Moffett,
10-Nancy Tinari, 11-Sheila Mullins.
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Second
"North Shore" win for Bomba
Apr.06/02, North Vancouver -- This time it was Vancouver's North Shore
instead of Kamloops, but Mark Bomba of New Westminster made it two in a
row by winning today's North Shore 5k, race #5 of the Timex-Asics BC Road
Running Series.
Bomba bested a field which included NetNation 5k winner Abukar
Mohamed
and First Half 1/2 Marathon champion Colin Dignum, both Vancouverites who
placed second and third in this 5k, respectively. On the women's side,
Vancouver's Alison Rendell continued her winning ways with a victory over
1500m track specialist Cindy O'Krane of West Vancouver. The 5k event with
202 finishers was hosted by Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club (VFAC), run concurrently
with the "Second Half" 1/2 Marathon on the Seymour Demonstration
Forest paved roadways.
 Bomba described the race as tactical, feeling that the
pace was somewhat slow for most of the distance. Vancouver's Shane
Bilodeau led the first mile in about 4:50, staying out in front until the
2 km mark. At this point Dignum, who commented that "it was one of
the most competitive Series races I have been in for the past few
years", shouldered the lead for another kilometre, after which
"the big guns took over". Bomba and Mohamed, along with UBC's
Byron Wood, moved past, leaving Dignum and under-20 competitor Chris
Winter of North Vancouver about 5 metres off the pace. For the remainder
of the race Dignum was working hard to pull himself and Winter back up to
the leaders, while Bilodeau fell back.
Meanwhile, Bomba was throwing in a few surges to try to
shake off Mohamed. The former Somalian was able to
respond to the increases in pace, until about 600m from the finish
line where the New Westminster runner cranked it up some more and opened
up a three second gap before crossing the line first in 14:57. Like
Mohamed, Bomba is
aiming for a top finish in the upcoming Vancouver Sun Run, the next event
in the Series.
Eventually Dignum was able to slip past Wood into third
position where he remained to the finish (15:03). Winter held on to 5th
place with an excellent 15:12 behind Wood's 15:06.
Women's winner Rendell was pleased with her race, which
happened to be her second 5k ever. She stuck close behind O'Krane for 3 km
before making her move, after which she gradually pulled away to finish in
16:53. After the
race O'Krane (17:16) resolved to do more longer training runs to make that "1
mile to go" mark seem less discouraging. Half a minute back, Kamloops
10k winner Sheila Mullins managed to fend off another Vancouver resident
Cari Kuzyk (nee Rampersad) for third female overall in 17:42.
 First master to cross the line was North Vancouver's Rob
Lonergan in 15:36, followed by Richard Lee of Port Coquitlam in 15:53. Rick Hickson of Langley stayed ten seconds ahead of Vancouver's Art
Boileau to steal third masters honours in 16:27. Another close race among masters,
this time in the 60-64 age grouping, occurred between Ali Hamami of
Vancouver and Herb Phillips of Burnaby, with Hamami's 18:42 beating
Phillips by just four seconds to win that category.
The women masters were led by Jackie Holloway of
Vancouver in 18:39, well ahead of Burnaby's Lori Spence (19:12) and
Vancouver's Adele Wilson (19:24). First Junior woman over the out-and-back
course was Amanda Hall of Langley in 20:41.
Results at Race
Headquarters.
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Spring
"Freeze-Up", not Run-Off
 Mar.17/02,
Kamloops -- Having a mid-March race in the interior is always a
dicey proposition with the weather: could be balmy and spring-like as
in some recent years or freeze-your-buns-off cold. This morning's
"Spring Run-Off 10k" was the latter, with the double insult of a
strong north wind on top of already freezing (and snowy) conditions,
creating a wind chill reading of -17°C or so. It must be pay-off time for
the mild winter we've experienced this year! Whatever the reason, those
brave enough to venture out were greeted with strong headwinds for the first 2 km, not getting a
chance to "warm up" until the final return portion of the mostly
out-and-back course.
 One might think that a local runner would be best equipped to deal
with such conditions, and in the overall race Mark Bomba proved this to be correct, prevailing
over Vancouver's Colin Dignum with a 32:13 clocking. Bomba currently lives
in New Westminster but he hails from the Kamloops area. Dignum, having
lived in Ontario for 25 years, had never raced at that temperature
although he had trained in much worse. "It actually wasn't that cold (with tights, hats, sweatshirts
etc), but was pretty windy." Dignum stayed with Bomba for the first 6
km, passing the halfway point in a slow 16:40 against the wind. Then Bomba
surged away to a 22 second lead by the time they reached the finish line.
David Polisi of Burnaby led the rest of the field for a
third-place time of 35:06, followed by first master Ken Bell of Maple
Ridge in 35:32. Rounding out the top three masters positions were Perry
Grunenberg of Lac le Jeune and Mike Moon of Vancouver.
 In the women's
race however it was Sheila Mullins making the trip from Vancouver to best
the local field, overcoming the harsh conditions to record a 38:15
performance, good for 12th place overall. Sarah Clark of Vernon ran
against the clock for second place in 39:23, too far back to chase Mullins
but well ahead of 108 Mile Ranch's Patti Poirier (40:21). The masters
women's competition was dominated by Cornelia Cappus of Kelowna (44:11),
with Lisa Bowman of 108 Mile Ranch taking second in 46:50 and
Kersten Brisch of Penticton third in 47:24.
Next Series race is April 6th, the North Shore 5k in
Seymour Demonstration Forest, North Vancouver (in
conjunction with the "Second Half" 1/2 Marathon). Maybe by that
time spring will have made an appearance? We can only hope!
Click
here to see full race results (the "unofficial" site of the
Interior Road Race Series).
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Hot times at
chilly Spring Classic
Mar.10/02, Coquitlam -- It felt more like late winter but some fast times
and close competition heated up the course at the NetNation 5k Spring
Classic, held this morning on the paved paths adjacent to the Pinetree
Community Centre.
Abukar  Mohamed
of Vancouver, in training towards the goal of a top Sun Run finish next month,
breezed around the 2-lap route in just 15:10, leaving the rest of the field
in his wake. Mohamed was "just having fun today", running for
himself and not against the competition -- not surprising, considering his
best time for the distance (run on the track) is well over a minute faster.
Having lived until recently in a much warmer climate, Mohamed also noted that the low
temperature during today's race affected his ability to perform at his
best.
Another slight slow-down was caused by some directional
confusion approximately 2 km into the run, when Mohamed turned to pursuer Norm
Tinkham of Vancouver to say, "I don't know where I'm going!" Until
this point Tinkham had been hanging on gamely. He managed to respond with
some quick directions, not wanting to waste too much oxygen. After this
exchange, according to Tinkham, "he [Mohamed] ran me into the ground".
Tinkham held on to second place with a 15:21 finish time, holding off a
charge by up-and-coming road racer Morgan Titus of Whistler (son of marathoner Kevin
Titus) whose 15:23 caught a few of the regular crowd by surprise. Titus has
been running for many years, turning out amazing results like 36-minute
10k's while still a pre-teen.
One of those not quite able to conquer the young
challenger was Vancouver's Colin Dignum, recent winner of the "First
Half" 1/2 Marathon. Going into the second lap Dignum had "just
about given up" but when he started to catch up to Tinkham and Titus he
was rejuvenated somewhat and had a strong last mile, chasing Titus across
the line in 15:24 for fourth position overall.
 In
the women's race, Alison Rendell of Vancouver led from start to finish in 17:13. A
relative newcomer to the elite running scene, Rendell noted that this was
her first 5k race -- not a bad way to start! Last summer she turned a few
heads with some speedy 10k's late in the Series, following through with a
4th place performance at the National 10k Championships in Ontario. Later in
the fall Rendell finished 8th at the Canadian Cross Country Championships,
qualifying for the Worlds coming up later this month. An injury over the
Christmas season kept her from training until a month ago, so today was her
first race in quite a while. Rendell was pleased to report she felt fine and
that today was "a good tune-up for the World XC."
Second place in the women's race was master Nancy Tinari,
whose 17:39 was a "personal worst" at this distance, due to a
nagging heel injury (bursitis) which has severely curtailed her
training for the past 5 months. She has been cross-training but pointed out
that "it keeps you fit but not fast." She's expecting to need
surgery to fix the problem (already performed on the other foot in the
past), so considers the rest of this year a "write-off". But for
today, Tinari admitted, "I'm just happy I can take part." Nonetheless
Tinari's finish time was good enough to win the overall age-graded
competition -- a scoring system which calculates a performance
percentage for each result based on age and gender.
Third place went to Janine Moffet of Abbotsford in
17:54. Fourth spot was
closely contested among two competitors, with Liz Ramage of Victoria coming out on top
in 18:02 -- just two seconds ahead of youngster Anita Campbell of Aldergrove.
Campbell is the 2001 BC Junior Development Champion at 1500m and 3000m, and
her 18:04 performance for 5k is an excellent time for a 14-year-old.
Full results, including age-graded and team results, are posted on the BC
Athletics website.
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Hat-trick for
Harvey in First Half
Feb.10/02, Vancouver -- Lisa Harvey of Calgary
made it three in a row with a clear victory at this morning's "First
Half" 1/2 Marathon, hosted by Pacific Road Runners, also event #2 in
the Timex-Asics Series. The stiff competition predicted to come from
marathoner Sandy Jacobson of Edmonton was not to be seen as Jacobson, a Canadian
representative at the World Championships, ended up placing third.
Harvey's 1:16:35 put her nearly four minutes ahead of her fellow Albertan, and three minutes ahead of second place Christina Ashby.
The overall/men's race saw another clear victory, this
time in the form of Vancouver's Colin Dignum breaking the tape in 1:08:52,
over a minute ahead of his pursuers. Spectators were then treated to an
exciting race for second between Norm Tinkham of Vancouver and Paul McCloy
of Calgary (hubby to Lisa Harvey), with McCloy just managing to outsprint
Tinkham over the final 100m after running more or less together for most
of the course.
Harvey ran in front of the women's field from the start.
Ashby paced beside her for a few seconds early on, then dropped back for
good. Soon after,  Harvey found herself running with master Art Boileau,
past 2-time winner of the L.A. Marathon, for most of the 13.1 mile
distance. Boileau was impressed with her strength: "That Lisa, she's
a tough nut. Stayed with me the whole time." He also noted that while
most runners need to be following right on someone's shoulder to stay with
them, Harvey was able to do this from several metres back, without losing
ground.
They went through the halfway mark right on 1:15 pace
(her best result in this event), but "slowed down a little after
that". Harvey also commented that it was a bit windy on the seawall in
the area of Lost Lagoon, but enjoyed the course and was very pleased with
her result. She's currently preparing for a trip to Japan on a Canadian
Ekiden Relay team, followed by the World Cross-Country Championships in
March in Ireland.
 The leading pack of men went through the first five
miles at approximately 5:07 per mile pace, dropping all but Dignum,
Tinkham and McCloy. At this point Dignum figured it was a good omen that he was
still in the lead pack. "Normally, if Norm was going to beat me, he'd
have dropped me by then." After they went by the lighthouse, Dignum
took the lead. Noticing that the other two were a few metres back, he
"tightened the screws ever so slightly", picking up the pace to
see if he could get away. He did manage to get away, but by then he had a
10 metre lead and nowhere to go, making the race hard work from that point
on. "The last couple of miles were painful but luckily Norm and Paul
were far enough behind that it didn't matter."
McCloy's sprint with Tinkham for second place came after
both men decided to start an early kick with one kilometre to go. By the
time they neared the finish line they were going close to full speed,
Tinkham slightly ahead. McCloy turned it up a notch and gradually pulled
alongside to see if Tinkham was fading a bit. "Norm kind of gave me a
second chance right at the finish," admitted McCloy, who put in one last
surge to get there first. Their unofficial times were 1:10:09 and 1:10:10.
These two did not only finish the race in close proximity, McCloy (with
Harvey and their 3-year-old daughter) has been staying at the Tinkham
residence while visiting from Calgary.
First master to finish was Rick Hickson, whose 1:14:43
was a personal best by over 2 minutes -- good for 10th place overall.
Though the starting pace was a little too quick for his liking, he soon
settled into a "cruising mode" and found himself alongside open competitor
Bill Sheel (30-34 division). Never having met before, Hickson introduced
himself, then "Bill and I ran the race together, basically"
until the last mile where Sheel said goodbye and finished a little faster.
Hickson enthused, "I've been trying to run a half marathon PR for years,
couldn't do it as an open runner -- had to do it as a master!" When
asked what he did differently this time, his response was "a big year
of foundation building, right through the winter." Now he's planning
to add speed work to that foundation -- watch out, masters competitors!
First female master was Jackie Holloway in a solid
1:25:58, putting her sixth among all women competitors and well ahead of
the rest of the masters field. Holloway placed third in last weekend's
Ice-Breaker 8k, Race #1 of the Series.
Over 1800 participants (out of 2000 registered)
completed the seawall-dominated half-marathon course, and raised a total
of $27,000 for the Variety Club. For full results
see the
Pacific Road Runners event website.
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Odermatt and
Montgomery Break the Ice
Feb.3/02, Steveston -- It was a bit of a scramble with no
timing company on race morning, but director Peter Phillips pulled it
all together for a successful first event of the 2002 Series. With lots
of great draw prizes, food and drinks, and a warm room to relax in,
participants in the Kajaks Steveston Ice-Breaker 8k didn't appear to be
ruffled by the temporary absence of computerized results.
Craig Odermatt of Island Pacific Athletics (Victoria)
in particular was unconcerned as he knew his finishing place -- crossing
the line first overall in 25:28. This was after a mid-race battle with
2001 Series winner Colin Dignum, who wasn't far behind for a second
place result (25:42). Third man was Richard Lee in 26:15 -- who, by the
way, was also first master, having joined the 40+ ranks for this year's
Series.
Odermatt didn't know what to expect going into the
race, having been racing and training well over the past few months but
then feeling run-down in the last week of January: "It could have
been training or just being tired from work." However on race
morning he woke up feeling better and had a good warm-up. The wind was a
bit of a concern "after last year's psycho headwind" but he
knew it would be the same for everyone.
After about 2 kilometres, Odermatt found himself in
the lead of a small pack. "I didn't really plan that with the wind.
However I was feeling strong so I thought why not. Colin [Dignum] was in
close pursuit." After the turnaround point at 4k the wind was at
their backs and Odermatt was able to push the pace a little. He heard
less and less of Dignum's breathing behind him until he was out on his
own, and managed to maintain that lead right to the finish. "A very
satisfying run, especially when you beat someone good like Colin who has
beaten me quite often in the past."
Darcie Montgomery of the Hershey Harriers got her year
off to a solid start with a victory in this morning's windy conditions,
completing the out-and-back route in 29:31. (Montgomery's mother Lenore
also competed, winning the 70-74 division and beating over half the
women's field in an amazing 41:42 -- wouldn't we all like to have those
genetics on our side!) Sheila Mullins took silver with a 30:08 clocking,
while first masters woman and third overall in 30:36 was another
Hershey, Jackie Holloway. Female masters rounding out the top three were
Lesley Tomlinson (31:30) and Michele Carr (32:02), both in the 40-44
grouping.
Second and third place masters in the men's
competition were Rick Hickson with a strong 27:02 for 9th overall, and
Dave Reed (27:57) in the 45-49 division. Herb Phillips demolished the
60-64 competition in 30:34, nearly nine minutes ahead of the next
finisher in that division.
Richmond resident Ken Williams was first among the
junior men in 29 minutes flat; though he will be competing in the 20-24
division of the 2002 Series as he is turning 20 this spring. Only three
seconds behind Williams was the next junior male, Edward Hoey. First
junior woman was Cristina Struik in an excellent 32:25, far ahead of her
nearest age-group competitors.
See
full race results here (close window after viewing to return to this
page).
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2002
