The 2009 Timex BC Road Running Series wrapped up at the Midsummer 8K in Kelowna. The 15-event series which kicked off at the Prairie Inn Pioneer 8K in Saanichton in January, featured races on Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, and the Interior, with distances from 5K to the half marathon.

Under this year’s format, participants had to contest a minimum of five races in order to qualify for series placings. Points were awarded in each race using a formula based on time, gender and race distance. This resulted in close contests in both the men’s and women’s divisions, with the outcome uncertain until the final event.

The men’s division featured an extremely close contest between two of BC’s top athletes, both from Victoria. Scott Simpson ultimately prevailed over Ryan McKenzie by just 9 points (less than 5 seconds per race). Vancouver’s Jay MacDonald was third, with another Victoria runner, Craig Odermatt fourth.

The women’s division was not as close, but no less competitive. Cheryl Murphy, also of Victoria, was victorious over a trio of Vancouver based runners. Kristina Rody was second, Rachel Ruus third, and Anne-Marie Madden fourth.

The top four finishers in each division receive prize money courtesy of Timex, as well as invitations to represent BC at the Timex National Road Running Series Finale in Toronto in October. Congratulations to Scott and Cheryl.

Top 10 Men & Women

Scott Simpson	4451		Cheryl Murphy	4383
Ryan McKenzie	4442		Kristina Rody	4298
Jay MacDonald	4267		Rachel Ruus	4217
Craig Odermatt	4159		Anne-Marie Madden	4096
Norman Tinkham	4128		Katherine Moore	4071
Ian Druce	4028		Joan McGrath	4070
Shane Ruljancich	4015		Erin Burrett	3910
Bryan Portman	3943		Rebecca Reid	3774
David Palermo	3916		Mary Bridges	3511
Hicham Elamiri	3865		Sandi Heal	3421