BC was declared Provincial Champions at the 2010 Timex National Series Finale, held in conjunction with the Canadian 10K Championship at the Oasis ZooRun in Toronto. full story

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

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. You can have a look at list of online poker websites if you want to play poker online as playing poker helps your control your stress.

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.

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.

There were two clear winners and many PRs set at the 21st annual Pacific Road Runners “First Half” Half Marathon on February 15. A beautiful sunny day, no wind, and temperatures around 5°C provided ideal conditions for runners and spectators alike.

A lead pack of eight runners formed in the first mile, and ran together for the first 5 miles before Coquitlam’s Richard Mosley upped the pace and no one responded. He stretched his lead over the remaining 8 miles, to run out a convincing winner in 1:05:43, his second victory in the 2009 Timex BC Road Race Series. Richard’s first appearance at the “First Half” produced the eighth best time ever recorded at the event.

Behind Richard the rest of the pack, consisting of some of Canada’s top marathoners, slowly broke apart. Steve Osaduik, the Royal Victoria Marathon triple champion, out-dueled Saskatoon’s Jason Warick for second place, with times of 1:07:32 and 1:07:49 respectively. Shane Carlos and Jerry Ziak rounded out the top five prize money winners in 1:08:27 and 1:08:35.

Positions in the women’s race were established early, and changed little during the race. Victoria’s Cheryl Murphy, also in her first appearance at the “First Half”, was never pressed, and ran out a winner by over two minutes in 1:16:06. Lisa Harvey, who has never placed worse than second on each of her eight previous visits, lead home a large contingent of Calgary runners, with her fifth runner-up finish in 1:18:28. Kristina Rody, now living in Burnaby, was not far behind in 1:18:59. Suzanne Evans (1:20:14) and Lindsay McLaren (1:21:16) completed the top five.

Close behind the overall winners were the top masters. Recently turned master, Mark Bomba, representing race sponsor Mizuno, was the first male 40+ finisher in an impressive 1:10:40. Two former race winners, Norm Tinkham and Neil Holm, occupied second and third. Norm’s time of 1:11:53 was a new M4549 age group record. The women’s masters division was dominated by athletes in the F4549 age group. Nancy Tinari was sixth overall in 1:21:33. Rita Ivanauskas and Joan McGrath also finished in the top-10 overall to complete the placings.

At the other end of the age groups, BJ McHugh was not only the first ever 80+ finisher of the “First Half”, but her time of 2:07:08 was unofficially a single age world best for an 81 year old. 79 year old Frank Kurucz also set an event record for the M7579 age group with his time of 1:50:10. No less impressive were 74 year old Gwen McFarlan with her time of 1:53:04, and 68 year old Herb Phillips who ran a blazing 1:26:07.

Once again the “First Half” donated proceeds from the event to the Variety Telethon. $40,000 was donated this year, bringing the grand total to over $400,000.

The 21st Annual “First Half” Half Marathon on February 15th will feature many of Western Canada’s finest distance runners. Both the men’s and the women’s races will be keenly contested, with no clear favourites for the $3,000 in prize money.

The men’s field includes Richard Mosley, who recently won the BC 8K Championship at the Prairie Inn Pioneer 8K, where he beat Canada’s top marathoner, Jon Brown. This will be Richard’s first appearance at the “First Half”. Not so for Steve Osaduik, who won the “First Half” in 2006, and has been third the last two years. Steve is also a three-time winner of the Royal Victoria Marathon. Two more of Canada’s top marathoners are Jerry Ziak, who has twice been a runner-up at the “First Half”, and Ryan Day, who won the Royal Victoria Half Marathon last fall. Rounding out a quintet of athletes who will be hoping to run the 21.1 kilometres in around 1:06 or quicker is Saskatoon’s Jason Warick. Most of these leading contenders will be trying to qualify for places on Canada’s team to the World Marathon Championships in Berlin later this year. To do so they will need to run the full marathon distance in 2:18 or quicker.

A quartet of Vancouver Island’s finest road runners will also be aiming to be in the prize money with a top-5 finish. Todd Howard represented Canada at last years Austin Marathon. Scott Simpson is a former Canadian 10,000m champion. Jason Terauchi-Loutitt is an international mountain runner. And Matt Clout is a talented young up and comer.

Former UBC track and cross country star, Shane Carlos from Whitehorse, fresh off a convincing win at the Icebreaker 8K, also cannot be discounted in his half marathon debut. Other leading contenders from the Vancouver area include Jay MacDonald, Oliver Utting, Simon Driver and Mark Bomba. Having just turned 40, Bomba is favourite for the masters’ race. But he will have to be at his best to hold off former “First Half” winners Neil Holm and Norm Tinkham. Two former Olympians will also be contesting the older age groups in Paul McCloy and Art Boileau.

The women’s race will be no less exciting. Lucy Smith won the BC 8K Championship in early January, with Cheryl Murphy close behind. Places were reversed however two weeks later at the Cobble Hill 10K. The two Victoria athletes will renew their rivalry at the “First Half”. But don’t discount Calgary’s Lisa Harvey, who has never finished worse than second on each of her nine appearances at the “First Half”. Equally capable of pulling off the win is Suzanne Evans, another three-time winner of the Royal Victoria Marathon. Others likely to run 1:20 or quicker include locals Kristina Rody and Rachel Ruus, Calgary’s Lindsay McLaren, and Saskatoon’s Brandi Pozniak.

Lucy Smith is also expected to be the top masters finisher, with Nancy Tinari, Rita Ivanauskas, Joan McGrath, and Nurten Tasdemir all vying for that position.

The “First Half” Half Marathon is organized by the Pacific Road Runners with support from Mizuno, and is the third race in the 2009 Timex BC Road Running Series. Proceeds from the event benefit Variety – the Children’s Charity, with $40,000 donated in 2008. The race starts at 8:30am on Sunday, February 15, from the Roundhouse Community Centre in downtown Vancouver. The course takes the runners around BC Place Stadium and on a loop of Stanley Park. The event sold out in just over 3 hours when entries opened last November.

For additional information, visit the event website at www.pacificroadrunners.ca/firsthalf

Participants with 9 or more races

Last Name            First name    #races
MEN
CHANG                BILL             9
CHEUNG               PAT             10
DANIEL               ROB             11
FOSTER               MICHAEL         10
GERELLE              DOMINIC          9
GIBORSKI             GORDIE          10
HAWKER               ERNEST           9
MADDEROM             PETER            9
NIXON                TIM             11
SEGHERS              BEN              9
STEWART              SCOTT            9
TOMKINSON            CHRIS            9

WOMEN
BALDOCK              LYNETTE          9
DINGMAN              KAREN            9
INCE                 MERCEDES         9
RUUS                 RACHEL           9
TINARI               NANCY           10
WINGATE              IRENE            9
WISE                 BARI-ELYN        9

59,179 people registered for this year’s run, shattering previous records

(FULL STORY and top results here)

Allison Cross and Catherine Rolfsen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Sunday, April 20, 2008

VANCOUVER – A record number of athletes — upwards of 59,000 — braved chilly temperatures Sunday morning to run, walk or ride in the 24th annual Vancouver Sun Run.

Prior to the race, participants gathered on Georgia Street, clutching cups of coffee, rubbing their hands together and stretching to stay warm as the temperature hovered around 3 C, one of the chilliest temperatures in Sun Run history.

The fastest runner completed the 10 kilometres in 29 minutes and 26 seconds, but for most it was more about recreation than competition. Thousands of participants gather beneath the colourful balloon arches at the start of the 2008 Sun Run on Sunday. The event may have been one of the coldest in the run’s 24-year history, but that didn’t stop a record crowd of more than 59,000 from taking part.

Shortly after most had begun running, the wheelchair athletes were already cruising over the Cambie Bridge towards BC Place Stadium.

Scott Patterson of Vancouver was the first over the finish line, followed seconds later by Kelowna’s Paul Clark.

Minutes later, came the top male runners, then the elite women.

Those who’d been racing neck and neck took time to shake hands and congratulate each other. Then came all the rest, sweating and high-fiving and doubling over in droves.

After turning in their timing chips, thousands of runners stretched out on the grass or filed into BC Place to enjoy the live music, the mini-bagels and the awards ceremony. Kenya’s Festus Langat was the first to reach the end, with an official time of 29 minutes, 26 seconds, easily beating second-place finisher Philiph Keoch, also of Kenya, at 29:36. Third-place finisher, White Rock’s Ryan Hayden, claimed the spot of top Canadian male, with a time of 29:38.

Langat keeps alive the tradition of African winners of the Sun Run. In the last 10 years, Michael Power of Australia has been the only non-African champion, winning in 2005.

The first woman to cross the finish line was Genet Gebregiorgis of Ethiopia, with a time of 33 minutes, 35 seconds. Calgary’s Lisa Harvey was second, crossing the finish line at 33:58, and earning the title of top Canadian female. Kirsty Smith of Victoria, came in third place with a time of 34:12.

FULL STORY here.

Also see:
Kenyan keeps alive an African winning tradition
A rest from racing may have helped top woman

The 20th Anniversary “First Half” Half Marathon on February 10th will see the return of many former race champions, including both defending champions and some of Canada’s best distance running talent, and also promises outstanding competition in many of the age groups. A topic of much debate is often which age group performance is the best overall, and the race will try to settle that argument through the presentation of age-graded awards in addition to the regular age group and overall awards courtesy of New Balance and Forerunners.

Last year Richmond’s Ryan Hayden made his half marathon debut at the “First Half” and demonstrated his potential at longer distances by running an event record 1:04:44.7. That time held up as the second best in Canada last year, and Ryan returns with hopes of further improving the record, and claiming the prize money on offer from Mr. Downtown – David Crawford, as he prepares for his marathon debut, possibly later this year.

Also returning is 2006 champion, and twice Royal Victoria Marathon winner, Steve Osaduik. Having recently relocated from Vancouver Island to the Lower Mainland, Steve will be looking for a confidence booster as he prepares for the National Marathon Championship in Ottawa in May.

Charles Bedley adds an Ontario mix to the field this year. Charles was Canada’s quickest marathoner in 2007, running 2:16:26 in Sacramento in December, as well as winning the Toronto Marathon earlier in the year.

Representing Alberta, Nathan Kendrick is another emerging Canadian distance runner. So too are Ken Myers, winner of the Calgary Marathon, and Darcy Bell.

Another returning elite runner, and recent transplant to the Lower Mainland, is Jason Loutitt, a top Canadian mountain runner who finished second to Osaduik in 2006.

Oliver Utting, Craig Odermatt, Derek Vinge, Ian Druce and Will Stewart are others predicted to challenge for top-10 places.

Also expected to be mixing it with the younger runners is leading master Bruce Deacon, a three-time former winner of the “First Half”, former event record holder and overall winner of last fall’s Royal Victoria Half Marathon. The masters’ event record of 1:12:00 is well within his capabilities.

Norman Tinkham, twice a former winner, Anthony Skuce, Richard Lee, and Kevin O’Connor contest the other top masters placings.

An intriguing contest is in prospect in the M50-54 division. Art Boileau, three times former overall winner and Boston Marathon runner-up, will face-off against Dick Beardsley, also a Boston Marathon runner-up. But several other fifty-plus year olds will ensure it’s not just a two-man race, including Guy Smith who has slowed little since first winning the masters division 10 years ago.

Further up the age groups, Jack Miller and Jim Swadling will ensure a close contest in the M60-64 division, with multiple age-best record holder Herb Phillips (M65-69) expected to be right with them.

The women’s race presents an equally stellar field, lead by defending champion Lisa Harvey from Calgary. Consistency might be Lisa’s middle name, as she has won four-times and finished second three-times over the last 8 years.

Tina Connelly from Port Coquitlam set the event record of 1:12:47 in 2004, and won again in 2006. She’ll be back this year looking for a third win.

Two other formers winners are now in the masters’ age group, but that won’t stop them from challenging for the overall win. Coquitlam’s Leah Pells set the current masters record when winning in 2005, and Victoria’s Lucy Smith won the Royal Victoria Half Marathon outright last fall.

Another Calgarian, Lindsay McLaren has been a podium finisher (3rd and 2nd) the last two years, and will be looking to go one better this year. So too will Jessica Hannah last years third placer from Vernon.

Also not to be ruled out are Marilyn Arsenault and Kirsty Smith from Victoria, and Kristina Rody from Whistler, all making their first appearance at the “First Half”.

At the other end of the spectrum, perennial age group winner, and world age group record holder, BJ McHugh of North Vancouver turned 80 last November. Watch for BJ to finish in something close to 2 hours, showing many younger runners a clean pair of heels, and making her one of the favourites to record the best age graded result.

The “First Half” Half Marathon is organized by the Pacific Road Runners with support from New Balance, and is the second race in the 2008 Timex BC Road Running Series. Proceeds from the event benefit Variety – the Children’s Charity, with $40,000 donated in 2007. The race starts at 8:30am on Sunday, February 10, from the Roundhouse Community Centre in downtown Vancouver. The course takes the runners around BC Place Stadium and on a loop of Stanley Park. The event sold out in just over 5 hours when entries opened last October.

For additional information, visit the event website at www.pacificroadrunners.ca/firsthalf.

Feb 1/07, Vancouver: This year’s 19th annual Pacific Road Runners “First Half” Half Marathon promises to be one of the most competitive road races seen in Vancouver. With record prize money and an event record bonus on the line, many of Canada’s best distance runners will be present on Sunday, February 11, as well as 2,000 others with no less ambitious personal goals.

Defending champion Steve Osaduik from Nanaimo will be back, following a very successful last 12 months. He is Canada’s top ranked marathoner, winning the Royal Victoria Marathon last Thanksgiving in 2:16:49, and also the reigning national Half Marathon champion. Last year he had to work hard for victory, out-duelling Jason Loutitt in the last two miles. Jason also returns, and as a member of Canada’s mountain running team, the change of course necessitating a climb over Prospect Point, may favour him.

Ryan Hayden will be making his debut at the half marathon distance. As the second ranked Canadian at 10K last year, and a sub-4 minute miler, his finishing speed could be a factor.

Jerry Ziak was the 2005 Canadian 10K champion, as well as the “First Half” runner-up that year, and he will return to try and improve on that position.

All will be made to work hard to make the podium by the presence of Jon Brown from Victoria, fourth place finisher in each of the last two Olympic marathons (representing Great Britain), and never beaten by a Canadian in a race in Canada.

Others likely to be seen near the front include Mark Bomba, 2005 Canadian Half Marathon champion; Richard Mosley, making his half marathon debut off a third place finish at the 2005 Vancouver Sun Run; Ryan Day, runner-up at both the Marathon and Half Marathon national championships in 2005; Nik Southwell, recent winner of the Tucson Half Marathon; Ken Myers, Oliver Utting, and Graeme Wilson, as well as leading masters and former “First Half” winners Colin Dignum and Norman Tinkham.

The women’s race will be no less enthralling. Lucy Smith was national champion at both the half marathon and 10K last year, and is also a twice former winner of the “First Half”. One other former “First Half” winner will also toe the starting line. Lisa Harvey is a triple former winner of the “First Half”, and was runner-up at the national half marathon championships last year.

But past victories at the “First Half” is no guarantee of further success. Pushing these former champions hard will be Suzanne Evans, winner of the Royal Victoria Marathon, and Judith Leroy, runner-up in that race. Lindsay McLaren, who finished third at last years “First Half”, also returns. Kirsty Smith, a former track star who is making her debut at the distance, completes the women’s elite field.

The “First Half” Half Marathon is organized by the Pacific Road Runners with support from New Balance, and is the second race in the 2007 Timex BC Road Running Series. Proceeds from the event benefit Variety – the Children’s Charity, with $37,500 donated in 2006. The race starts at 8:30am on Sunday, February 11, from the Roundhouse Community Centre in downtown Vancouver. The course takes the runners around BC Place Stadium and on a loop of Stanley Park. The event sold out in less than 12 hours when entries opened last November.

For additional information, visit the event website at www.pacificroadrunners.ca/firsthalf.

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