By Jill Potter-Hellmann
A beautiful course along the ocean, through the streets of Oak Bay, the Oak Bay Half marathon saw over 1100 participants on Sunday, May 25th. The weather was ideal, with a welcome breeze off the ocean on the return route.
For those wanting a shorter distance, over 500 runners ran the 10km route. This event, in its 19th year, also offers a relay event, which saw 28 teams participating.
A great atmosphere at the start and along the route, with encouraging cheering “stations” at the top of the hills and along some difficult stretches.
I had checked out the route a couple of weeks prior, so was aware of an uphill around 16km, but was really challenged by the rolling route from 17-20 km. By this point, I was feeling the previous hills. The start of the race had all categories starting at once, so it was hard to not go out too fast. Maybe the last few k’s would not have been so hard if I had had a slower start.
Definitely recommend this event, just for the scenery alone.
STARRS at the Oak Bay Half
Name Time. Age Group
Claude 1:53:40 M60-64 5th
Jill 2:11:30 F60-64 8th