Andy, Jill, Maggie, Barb & Kari
On Sunday, January 25th, the second race of the 8 race Island Series took place in Cobble Hill.
A record number of participants (613 finishers) participated in the 10 km race under perfect running conditions, frosty and sunny. The route has been changed a bit this year, apparently now being run in the opposite direction, but I’m not sure about this. I have run this event the past 2 years, but I’m honestly not sure how it was different. By the end of the series, all the routes start to blend together for me! I enjoyed the route nonetheless.
The route was run entirely on roads in a lovely rural setting. A fast downhill start and one towards the finish. There was a slight climb to the finish, but not much of one (as in running in Sooke). Traffic was handled very well, with runners having full use of the roads for parts of the race. Overall, the course was not that hilly. As Kari noted, “it felt like I was running downhill for a lot of the run”.
George Bonner School provided their facility for pre and post race activities. Chill, wraps and sandwiches along with cookies and fruit were provide as post race nourishment. Water, coffee and tea were available both pre and post race.
For the first time at one of the series races, I made use of the massage and physiotherapy services provided by Start LIne Health and Wellness. They offer about a 10 minute session at the end of the race at no cost to you. This is something that I probably will be signing up for at each race. I think that Maggie, who also used the service, would agree with me. It did definitely help with my recovery post race.
The winning time for the event was by Louis Maruk (M35-39) of Port Moody BC with a time of 0:30:24. Alison Mcpherson (F30-34) from Canmore AB, was the first woman across the line with a time of 0:35:43.
STARR runners at the event had a great day:
Andy Smith 0:42:58
Barbara Cina 0:45:29
Stephanie Croft 0:48:29
Melanie Eskildsen 0:53:38
Jill Potter-Hellmann 0:58:02
Maggie Curtis 0:58:55
Kari Toovey 1:01:35
Pauline Nielsen 1:07:28
Erin Nielsen 1:07:29
Joldine Lee 1:17:01
Well done everyone!!