Jill and her daughter in action
Nine years of T-shirts
The annual Run for Women took place under perfect run conditions (sun with a cooling wind) at Elk-Beaver Lake on Saturday May 30th.
This event, which takes place across 18 Canadian communities during May and June, raises funds for mental health programs for women. Funds raised help to provide support, resources and care for those in need. Since 2013, over $23 million has been raised for local programs across Canada.
At Saturday’s run, 289 people completed the 5 km out and back and 134 completed the 10 km loop around the lake.
The event has a fun, festival feel to it with a lot of families participating and cheering on their loved ones. A 1km children’s run starts the festivities off, followed by the 10km start and then the 5km.
The trail can get quite narrow at times, especially at the start with all the people. The trail is not closed down to the public, but people generally are pretty good at moving aside to give you room to pass. Water is provided around the 5km mark, which was most welcome as the day was getting progressively warmer and we were entering the sunnier side of the lake.
The overall winner of the 10 km event was Derek Juno from Sidney with a time of 39:29. Third place was won by Kate Guy (the first woman as well) from Sooke, with a time of 40:40.
The overall winner of the 5 km event was Henry Shepherd from Saanichton with a time of 20:35. First place woman was Geneva Mason (5th place overall) from Victoria with a time of 24:18.
If you are looking for a spring run that has a great vibe and is located at a great location, the Run for Women is one to consider next year.