2018 Cobble Hill 10K

Carol is focused on the finish line at the 2018 Cobble Hill 10K. Photo courtesy of Lois DeEll

The 2nd race of the eight-race Vancouver Island Race Series, the 11th Annual Cobble Hill 10K was hosted by the CEEVACS on 21 Jan. The weather gods were definitely in our corner today. The clouds parted, the rain stopped and the sun appeared somehow under calm conditions.

There would be 382 runners ( 2017 424) to cross the finish line. They would head out onto the Cowichan Valley country roads to complete the mildly undulating run. The overall winner (OA) was Shelby Drope (30-34) from Nanaimo’s Bastion Club in a time of 33 flat. The top woman was Alison Hooper (25-29) in a time of 35:37 and 16th OA. The course record for men was set in 2013 by Geoff Martinson in a time of 30:46 and the woman’s was set in 2008 by Sheryl Murphy with a time of 34:44. The top Male Master was Jerry Loeb (40-44) from Campbell River in a time of 36:05 and 22nd OA. The top Female Master was Carolyn Coffin (40-44) in a time of 42:42 and 87th OA.

STARR had 8 runners in the field capturing 3 top 10 finishes in various age groups from 40-44 to 75-79. The first to cross the line was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) with an excellent 44:52 and was 8th in a field 20 and 125th OA. Nice work. Next to cross the line was Claude LaForce (50-59) with a 47:27. He was 13th in a field of 19 and 156st OA. Well done. Our 1st lady in was Stephanie Croft (40-44). She had a 48:22 and was 11th in a field 28 and 173rd OA. Another fine run Steph. Next to cross the line and in her 1st Cobble Hill race was Carol Spychka (55-59). She was in with a 58:41 and was 13th in a field of 20 and 288th OA…my best guess due to a bib shuffle.

Our next STARR was Jenny Adams (55-59) also in her first Cobble run. She covered the course in 1:03:04 and was 16th in a field of 20 and 323rd OA. Good job Jen. Next was the series ironman Bruce Hawkes (75-79). Bruce was in his 188th consecutive Island Race Series race. Bruce covered the course in 1:03:48. He was 4th in a field of 4 and 326th OA. Closing out the STARR field and In her first Cobble Hill was Teresa Lennox (45-49). She crossed the line with a 1:04:02 and was 10th in a field of 12 and 328th OA. Well done Teresa under the circumstances. Mark Ziegler had a DNF due to a non running injury.

STARR is presently in 14th place out of 43 teams. We are tied with Island Striders with 117 points. Congratulations to all our STARR's and other club runners for supporting the series. Kudos to you all. The 3rd race of the series will be the Cedar 12K on 4th Feb. See you all there. May the running gods be with you.

2018 Harriers Pioneer 8K

The 1st race of the eight-race Vancouver Island Race Series, the 39th Annual Harriers Pioneer 8K, was held 7 Jan. The weather gods were definitely not in our corner. Under ominous conditions, 479 runners ( 2017 492) were lined up for the start. They would head out on the race course which was an and out and back covering some gently rolling quiet country roads. The windy, cold and rainy weather Brrrrrr made the course challenging whether you were running or cheering.

The overall winner (OA) was Lucas Bruchet (25-29) from Vancouver in a time of 24.06. Bruchet was also the OA winner in 2017. The top woman, also from Vancouver, was Rachel Cliff (30-34) in a time of 26:23 and 9th OA.

STARR had 8 runners in the field capturing 4 top 10 finishes in various age groups form 40-44 to 75-79. The first to cross the line was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) with an excellent 35:40 and was 8th in a field 17 and 156th OA. Good job. Not far behind was Claude Laforce (50-59) with another sub 40. He was in with a 36:59 and was 14th in a large field of 27 and 181st OA. Well done. Our 1st lady in was Stephanie Croft (40-44) with another su 40. She was in with a 38:29 and was 12th in a field 24 and 212th OA. Welcome back. Hot on her heels was the Pres Mark Ziegler (65-69). Mark was in with a 38:47 and was 4th in a field 15 and 223rd OA. Next was the series ironman Bruce Hawkes (75-79). Bruce covered the course in 47:29. He was 6th in a field of 11 and 374th OA.

Again not far behind was our new newest STARR Teresa Lennox (45-49). She crossed the line with a 48 flat and was 10th in a field of 15 and 380th OA. You looked strong down the homestretch. Next to hit the mat was Jenny Adams (55-59) with a sub 50. She was rewarded with a 49:30 and was 20th in a field of 25 and 400th OA. Closing out our STARR field and under the hour was another new STARR Megen Seysener (40-44) with a 55:43. She was 23rd in a field of 24 and 447th OA. 

Congratulations to all our STARR and other club runners for supporting the series and also conquering the weather conditions today. Kudos to you all. The 2nd race of the series will be the Cobble Hill 10k on 21st Jan. Let’s all hope the weather gods help us out. May the running gods be with you.

2017 Island Series Award

The Series Awards were handed out on completion of the Cedar 12K awards. There were 220 runners who ran the required races to qualify for rankings. With 811.2 pts, Nick Walker (30-34) from the FR Athletics Club was crowned OA winner. This was Nick’s 1st OA series win. Congratulations. The top Female was Oceanside’s Melissa Ross (30-34) with 794.2 pts and 3rd OA. STARR had 3 runners who qualified. With 635.4 pts (7 races) Jonathan Dvorak came in 63rd place. Next to qualify was Mark Ziegler (60-64). Mark placed 130th with 553.4 pts (5 races). Completing our qualifiers is OA Series Ironman Bruce Hawkes (75-79) finishing win 191st and 463.2 pts (8 races). Bruce has completed 187 series races since the inception of the series in 1987. Congratulations to all the qualifiers for competing in the various age groups and committing to the series. STARR finished in 12th place with 28 finishers capturing 350 pts. See you all next year to keep our STARR shining.

2017 Cedar 12K

The last race of the Island Series, the Cedar 12K was held in the Cowichan Valley on 9 Apr. There were 262 runners ( 373 2016) crossing the finishing line under calm, cool and partly cloudy conditions.
The weather gods (no rain) were with them to finish the series. Our overall (OA) winner and with his 3rd series win was Nick Walker (30-34) in a blistering time of 40:24. The top Female and also her 2nd series win was Melissa Ross (30-34) in a time of 48:08 and 21st OA. The top Male Master and with his 3rd series win was Mark Cryderman (40-44) with another fast time of 41:18 and 3rd OA. The top Female Master and with her 3rd win of the series was Yanna Debelic (45-49) clocking a 50:53 and 31st OA. Well done to all winners. There were 8 Sooke regional runners covering the undulating course. STARR had 3 runners competing. First through the school yard and hitting the mat was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) in a time of 53:03. He was 7th in a field of 11 and 38th OA. Next to cross the line was Mark Ziegler (60-64) with a net time of 1:00:00 and was 10th in a field of 18 and 114th OA. He sneaked by Michael Gergel’s gun time of 1:00:10 vice Ziegler’s gun time of 1:00:07. Both had 1:00:00 net times but the quickest gun time gave the edge and win to Ziegler. It doesn’t get any closer than that. Closing out our STARR’s was Bruce Hawkes (75-79). Bruce clocked a 1:12:33. He was 5th is a field of 6 and 205th OA. Congratulations to all our finishers. This a wrap for the 2017 Island Series. Hope all runners had a good and safe series. Hopefully we will see more competitors for the 2018 series. 
MAY THE RUNNING GODS BE WITH YOU.

Port Alberni Paper Chase 10k 2017

The 7th race of the Island Series, the Port Alberni Paper Chase 10K was held on 2 Apr under sunny skies, light breeze and 8 degrees. The race was very well hosted by the Port Alberni Chamber of Commerce. The race returned after a 15 year absence in the series. There were 243 finishers crossing the mat. The top overall finisher and his 2nd Series win was Dusty Spiller (25-29) in a time of 33:17 and inching out Nick Walker by 6 seconds. The top Female and also top Female Master was Yanna Debelic (45-49) in a time of 41:42 and 20th OA. The top Male Master was Mark Cryderman (40-44) with a time of 34:08 and 3rd OA. There were 4 Sooke area runners making the long drive up the valley to compete. Bruce Hawkes was the only STARR in the group. Bruce (75-79) crossed the line with a 59:54. He was 6th in a field of 6 and 183rd OA. Well done to all runners. The last race of the series is the Cedar 12K on 9 Apr. The race will be followed by the awards ceremony. See you all there.

2017 Comox Half

The 6th race of the Island series,the 21st Annual Comox Valley RV Half Marathon, was held 19 Mar. The weather was ideal…6 deg, calm and sunny. There were 347 finishers ( 2016 419 ) covering the out and back course. The Overall Winner (OA) was Dusty Spiller (25-29) in a time of 1:15:23. The top Female was Melissa Ross (30-34) with a 1:24:52 and 19th OA. The top Male Master was Vince Brotherston from the host CVRR with a time of 1:18:52 and 40th OA. Meghan Stothers (50-54) was the top Female Master with a time of 1:29:44 and 32nd OA. Eight runners from the Sooke area were competing in this half-marathon. STARR had 2 entries in the field. First in was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) hitting the mat with a 1:41:50. He was 8th in a field of 16 and 101st OA. Bruce Hawkes (75-79) was our other finisher. He was in with a 2:15:06 and was 3rd in a small field of 4 and 292nd OA. Well done fellas. A big thank you to all the volunteers who were out on the course and at the centrefor some long hours. Back in the series, the Port Alberni Paper Chase 10k will go on 2 Apr. This the 1st time since 2000 that the series returns to Port-Alberni. See you all there.

2017 Sooke River 10k

The 5th race of the 2017 Island Race Series, the 17th Annual Sooke River 10K, was held 12 Mar 17 . There were 262 finishers (2016 356 runners) covering the challenging course. Not to be outdone by the Gunnar Shaw puddle, the Sooke River run had it’s own small version of the “puddle” for the runners to traverse. The weather was overcast, calm with a nice spring temperature hovering around 9 degrees. With his 3rd consecutive Sooke River 10K win, the Overall Winner (OA) was Nick Walker from FR Athletic Club (30-34) in a time of 33:50. The overall female winner was Julia Tschanz (25-29) with a 39:35 and 20th OA. Well done to both. The top Male Master was Warren Beattie (40-44) from FR Athletic Club who came in with a 38:47 and was 15th OA. The top Female Master was Fiona Talbot (50-54) with a 40:32 and 36th OA. Congrats to them also. There was an excellent turnout of 27 Sooke area runners competing in the race. STARR had 6 runners covering the course and picking up 4 ribbons in the event. In his 7th Sooke River run, the 1st STARR to cross was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) posting a 42:23 and was 4th in a field of 8 and 39th OA. Well done. In his 1st Sooke 10K, Jason Seysener (25-29), came in with a 44:44. He was 5th in a field of 6 and 56th OA. Next to hit the line was Steve Kent (60-64). This was Steve’s 2nd Sooke River run since 2003. He hit the line at 53:06 and was 15th in a large field of 19 and 142nd OA. It was nice to see him out there again. Next in was our Ironman Bruce Hawkes (75-79). This was Bruce’s 17th consecutive Sooke run. He was in with a 58:24 and placed 4th in a field of 6 and 190th OA. Our 1st lady in was Megen Seysener (40-44) with a time of 1:05:41 and was 15th in a field of 16 and 231st OA. Closing out our STARR field was Jenny Adams (55-59) coming in with a 1:06:50 and was 9th in a field of 11 and 234th OA. These 2 ladies were running the race for the 1st time. Congrats to you both. One record in the senior divisions was set today. PIH's John Woodall set another record in the 85-89 division with a 1:01:47 breaking Jim McLean 2016 record of 1:10:08. Congrats John…WOW..you did it again. A big thank you to Mark Ziegler for coordinating all the STARR's and other club volunteers who were out early setting up, parking, marshalling and so on. A big thanks to the Wark family and Girl Guides for manning the water stations. Also for the Lions for their great pancake breakfast after the run. The next race will be the Comox Half next week in Courtenay. See you all there.

2017 Bazan Bay 5k

The 4th race of the 2017 Island Race Series, the 16th Annual Bazan Bay 5K, was held 5 Mar 17 . There were 524 finishers (2016 552 runners) covering the course. The weather was a light drizzle with light wind conditions and with a temperature hovering around 3 degrees. The Overall (OA) winner was Joshua Kozelj from UVic Track(16-19) in a time of 15:17. The overall female winner was Alison Hooper (25-29) with a 17:01 and 20th OA. Well done to both. The top Male Master was Shane Ruljancich (40-44) who came in with a 16:17 and was 10th OA. The top Female Master was Heather McDonald (40-44) with a 18:01 and 44th OA. There was a good turnout of 21 runners from the Sooke area competing in the race. STARR had 9 runners covering the flat course and picking up 1 medal and 3 ribbons in the event. In his 5th Bazan Bay run, the 1st STARR to cross was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) posting a 20:16 and was 9th in a field of 21 and 106th OA. Next in was Mark Ziegler (60-64), in his 8th Bay run, came in with a 23:13. He was 10th in a field of 20 and 213th OA. Next to hit the line was our Ironman Bruce Hawkes (75-79). This was Bruce’s 16th consecutive bay run. He was in with a 27:33. He placed 3rd in a field of 9 and 348th OA. Our 1st lady in was Anna Rutherford (35-39) with a 31:05 and placed 17th in a field of 25 and 419th OA. next to follow was Georgia Wark (01-15) in a time of 33:56. She placed 10th in a field of 12 and was 456th OA. Next in was Vince Trahan (70-75) also in his 16th consecutive Bazan Bay outing. Vince was in with a 38:25. He was 12th in a field of 13 and 483rd OA. Robin Wark (40-44) was the next one to hit the mat. He had a 41:22 and was 19th in the field of 21 and 497th OA. Close by was Lila Wark (01-15) finishing with a 41:41 and was 12th in the field and 498th OA. Closing out out our STARR field was Jill Wark (40-44) who came in with a 47:42 and was 29th in the field of 30 and 517th OA. Four records in the senior divisions were set today. In the F50-54 female group, Lucy Smith ran a 18:24 breaking Nancy Baxendale’s 2012 record of 18:35. In the F65-69 division Fay Amos set a record with a time of 23:51 breaking PIH Edith Price 2016 record of 24:20. PIH's John Woodall set another record in the 85-89 division with a 29:22 breaking Jim McLean 2016 record of 32:26. in the M90-99 Jim Silvester beat his own 2016 record of 59:28 when he completed the course in 57:12. Congratulation to all the new record holders. A big thank you to all the TWC volunteers who were out in the cool and sometimes inclement weather. A big thanks to Mike Suminski from FR Victoria who lent his booming voice as our race announcer. The next race will be the Sooke River 10K next week. See you all there.

2017 Hatley 8K

The 3rd race of the 2017 Island Race Series, the 16th Annual Hatley 8K, was held 19 Feb 17 on the grounds of Royal Roads University. There were 369 finishers (2016 394 runners) covering the course under calm conditions and sunny skies. The moderate temperature was running perfect for the hilly course. The Overall (OA) winner was Nick Walker (30-34) in a time of 27:45. This was Nick,s 1st Hatley win The overall female winner running in her 1st series run was Gina Slaby (35-39) with a 29:48 and 14th OA. Well done to both. The top Male Master winning his 5th Hatley 8K was long time series runner Hugh Trenchard (45-49) who came in with a 29:39 and was 11th OA. The top Female Master winning her 3rd Hatley 8K was Yanna Debelic (45-49) with a 34:59 and 63rd OA. STARR had three runners competing in the race. In his 4th Hatley run, the 1st STARR to cross was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) posting a 35:06. He was 7th in a field of 14 and 64th OA. Next in was Mark Ziegler (60-64) in his 8th Hatley run coming in with a 40:01. He was 10th in a field of 19 and 135th OA. Closing out our STARR field was our Ironman Bruce Hawkes (75-79) crossing the linewith a 47:15. He placed 2nd in a field of 5 and 254th OA. Bruce has run every Hatley 8K since it’s inception in 1999. Only once did he fail to finish in the top ten. Congrats my friend. Bruce also won a pair of shoes in today's final draw. Well done Bruce. Three records in the senior divisions were set today. In the 75-79 female group, PIH Maree Kennell ran a 51:41. In the 80-84 division Mike Ellis from TWC set a record with a time of 47:56 and PIH John Woodall set another record in the 85-89 division with a 53:31. Congratulation to all the record holders. The next series race will be the Bazan Bay 5K on 5 Mar 17. Well done to all the runners and supporters covering the course. See you all in Sidney for Bazan Bay.

Cobble Hill 10K 2017

The 2nd race of the 2017 Island Race Series, the Cobble Hill 10K, was held 22 Jan. Under a calm, cold and rainy 3 deg. sky, 424 runners (down from 488 2016) crossed the finish line. The overall (OA) winner was Jevin Monds (25-29) from Edmonton in a time of 33:30. The top woman was Erin Burrett (35-39) from the Bastion running club in Nanaimo. The top Male Master was Craig Odermatt (45-49) from PIH in a time of 34:08 and 3rd OA. In her 2nd win of the series, the top Female Master was Heather MacDonald from the Island Striders in a time of 37:44 and 24th OA. STARR had a small field of 3 competing. First to cross was Jonathan Dvorak ( 40-44) with a time of 42:27. He was 8th in a field of 19 and 69th OA. Next came the seniors. Mark Ziegler (60-64) came in at 47:25 and was 6th in a field 18 and 155th OA. Closing out the STARR’s was Bruce Hawkes (75-79) with a sub hour time of 58:01. In his 177th consecutive Island Series race, Bruce was 3rd in a field of 7 and 310th OA. Well done Bruce.
Two senior records fell by the wayside in this 2017 edition. In the Mens division, John Woodall from PIH was in with a 1:02:34 breaking Maurice Tarrant’s 2015 record time of 1:07:06. In the woman’s division, Maree Kennell also from the Harriers came in with a 1:01:43 smashing the old record of 1:15:16 set by Gloria Sherwood in 2016. Congratulations to our new record holders.
Congratulations to all our STARR runners on an excellent showing. The 3rd series race will be the Sooke River 10K on 5 Feb.

Pioneer 8k 2017 - Records Broken

There were 4 course records set during the Pioneer 8k held 8 Jan in the senior divisions

In the women’s divisions, Maria Kennel in the 75-79 set a record of 47:46 and Valerie Gonzales in the 70-74 set a record of 41:55

In the Men's divisions, John Woodall in the 85-89 set a record of 47:46 and Mike Ellis in the 80-84 set a record of 45:23

It just goes to show it’s never too late.

Well done to all

Pioneer 8km 2017

The 1st race of the 2017 Island Race Series, the Pioneer 8K, was held 8 Jan on the roads throughout Central Saanich. The weather was overcast, calm and about 3 deg which made it perfect for the 492 finishers down from the 2016 total of 525. Luckily the snow and rain did not appear till after the race. The overall (OA) winners were from the Vancouver Thunderbirds. The mens winner was Lucas Bruchet (25-29) in a time of 23:24 and the woman’s winner was Rachel Cliff (25-29) with a 26:51 and 11th OA. The top Male master was Harrier’s Bruce Deacon (50-54) in 27:09 and 13th OA. The top Female Master was Heather MacDonald from the Island Striders. Harriers John Woodall had a great run braking the old record in the 85-89 grouping with a 49:36.
STARR had five runners competing in the field. Our 1st STARR in was Jonathan Dvorak (40-4) in a PB time of 33:39. He was 7th in a field of 21 and 93rd OA. Congrats Jonathan. Our next runner in was Jason Seysener (25-29) in his 1st Island Series race. He crossed the line in 36:08 and was 12th in a fast field of 14 and 147th OA. Well done Jason. Next to cross was Mark Ziegler (60-64) in a time of 38:33 and was 11th in a field of 22 and 202nd OA. Our next STARR was series ironman Bruce Hawkes (75-79). This is Bruce's 1st year in this division. He hit the mat with a 45:57 and was 5th in a field of 7. Closing out the STARR field and in her 1st island series race wasMegen Seysener (40-44) with a 54:08 and was 29th in a field of 31 and 441st OA. Good job Megen on your first series race. Congratulations to all the STARR,s who competed in this 1st race. See you all at the next race, Cobble Hill 10K on 22 Jan. HAPPY RUNNING TO ALL !!