The annual race was held Saturday, Jan 21 in good conditions, despite the pounding rain hours earlier threatening the usual winter ‘handicaps’. So, eager to get back post ‘active rest’ racing legs, a blue train 37 strong (likely the largest turnout ever) toed the line at their coach determined–sans bribes–starting times. The rest must have worked (or was it just getting a break from the coach?), as over half finished with personal bests (for 8Km/5 mile). Congratulations to new member Ben Hanemaayer for winning the “First Runner Home” Trophy, even though he thought he was just showing up for a regular workout! Times are as follows in order of descending actual times. (5 miles is ~10 seconds longer than 8K)

Kevin O’Connor 25:49 (fastest male trophy)
John Atkinson 28:23 PB
Roy Millen 29:05
Heather Durkin 29:22 PB (fastest female trophy)
Kristin Smart 29:52 PB
Jo Astoria 30:07
Brian Devereux 31:00
Steve Malyon 31:04 PB
Omid Kiamanesh 31:18 PB
Ryan Fetterly 31:30 PB
Rebecca Reid 31:40
Amiel Logan 31:45
Allison Tai 31:51 PB
Chris Brandt 31:58 (welcome back to racing!)
Vicki Harris 32:13 PB
Jackie Spencer 32:25 PB
Shannon Berardo 32:25 PB
Alex Lea 32:26 PB
Brooke Spence 32:26 PB
Allison Ezzat 32:28 PB
Amanda Groves 32:30 PB
Karyn Mitchell 32:31 PB
Susie Lang-Gould 32:52 PB
Sue Kwan 32:56 PB
Bob Wade 33:05
David Han 33:06
Alicia Woodside 33:38 PB
Scott Rotherham 33:39 PB
Angela D’Elia 33:40
Ben Hanemaayer 34:04 PB
Jim Davies 34:23
Adele Wilson 34:35 (Welcome back. Adele!)
Mary Walsh 34:43
Bill Codville 36:07
Chris Chan 36:24 PB
Dave Seabrook 36:32
Rick Horne 43:06

5K

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Jay MacDonald 15:20 / 1 Catherine Watkins 17:31
2 Kevin O’Connor 15:20 / 2 Heather Durkin 17:54
3 David Palermo 15:39 / 3 Katherine Moore 18:03
4 Ynuk Bosse 16:03 / 4 Kris Smart 18:58
5 Drew Nicholson 16:25 / 5 Helen Ritchie 19:10
6 Roy Millen 16:35 / 6 Karyn Mitchell 19:11
7 Mark Bennett 16:36 / 7 Rebecca Reid 19:23

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 15:20 / 1 Helen Ritchie 19:10
2 Mark Bennett 16:36 / 2 Karyn Mitchell 19:11
3 Will McKechnie 17:58 / 3 Rebecca Reid 19:23

8K

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 25:10 / 1 Anne-Marie Madden 28:41
2 David Palermo 25:49 / 2 Catherine Watkins 29:17
3 Drew Nicholson 26:29 / 3 Katherine Moore 29:36
4 Stan Jang 26:52* / 4 Kris Smart 31:05* (also 31:14 8K)
5 Mark Bennett 27:12 / 5 Helen Ritchie, Rebecca Reid 31:28*

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 25:10 / 1 Helen Ritchie 31:28*
2 Stan Jang 26:52* / 2 Rebecca Reid 31:28*
3 Mark Bennett 27:12 / 3 Karyn Mitchell 32:40*(also 32:48 8K)

* denotes time in 5 mile race minus 10 seconds

10K

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 31:14 / 1 Katherine Moore 36:37
2 Daniel Njenga 31:29 / 2 Anne-Marie Madden 36:40
3 Graeme Wilson 32:06 / 3 Catherine Watkins 36:56
4 David Palermo 32:35 / 4 Helen Ritchie 38:31
5 Jay MacDonald 32:46 / 5 Kris Smart 38:58
6 Drew Nicholson 33:15 / 6 Karyn Mitchell 39:21
7 Mark Bennett 33:34 / 7 Nancy Fedoruk 39:48
8 Ynuk Bosse 33:56 / 8 Tracy Wakaluk 40:29
9 Stan Jang 34:06 / 9 Janette Purdham 40:38
10 Roy Millen 34:28 / 10 Angela D’Elia 40:51

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 31:14 / 1 Helen Ritchie 38:31
2 Graeme Wilson 32:06 / 2 Karyn Mitchell 39:21
3 Mark Bennett 33:34 / 3 Tracy Wakaluk 40:29
4 Stan Jang 34:06 / 4 Janette Purdham 40:38
5 Dave Gibbons 35:47 / 5 Mary Walsh 41:44

Half Marathon

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 1:09:59 / 1 Anne-Marie Madden 1:19:47
2 Graeme Wilson 1:10:59 / 2 Catherine Watkins 1:20:48
3 Drew Nicholson 1:11:28 / 3 Katherine Moore 1:21:45
4 David Palermo 1:11:30 / 4 Heather Durkin 1:22:19
5 Daniel Njenga 1:12:18 / 5 Kris Smart 1:24:59
6 Ynuk Bosse 1:13:28 / 6 Rebecca Reid 1:25:47
7 Stan Jang 1:13:52 / 7 Helen Ritchie 1:26:22
8 Mark Bennett 1:14:36 / 8 Susie Lang-Gould 1:27:13
9 Jono Lloyd 1:17:56 / 9 Karyn Mitchell 1:27:45
10 Dave Stephens 1:19:44 / 10 Tracy Wakaluk 1:27:50

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 1:09:59 / 1 Rebecca Reid 1:25:47
2 Graeme Wilson 1:10:59 / 2 Helen Ritchie 1:26:22
3 Stan Jang 1:13:52 / 3 Susie Lang-Gould 1:27:13
4 Mark Bennett 1:14:36 / 4 Karyn Mitchell 1:27:45
5 Dave Stephens 1:19:44 / 5 Tracy Wakaluk 1:27:50
6 Russ Ladd 1:21:14 / 6 Janette Purdham 1:29:36
7 Will McKechnie 1:22:24 / 7 Mary Walsh 1:30:35

Marathon

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Graeme Wilson 2:29:32 / 1 Katherine Moore 2:48:44
2 Mark Bennett 2:41:03 / 2 Kris Smart 2:49:24
3 Drew Nicholson 2:42:29 / 3 Helen Ritchie 3:01:53
4 Dave Stephens 2:42:37 / 4 Shannon Berardo 3:07:48
5 Barry Young 2:47:30 / 5 Allison Tai 3:09:23
6 Kevin O’Connor 2:48:46 / 6 Karyn Mitchell 3:09:33
7 Ryan O Maol Chonaire 2:50:32 / 7 Sue Kwan 3:10:31
8 Russ Ladd 2:53:04 / 8 Heather Durkin 3:10:52

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Graeme Wilson 2:29:32 / 1 Helen Ritchie 3:01:24
2 Mark Bennett 2:41:03 / 2 Karyn Mitchell 3:09:33
3 Dave Stephens 2:42:37 / 3 Janette Purdham 3:25:26
4 Kevin O’Connor 2:48:46 / 4 Kate Dilworth 3:26:11
5 Russ Ladd 2:53:04 / 5 Vicki Mann 3:44:38

On a beautiful almost spring day, Kevin O’Connor might want to consider a full time running grandfather career, after picking up $450 cash as 1st master and 4th overall in a VFAC Masters record of 25:40. David Palermo was 6th overall in a 25:49 PB, and the blue trained masters swept with 50 year old Mark Bennett running a 27:12 PB and Stan Jang in 3rd. Dave Stephens was 2nd in the M50-55, Jim Peacock won the M55-60 in 32:50, Angela D’Elia ran her first race in the blue (and a long time) with a 34:34, and Brian Devereux ran a solid 29:35.

5K

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Jay MacDonald 15:13 / 1 Anne-Marie Madden 17:30
2 Kevin O’Connor 15:32 / 2 Catherine Watkins 17:51
3 Drew Nicholson 16:07 / 3 Nancy Fedoruk 18:41
4 David Palermo 16:11 / 4 Emily Solsberg 18:57
5 Mark Sherman 16:17 / 5 Janette Purdham 19:28
6 Colin McArthur 16:39 / 6 Kristin Smart 19:59
7 Roy Millen 16:46 / 7 Clio Carthy 20:16

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 15:32 / 1 Janette Purdham 19:28
2 Mark Sherman 16:17 / 2 Kirsty Siemens 21:04
3 Dave Stephens 17:22 / 3 Karyn Mitchell 21:50
4 Russ Ladd 17:38 / 4 Michelle Ball 22:00
5 Jo Astoria 17:48 / 5 Sabrina Wong 22:43

8K

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Jay MacDonald 25:06 / 1 Anne-Marie Madden 29:02
2 Ian Druce 26:54 / 2 Catherine Watkins 30:26
3 David Palermo 26:59*/ 3 Susanne Russell 30:56*
4 Drew Nicholson 27:20*/ 4 Helen Ritchie 31:47*
5 Colin McArthur 27:20*/ 5 Janette Purdham 32:06*
6 Roy Millen 27:22*/ 6 Nancy Fedoruk 32:09
7 Mike Wood 27:43*/ 7 Emily Solsberg 32:34*

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Dave Stephens 28:24*/ 1 Helen Ritchie 31:47*
2 Guy Smith 28:40*/ 2 Janette Purdham 32:06*

* denotes 5 mile (Club race) – 10 seconds

10K

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Jay MacDonald 30:49 / 1 Katrina Driver 36:37
2 Kevin O’Connor 32:05 / 2 Anne-Marie Madden 37:10
3 Graeme Wilson 32:32 / 3 Ellie Greenwood 37:37
4 David Palermo 33:02 / 4 Catherine Watkins 37:52
5 Mike Wood 33:49 / 5 Emily Solsberg 39:42
6 Mark Sherman 33:54 / 6 Nancy Fedoruk 39:54
7 Mark Bennett 34:30 / 7 Helen Ritchie 40:05
8 Roy Millen 34:44 / 8 Rebecca Reid 40:05
9 Drew Nicholson 34:55 / 9 Mary Walsh 40:52
10 Dave Stephens 36:24 / 10 Kristin Smart 40:57

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 32:05 / 1 Helen Ritchie 40:05
2 Mark Sherman 33:54 / 2 Rebecca Reid 40:05
3 Mark Bennett 34:30 / 3 Mary Walsh 40:52
4 Dave Stephens 36:24 / 4 Karyn Mitchell 42:19
5 Jo Astoria 36:47 / 5 Kirsty Siemens 43:00

Half Marathon

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 1:10:17 / 1 Anne-Marie Madden 1:21:02
2 Graeme Wilson 1:11:12 / 2 Katrina Driver 1:21:27
3 David Palermo 1:12:40 / 3 Catherine Watkins 1:25:04
4 Drew Nicholson 1:13:00 / 4 Rebecca Reid 1:26:28
5 Ian Druce 1:14:34 / 5 Susanne Russell 1:27:08
6 Mark Bennett 1:14:44 / 6 Mary Walsh 1:27:50
7 Mark Sherman 1:14:47 / 7 Janette Purdham 1:28:54
8 Mike Wood 1:15:57 / 8 Kristin Smart 1:29:18

Master Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 1:10:17 / 1 Rebecca Reid 1:26:28
2 Mark Bennett 1:14:44 / 2 Mary Walsh 1:27:50
3 Mark Sherman 1:14:47 / 3 Janette Purdham 1:28:54

Marathon

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Graeme Wilson 2:28:17 / 1 Ellie Greenwood 2:49:54
2 Kevin O’Connor 2:31:09 / 2 Anne-Marie Madden 2:58:49
3 Dave Palermo 2:35:00 / 3 Rebecca Reid 3:02:56
4 Ian Druce 2:42:49 / 4 Mary Walsh 3:07:53
5 Colin McArthur 2:43:05 / 5 Helen Ritchie 3:07:57
6 Mike Wood 2:44:41 / 6 Kristin Smart 3:15:02
7 Mark Sherman 2:46:35 / 7 Emily Solsberg 3:16:50

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 2:31:09 / 1 Rebecca Reid 3:02:56
2 Mark Sherman 2:46:35 / 2 Mary Walsh 3:07:53
3 Guy Smith 2:47:02 / 3 Helen Ritchie 3:07:57
4 Dave Stephens 2:47:34 / 4 Janette Purdham 3:20:43
5 Russ Ladd 2:52:33 / 5 Kate Dilworth 3:22:33

Guys,

Hot on the heels of Kate & Janette’s praise, I just wanted to belatedly second (or I guess that should be third?) their words of thanks and appreciation for all your great support out there on Sunday:

Fresh in my memory are Jo, Mary, Drew & Ellie sending us on our way at & just past the start; Coach Johnny, Sabrina, Bonnie, Sharon, Marty & Rory (& Ellie again) cheering us through the first 10k (& passing young Davey Palermo as he led the way in the 8k); high-fiving young Brian (Irish) in Gastown; a drenched Denis & Enej riding with us on the way into Stanley Park, then firing us up as we exited it; Davey Seabrook pumping us up just before half-way; Coach Johnny shouting out our half-way splits on Stanley Park Drive (& his twin brother doing the same on the run-in to the finish); passing Jay & Kim on Pipeline, then posing for Rick at the Corner of Lost Lagoon; high-fiving Sharon & Marty as I turned to tackle Burrard Bridge for the first time; then feeding off the energy & support of Emily, Bonnie, Sabrina, Mike & Amy Wood, CP Chris, Helen, Anne-Marie & Susanne during the tough stretch through Kitsilano. The turn onto Pacific (after negotiating Burrard Bridge a second time) and sprint for home was all a bit of a blur, but I know many of you were out in force again along Pacific — including ace photographer Rick, who (as you’ve seen) did another sterling job in capturing some of those magical (and sometimes painful) marathon (& half-marathon) moments.

And what about those performances? Graeme was 3rd overall in a mind-blowing 2:28:17 (only 20 secs from a PB, I believe); Guy ran a NEGATIVE SPLIT! in posting a 2:47:02 (only around 4 mins shy of his PB); Dave broke 2:50 (2:49:48) despite missing a stretch of training through injury; Mikey P. knocked almost 2 minutes of his best BMO VIM (2009) time in clocking 2:53:37; I snuck in a few minutes behind in 2:56:33 (a PB by just over a minute), Kristin set something like a 4-minute PB in running a stellar 3:15:02; Janette was just behind in 3:20:43, another solid effort off less-than-perfect training; and Kate showed SHE’S BACK, cruising under 3:30 with a time of 3:29:13 which put her (more-or-less) in the top 10 of the field. There were also notable performances from Ian (1:14:34 and 3rd M30-34), Katrina (1:21:56 and 4th overall female) & Shu (1:27:29) in the half, and the young Welsh-Italian stallion, Davey Palermo, who took second overall in the 8k (27:23), just behind honorary VFACer Ben Maas.

Sorry if I missed anyone out there.

We may not have been blessed with the sunshine of 2009, but your terrific support and those sterling performances still made it a day to remember… and one I’m going to dine out on for quite a while!

Cheers,

Johnny A

Editor’s Notes:

-Graeme won $750 for 3rd overall, plus $500 as 2nd Canadian
-Guy and Dave were 1st and 2nd in the Male 50+
-Janette was 2nd in the Female 40-44
-Charles Mackey resumed his long career with a respectable 3:49:35 (just to prepare himself to come back to workouts and to get to indulge in the 4-5 pints that follow)

Several VFAC’ers enjoyed the perfect sunny weather that has characterized the Spring Olympics, which caused the cancellation of the First Half 1/2 and diversion of many runners to this hilly Fort Langley race:

David Palermo 1:13:57 PB, 2nd overall
Drew Nicholson 1:13:58, 3rd overall
Ian Druce (new member) 1:15:54, 4th overall, 1st M30-39
Mike Palichuk 1:24:30, 4th M40-49
Susanne Russell 1:27:09, 4th overall female, 2nd M30-39
Bill Codville (new member) 1:31:45
Alex Lea 1:34:06, 5th F20-29
Kristin Smart (new member) 1:34:28 PB, 6th F20-29
Raena Dumas (new member) 1:45:16

Good job all…owned the podium more than Team Canada!

The Vancouver Falcons are very sorry to have to announce the passing of new member Peter Holmes.

Peter, 24, known as ‘Pete’ (and ‘Pistol Pete’ back in his native UK) only started training with VFAC in April, having moved to Canada from England to start his dream job as Communications Manager for the International Triathlon Union (ITU) in March.  However, the Briton quickly made a positive impression throughout the club, his passion for running and living life to the full proving infectious to everyone fortunate enough to come into contact with him.  He also very quickly excelled as a racer, making it into the Top 3 of the club’s 2009 rankings, 2^nd in the 5k (15:36) and 3^rd in the 10k (32:51).

Tragically, Pete’s life came to an extremely premature end when he died last Saturday (December 5^th, 2009), following a freak snowshoe accident on Goat Mountain (near Grouse).  Pete was with two friends when one got into a bit of difficulty as they started to descend the mountain in treacherous icy conditions just below the summit.  The courageous Master Holmes went to try and assist his stranded friend, but lost his footing and slipped, falling 400m down a cliff-face onto a frozen Kennedy Lake.

Tributes have been pouring in for Pete both sides of the Atlantic, many being left on the social networking site Facebook – both on Holmes’ personal page and a memorial page set up in his honour.  There have also been hundreds of tributes made on the UK-based runners forum Eightlane.com, which Pete founded.

The following maybe of interest to anyone wishing to know more about this outstanding young man:

* Pete’s blog posts about his time with VFAC

* Athletics Weekly obituary

* Daily Telegraph article

* Vancouver Sun article

* North Shore News article

* Eightlane.com runners forum (that Pete created)

* ITU Website

————————————-

Meanwhile, below are some tributes – made on both Facebook and Eightlane – from VFAC members upon whom Pete left a lasting impression:

(ON FACEBOOK)…

John Hill (Posted on Dec. 6^{th at 6:22pm)}

^{Pete, you just touched our lives over this side for a brief time, but already we were making memories with an engaging, encouraging and enthusiastic person – and, oh ya, a damn, good runner! All too soon to be gone… but certainly not forgotten. RIP bud.}

^{Kevin O’Connor (Posted on Dec. 6th at 9:04pm)}

^{I’m still in shock, several hours after hearing this very sad news. Very recently, Pete and I bumped into each other on a run on the sea wall. We were running in opposite directions and, in such a situation, runners usually give each other a nod or say “Hi”. On very rare occasions, they stop and turn around to come join you. Well, Pete turned around, and ran further than he needed to… keen to help me out on my run, as I was struggling with the flu. Our healthy conservation about life, running, relationships and other worldly issues helped the run breeze by. I live on the other side of False Creek to Pete, but we often saw each other on the seawall. I ran past his place tonight, looked up at the brightly-lit apartment windows and dedicated my short run to him. It seemed the right thing to do. Your time with us in Vancouver and with the Falcons was all to short, but we [and I] will never forget you, Pete. KO}

^{Brad Cunningham (Posted on Dec. 8th at 7:42am)}

^{I ran with Pete in Vancouver. From the moment he joined our club, he made a lasting impression on everyone. A great training partner, runner, friend and person, he was affecting his Canadian community the same way he had at home (in England). He will be dearly missed over here as well.}

^{John Atkinson (Posted on Dec. 8th at 11:18am)}

^{This still seems completely surreal. I only trained with Pete 12 days’ ago on Vancouver‘s seawall when, as per usual, he was kicking our (his fellow Falcons’) butts. I never got to know Pistol that well, though in many respects we were kindred spirits; a fellow Englishman who came to Vancouver to live the dream. It takes a certain amount of passion, determination and courage to turn such a dream into reality and Pete had all three in abundance. That he was trying to help a friend when he slipped on Saturday says everything about the man. Fearless, selfless and an inspiration to everyone fortunate to cross paths with him. Rest In Peace, Pete — you really made a difference.}

^{Phil Dickens (Posted on Dec. 8th at 12:50pm)}

^{As a fellow Brit in Vancouver, Pete told me I should get on the 8lane website as all the serious runners and coaches from the UK use it. I took a look and saw that ‘Pistol’ was way out in front at the top of the usage leaderboard with over 1300 posts. That was funny. 1300 posts! During the summer we could finish a club workout and then look forward to reading about it on Pete’s blog. There are a lot very passionate people in athletics, but it’d be hard to beat Pete. A great guy to be around, and to be motivated by. He has obviously had the same effect everywhere he’s been.}

^{(ON EIGHTLANE – the UK-based running forum created by Pete)…}

^{Kevin O’Connor (Posted on Dec. 6th at 4:18pm)}

^{I’m Kevin O’Connor, a Vancouver Falcon team-mate of Pete’s. It is sad and shocking news that his Vancouver friends received today. I posted the press report, although I realized how difficult it may be for some to read. We have very little news of the accident, but I do know that Pete was at (our regular) workout last Thursday, so most of the group got to see him before this very sad accident on Saturday. I’m a fellow Brit – from Cornwall – so if anyone requires information or there is anything I can help with, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll aim to keep you informed of any news that we hear via this site.}

^{We are all thinking of Pete. We have lost a good friend.}

^Kevin

^{Paul Krochak (Posted on Dec. 7th at 11:55am)}

^{I’ve been training with Pete in Vancouver since the early spring of ’09. There is not enough room on this page to say enough good things about Pete. Not only was he an amazing runner, his passion for the sport, life and his friends, was contagious. We all warmed to Pete instantly here in Vancouver. He was willing to sacrifice anything and everything for a friend – this was true not only in racing and training, but in life. You will be missed by all my friend.}

^Paul

5K

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Jay MacDonald 15:25 / 1 Kristina Rody 17:07
2 Peter Holmes 15:36 / 2 Anne-Marie Madden 17:41
3 Brad Cunningham 15:49 / 3 Ellie Greenwood 17:43
4 Graeme Wilson 15:53 / 4 Katherine Moore 18:10
5 Ynuk Bosse 15:58 / 5 Rita Ivanauskas 18:11
6 Paul Krochak 16:00 / 6 Catherine Watkins 18:34
7 Kevin O’Connor 16:11 / 7 Chessa Adsit-Morris 18:49
8 Phil Dickens 16:13 / 8 Nancy Fedoruk 18:53
9 Mike Wood 16:26 / 9 Janette Purdham 19:07
10 Phil Oreopoulos 16:41 / 10 Helen Ritchie 19:21

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 16:11 / 1 Rita Ivanauskas 18:11
2 Mark Bennett 17:13 / 2 Janette Purdham 19:07
3 Dave Stephens 17:22 / 3 Helen Ritchie 19:21
4 Jo Astoria 18:09 / 4 Rebecca Reid 19:43

8K

Overall Male /Overall Female

1 Jay MacDonald 25:13 / 1 Kristina Rody 28:20
2 Paul Krochak 25:50 / 2 Ellie Greenwood 29:20
3 Kevin O’Connor 26:28 / 3 Rita Ivanauskas 29:39
4 Phil Oreopoulos 27:08 / 4 Anne-Marie Madden 29:56
5 Phil Dickens 27:42 / 5 Chessa Adsit-Morris 30:07
6 Mike Wood 27:50 / 6 Katherine Moore 30:11
7 Dave Stephens 27:53 / 7 Natalie Closs 31:01
8 Mark Bennett 28:40 / 8 Nancy Fedoruk 31:32

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 26:28 / 1 Rita Ivanauskas 29:39
2 Dave Stephens 27:53 / 2 Janette Purdham 31:59
3 Mark Bennett 28:40 / 3 Helen Ritchie 32:22

10K

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Jay MacDonald 30:57 / 1 Kristina Rody 34:26
2 Graeme Wilson 32:42 / 2 Katherine Moore 36:22
3 Peter Holmes 32:51 / 3 Anne-Marie Madden 37:29
4 Drew Nicholson 33:11 / 4 Chessa Adsit-Morris 37:59
5 Kevin O’Connor 33:20 / 5 Catherine Watkins 38:30
6 Phil Dickens 33:29 / 6 Helen Ritchie 38:46
7 Ynuk Bosse 33:31 / 7 Rebecca Reid 39:17
8 Brendan Chrus 33:52 / 8 Nancy Fedoruk 39:22
9 Mike Wood 33:55 / 9 Janette Purdham 39:38
10 Brad Cunningham 34:06 / 10 Laura DeMunain 39:39

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 33:20 / 1 Helen Ritchie 38:46
2 Dave Stephens 35:12 / 2 Rebecca Reid 39:17
3 Jo Astoria 36:37 / 3 Janette Purdham 39:38

Half Marathon

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Jay MacDonald 1:09:05 / 1 Kristina Rody 1:18:12
2 Graeme Wilson 1:10:06 / 2 Anne-Marie Madden 1:21:05
3 Paul Krochak 1:10:48 / 3 Katherine Moore 1:21:12
4 Kevin O’Connor 1:13:10 / 4 Rita Ivanauskas 1:22:59
5 Drew Nicholson 1:13:38 / 5 Helen Ritchie 1:24:03
6 Phil Dickens 1:13:55 / 6 Catherine Watkins 1:24:23
7 Simon Driver 1:14:15 / 7 Janette Purdham 1:25:56
8 David Palermo 1:14:32 / 8 Rebecca Reid 1:26:51
9 Mike Wood 1:14:40 / 9 Emily Solsberg 1:27:05
10 Mark Sherman 1:15:40 / 10 Mary Walsh 1:27:13

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Kevin O’Connor 1:13:10 / 1 Rita Ivanauskas 1:22:59
2 Mark Sherman 1:15:40 / 2 Helen Ritchie 1:24:03
3 Mark Bennett 1:16:06 / 3 Janette Purdham 1:25:56
4 Dave Stephens 1:16:17 / 4 Rebecca Reid 1:26:51
5 Jo Astoria 1:20:58 / 5 Mary Walsh 1:27:13

Marathon

Overall Male / Overall Female

1 Graeme Wilson 2:27:58 / 1 Katherine Moore 2:47:25
2 Phil Dickens 2:38:27 / 2 Anne-Marie Madden 2:52:03
3 Mark Sherman 2:39:32 / 3 Helen Ritchie 2:59:53
4 Mike Wood 2:43:37 / 4 Mary Walsh 3:11:57
5 Dave Stephens 2:44:14 / 5 Mirabelle Tinio 3:14:37

Masters Male / Masters Female

1 Mark Sherman 2:39:32 / 1 Helen Ritchie 2:59:53
2 Dave Stephens 2:44:14 / 2 Mary Walsh 3:11:57
3 Mike Palichuk 2:50:53 / 3 Janette Purdham 3:16:48

Appropriate to it’s name, The Longest Day 5K & 10K featured sunny twilight weather, continuing this year’s trend of good racing conditions (and who would have thought after so inauspicious a start to the year?). Consequently, there were again several PB’s (9?) and good performances amongst the 21 VFAC racers. Brad Cunningham started things off in the longest race, letting a couple of runners stay with him until halfway, before pulling away to win with a PB of 34:06. The 5K, a Timex Series event, resembled a VFAC workout at times, as the men placed 3rd through 8th, 9 of the top 17 men and 4 of the top 8 women!

Highlights in the 5K were:

Jay MacDonald 15:25 PB, 3rd overall male, $125
Peter Holmes 15:42 PB, 4th overall male, $75
Graeme Wilson 15:53, 5th overall male, $50
Ynuk Bosse 15:58, 6th overall male
Paul Krochak 16:00, 7th overall male
Phil Dickens 16:13 PB, 8th overall male
Mike Wood 16:26 PB
Phil Oreopoulos 16:41
Kapil Anand 17:08 PB
Jo Astoria 18:09
Jesse Popov 18:13 PB
Chessa Adsit-Morris 18:49, 4th overall female, $75
Chris Taplin 18:52
Janette Purdham 19:07 PB, 5th overall female, 2nd overall masters female
Helen Ritchie 19:21, 6th overall female, 3rd overall masters female
Rebecca Reid, 19:43 PB, 8th overall female, 5th overall masters female

The Sun Run always brings on the superlatives, as a whole and within VFAC. This 25th Anniversary year was no exception, as the race is now some 56,000 strong, and VFACers Kristina Rody and Jay MacDonald were the 4th female and 12th male among them! Also way up in the percentiles were Katherine Moore as 11th overall female, Chessa Adsit-Morris as 15th overall female, and Helen Ritchie as 3rd overall masters female. Out of a total of 34 VFAC participants, 14 women (yes, the women get all the priority press here!) and 8 men placed among the top 100 overall females and top 100 overall males, 16 placed in the top 10 in their age divisions, and to the best of my rather anally retentive knowledge, 14 had personal bests! Well done all!

Highlights are as follows:

Jay MacDonald 30:57 PB, 12th Overall M, 1st M30-34
Kevin O’Connor 33:20, 39th Overall M, 3rd M40-44
Phil Dickens 33:29 PB, 44th Overall M,
Brendon Chrus 33:52 PB, 55th Overall M
Mike Wood 33:55 PB, 57th Overall M
Kristina Rody 34:26 PB?, 4th Overall F, 2nd Canadian female ($1000), VFAC Female Record
Benjamin Maas 34:53, 75th Overall M
Phil Oreopoulos 35:01, 76th Overall M, 7th M35-39
Dave Stephens 35:12, 84th Overall M, 2nd M50-54
Chris Brandt 36:01 PB, 9th M35-39
Katherine Moore 36:22 PB, 11th Overall F, 5th F30-34
Jo Astoria 36:37
John Atkinson 36:40
Chessa Adsit-Morris 37:59 PB, 15th Overall F, 4th F25-29
Brian Devereux 38:11
Catherine Watkins 38:30 PB, 20th Overall F, 4th F35-39
Helen Ritchie 38:46, 23rd Overall F, 3rd Overall Master F ($250), 2nd F40-44
Rebecca Reid 39:17 PB, 29th Overall F, 3rd F40-44
Nancy Fedoruk 39:22, 30th Overall F, 9th F25-29
Shu Sanantani 39:23
Laura DeMunain 39:39, 34th Overall F, 6th F35-39
Janette Purdham 39:51 PB, 38th Overall F, 4th F40-44
Mirabelle Tinio 40:56 PB, 50th Overall F, 10th F30-34
Jacquie Lewis 41:59, 65th Overall F, 9th F40-44
Sophie Dansereau 42:16, 71st Overall F
Alex Lea 43:12, 93rd Overall F
Heather Wilson 43:14, 94th Overall F
James Howson 44:43 PB,
Trevor Fenton 44:53 PB