Nine Personal Bests in First Half Half-Marathon!

Perfect, windless weather, a great course and race, and of course some dogged improvised training (or needed extra rest??) during the winter’s record snows, led to a great VFAC presence at Sunday’s First Half 1/2 Marathon. We had 30 participants, 9 PB’s, 2 men and 4 women in the top 10 overall, 7 age group top 3’s, and another VFAC Master Men’s Record by Kevin O’Connor (breaking Brian Bjornson’s 1996 1:13:33!) . Not too bad for the ‘first’ half of the year! Highlights follow: Jay Macdonald 1:10:38 PB, 8th overall, 2nd 30-34 Paul Krochak 1:10:48 PB, 9th overall, 3rd 30-34 Kevin O’Connor 1:13:10, VFAC Masters Men’s Record Phil Dickens 1:14:13 PB Simon Driver 1:14:15, just ahead of Phil gun time Mark Bennett 1:16:06 PB Dave Stephens 1:16:17 Ben Maas 1:17:38 Kristina Rody 1:18:55 PB, 3rd overall woman, 1st F30-34 John Atkinson 1:20:44 PB Jo Astoria 1:20:58 Katherine Moore 1:22:56 PB, 7th overall woman, 2nd F30-34 Rita Ivanauskas 1:22:59, 8th overall woman, 2nd F45-49 Anne-Marie Madden 1:24:43, 10th overall woman, 1st F25-29 Laura De Munain 1:27:27 Helen Ritchie 1:27:41, 3rd F40-44 Rory Carr 1:27:56 PB Ryan Allderman 1:29:04 Rebecca Reid 1:29:15 Sophie Dansereau 1:33:37 Kim Jow 1:34:14 Mirabelle Tinio 1:34:07 Rhys Howard 1:35:35 Vicki Mann 1:49:33, 1st race in 10 months Conditions were also conducive to a new record for earliest outdoor post race imbibing (or for collective foolhardiness?). For all those ex-Brits and others ‘from away’, it’s a Vancouver thing!