Marika! Photo courtesy of Joe Crazy Legs
By Leslie Ann Bent
It was a wild day of rain and wind on Vancouver Island. I was home enjoying the warmth of my home, happy to be experiencing the nasty atmospheric river from inside. However, the elements did not deter four STARR runners as they tackled the 37th annual Gunner Shaw 10k cross country classic along with over 300 eager athletes.
The website says that this race is a must-do autumn cross country classic! It’s a challenging 10K trail course with roots, rocks, stumps, puddles, branches, boulders and a lake - no whining! . It’s not your average race. The finishing chute takes runners through the lake. If you were lucky enough not to get your shoes wet during the race, they sure weren’t dry when you finished! Our STARR runners did our club proud.
Pauline Photo courtesy of Joe Crazy Legs
Our first runner to finish was Jonathan Dvorak with a time of 42:44. I would have loved to have seen Pauline and Marika battling it out at the finish chute. Pauline crossed at 51:27. Four seconds later, Marika flew across the line with 51:31. Greg Carson was not far behind at 53:40.
If you are curious about the level of competition, it was tough. First to finish was Lehm Maguire (M26) with a time of 34:35. For the women, Sarah Burger (F38) took it home with a time of 42:13. Lucy Smith edged in for a first-place finish in the F40+ category with a time of 43:19. Matt McCrank placed first in the M40+ with a time of 36:53.
I caught up with Marika to find out more about race day.
Johnathon Photo courtesy of Joe Crazy Legs
“It was a very soggy run but the temperature was mild so it didn't feel as cold as the day of the relay and maybe the rain even let up a bit for the race... The two big puddles were as big as I have ever seen them (thigh high) and the first one was very swampy smelling with a strong odour of sulfur. My ankles were not as achy and stiff as they usually are after the puddles again thanks to the somewhat mild temperature.”
I asked about the drama at the finish line for her and Pauline.
“Pauline always seems to be faster than me so I was happy to have her in my sights at the end (for about the last km or 2) but I just couldn't catch her.”
When asked if she’d recommend this race, Marika said she would. “This is one of my personal favourite runs and I'm already looking forward to 2022.”
Congratulations to our STARR runners.
Greg Photo courtesy of Joe Cazy Legs