From Ken:

Hello fellow runners,

I’ve been reading all the reports of your activities & applaud you all for your efforts. I’ve been training regularly, usually every 3 days. I’ve changed my routine of late & run 8km, then 10km, then 12km which usually gets me about 100km a month, Yah, I realize there’s some of you “Ultras” do this in one race.

I’ve been in 4 competitive races & one social run. Hopefully will include a few pics. My first in Floridia, a Strada 10km which I came 2nd in 1.10.33 which I was very happy with, as there was a temp. reading at a pharmacy sign that said 27 C. & yes, there was more than 2 people in my age group ( 80 – 84 ).

 Next race, Oct. 23rd was at Augusta also a Strada run in which I also came 2nd. Next was the Catania marathon, Dec. 11th, which has a Half & half of a Half ( 10.5 ) which I ran & came 3rd. It took us through some of the historic places & monuments in the city, Piazza Duomo, Bellinni theatre, a beautiful fountain much to the disapproval of a lot of drivers as the streets were closed for our safety. 

 The next race Dec. 18th was in Avola, famous for it’s almonds & also a famous wine called Nero D’ Avola, which has an interesting story behind it, maybe to be told at one of our meetings in Sooke. This race started at Piazza Umberto & we ran about 1km to the outskirts of town where we picked up a medical & police escort, from there it was 7.5km uphill with switchbacks until we got to Cava Grande on top of one of the Iblean mountains. This was one of the hardest runs I’ve done. I came in 1st of 2, there was one other runner in the age category above us, Bravo to him.

 This is getting a little long winded, so will close for now. Stay hungry, Stay foolish,

Ken Pungente

P.S.  A lot of these races or monitored by a company called TDS ( Timing Data Services ) & can be found on-line for results, videos & photos, also the club who sponsors the race will have videos & photos on their website. My club here Pachino Running can be found on WhatsApp for videos & photos.

By Leslie Ann Bent

The 2023 Vancouver Island Race series got off to a wet start on Sunday with the Harriers Pioneer 8k road race.  This race is also part of the BC Super series and often attracts elite athletes.  It’s a flat and fast course in North Saanich.  Runners were clearly itching to race.  Nearly 620 runners came out despite the weather to kick off the 2023 race season.  

STARR was well represented with 11 members facing the elements.  Greg was our first STARR runner across the finish line with a time of 37:00, earning him a 5th place age-group finish.  Stephanie was our top female runner, finishing at 39:34. Pauline crossed the finish line just 19 seconds behind her.   

The race welcomed two Olympians to the event. Natasha Wodak was the first place female runner with an amazing time of 26:20, and Genevieve Lalonde was close behind, placing second with a time of 26:35. For the men, Thomas Nobbs (M20-24) had a good margin winning the race with 24:01. It was an exciting race with some very talented runners. All top 10 runners were under 26 minutes.  

STARR Results: 

Greg Balchin (M60-64) 37:00, 5th 

Jordan Zalba (M35-39) 37:49

Stephanie Croft (F45-49) 39:34, 9th 

Pauline Nielsen (F50-54) 39:53, 8th 

Sonya Huser (F35-39) 40:44

Justin Heeley (M50-54) 43:57

Melanie Eskildsen (F40-44) 46:56 

Maggie Curtis (F50-54) 47:18 

Kari Toovey (F45-50) 52:22 

Bruce Hawkes (M80-84) 59:02, 3rd  

Donna Heeley (F40-44) 1:11:24 

Congratulations to all of our runners. The next race in the series is Cobble Hill 10k on January 22.  

By Greg Balchin and Marika Nagasaka

Greg’s story

Well, I thought that I had registered for the Gunner Shaw race, which was the week before Stewart Mountain! That’s the last time I register for a race on my cell phone without using my glasses!

I really wasn’t ready for this run. I usually decrease training distances in the winter. But there I was, shivering alongside everyone else at the starting line, waiting for the proverbial gun to go off.

It wasn’t cold, cold – +5C, but the humidity was high and overcast, so it was a wet-cold. I must be getting old. 40 years ago, I wouldn’t have even noticed the weather!

The trails around Thetis Lake, all the way up to Gowlland Park in the Uplands, are perfect for trail runners. There are some exposed rough, rocky bits, swampy bits, rooty bits, and technically challenging bits, but lots of the trail sections just beg to be run hard and fast!

Many of the runners, having huffed and puffed their way up Stewart Mountain, found themselves with less than half a tank of gas at the top, with nothing but 8km of fast, undulating, hard left, hard right down hill trails ahead. Electric Light Trail, for instance, begged to be run hard (I had to walk a piece of it, just to get my breath back). Most of the trails were well marked, but some could have used a few more pink ribbons. Quite a number of people took a wrong turn, fortunately, most of these trails cross each other at some point, so they got back on course. (No, I didn’t get lost on this run!).

I managed to trip twice, once in the snow on the way down from Stewart Mt, taking out three runners that I was trying to pass, and once on the Electric Light trail. I kicked a springy root, and did a face plant. Good thing the ground was spongy! That same piece of trail had no markers, so running alone, I thought I’d gone astray, but then I heard a cow bell in the distance. I stepped up my pace thinking woo-hoo! I’m on course, minutes later I caught up to a guy on a bicycle, who had tied a cow bell to his handlebars! Fortunately, an aid station appeared on the roadway ahead of me, and the volunteers cheered me on.

The rest of the run was uneventful, save for a back-and-forth duel with a friend of mine. I managed to keep ahead of him till the last 300 metres, then he pulled ahead of me, and beat me by about 50 metres at the end. He played me well. That’s usually my signature move! I need to train harder. Revenge is best served, ice cold at the last second, at warp 9.

Pauline, Bruce, Marika and I all had a great run. It was a good race in almost perfect running weather.

Marika’s Story

Stewart Mountain 10 Mile race was yet another 2022 race with good weather, chilly but clear for the 11:30am start. There was some snow at the top, which made the steep part down even more difficult than usual (and I find this part hard even when it is clear and dry! But the snow did make it quite pretty although a bit hard on the eyes). Other than that, the course was in pretty darn good shape. There’s a puddle close to the end that has a bypass which I took for the first time ever since the course was so dry (although there was a soggy creek crossing just before the big puddle). I was feeling very sluggish and had planned to take this run easy, no PB’s for me today. At the end I had the back of Pauline in my sights and she thankfully got me to the finish line.

There was hot tomato soup and grilled cheese and other standard post race snacks at the end of the race. I wasn’t feeling hungry or great in general so I did not have the stomach for any snacks.

Unofficial results:

10 Mile

Greg B 1:44:28

Pauline N 1:55:40

Marika N 1:55:43

5 Mile

Bruce Hawkes 1:27:17

By Leslie Ann Bent

Saturday, November 26th marked the 38th annual Gunner Shaw Classic trail race at Thetis Lake. This is a tough hilly race that throw everything at runners – rocks, roots, puddles, branches, boulders, six significant hills and stunning views. Nearly 200 runners were up for the challenge.

Two STARR runners participated. This race seems to be one of Marika’s favourites so here is what she had to say about this highly recommended event.

“It was a pretty nice day with break in the weather for the race. The course wasn’t very wet compared to past years. Puddle #1 wasn’t very long but WAS very stinky. Puddle #2 wasn’t very big either but very muddy. They had gilled cheese for after race snacks so that was nice.”

STARR results

Marika Nagasaka 55:36

Bruce Hawkes, 1:28’20”

Congratulations to our runners.

By Andy Smith

Five awesome teams from STARR completed the annual Relay Race held on Remembrance Day; at Thetis Lake. This event is hosted each year by the Prairie Inn Harriers as a fun event to engage the Island running community. For those who have not attempted this event; it is suitable for all ages and ability levels. Teams compete in a relay format with up to four runners completing a 4.5k circuit (each) of Thetis Lake’s perimeter hiking trail. The trail is challenging but not intimidating; a good test of legs and lungs, but short enough to keep runners together. The location and format make for a fun event where you can support teammates and cheer on the competition representing other running clubs on everything from family teams, kids’ teams, open teams, masters and super veteran teams and even a few soloists! You can enjoy a hot chocolate and cookies on the beach as you watch the handoffs. Some teams even had tents and propane firepits to keep warm! STARR has a long tradition of participating in this race and in 2022 we had a good range of open women’s, men’s and mixed teams as well as two men’s super-veteran teams (60+). At the time of publishing this report, the official results were not yet available.

“Thetis Therapy”; a Super Veteran team composed of Greg, Jim, Claude and Andy brought home the gold this year followed in second place by “Slugs in Motion” (LOL) , another men’s super ( or is that super men?) veteran team composed of Mark, Steve, Bruce, and Paul.

“Don’t Call Us Shirley” competed in the women’s open category (with team members all from Shirley): Leslie Ann, Stephanie, Marika, and Val.

“Quads of Fury” was a multi-generational women’s open team composed of Sarah, Mel, Mackenzie (Mel’s granddaughter), and Lisa.

“A Fleet of Feet” competed as a women’s open team composed of Jackie, Bri, Alex, and Karla. Danny Eddy was first alternate and cheered everyone on while volunteering behind the coffee and cookies counter. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed catching up with other STARR members.

By Greg Balchin

Saturday, October 22 marked the last race in the Vancouver Island Trail series this year.

We expected a wet, windy, run. The weather forecast called for it, but instead, we had a perfect running conditions. Cool, dry, and sunny. 

The race offers two distances – 25km long course and the 11km short course – with breath taking views and great trails.  Together, both races attracted nearly 400 participants for the grand finale of the series. We had 5 STARR members out running the courses.

The course has about 350 metres of elevation gain, but you don’t notice it much, because you are so focused on dodging trees and roots. The best description of the course is that, where Port Alberni, (everyone’s most favorite course), is up and down, up and down, the Qualicum trail, is left and right, left and right. Both have a river run along a creek, and along straight gravel road section. Some people didn’t care for that road bit on the way back, but I liked it. You could switch to road leg muscles, straighten out, and reset your breathing and metabolism, before diving back into the relentlessly twisty trail system in the woods. 

I think this run is now my second most favorite trail to run in the series. Port Alberni is still number one, but there were some really fun sections on the Qualicum trail, that really tested your ability to stay on your feet. Hard, short, up, down, left, right and runs that left me wanting to speed up and push harder. But the threat of more roots ahead and the constant need to balance speed  with endurance kept the pacing relatively steady.

With 164 runners doing the long course, we thought the narrow, single track trails would be a problem for passing people. The trail on either side was a pretty gnarly tripping hazard. But the open road areas under the power lines and the runners themselves, made sure anyone who wished to pass could do so safely. About 8km into the race, everyone was well spread out, or running in little same speed clumps anyway.

Results

Long course

Greg Balchin (M60-69)                      2:59:45, 3rdplace

MarikaNagasaka (F40-49)                 3:02:45

Pauline Nielsen (F50-59)                   3:07:31, 1stplace

Sarah McWhirter (F30-39) 3:32:34

Short Course

Maggie Curtis (F50-59)                      1:33:11

What a great day for a run.  The weather gods were with us as STARR runners and walkers took to the Potholes for some friendly competition – mostly against themselves but also to see who had the best handle on their own paces. STARR offered two distances the short course – 5.8km and the long course – 8.6km.

Thanks to Andrea, Lisa, Jackie and Andy, we had a well-marked course and top-notch timing!  We had 17 participants and 3 on-site volunteers. It was great to see so many people out enjoying the trails. Winners were:

Jenny Adams (8.6km) – 1st place, 21 seconds off her predicted pace

Claude Laforce and Jackie Eddy  (8.6km) – 2nd place tie, 34 second off their predicted times

Jordan (5.8km) – 1st place, 69 seconds off his predicted time

Sonya (5.8km) – 2nd place – 82 seconds off her predicted time.

Overall Results:

By Leslie Ann Bent

This year the Royal Victoria marathon weekend was back in full swing after a few years of COVID interruptions.  The marathon, half marathon, 8km race and Thrifty Foods kids’ races were all live with options as well for virtual racing. The events attract about 8,000 runners each year over the Thanksgiving weekend. Four STARR members took part and weren’t disappointed.

This weekend of racing has something for everyone.  It was the first live marathon since 2019.  Victoria’s Teferi Kebede Balcha led the men’s marathon throughout the race and clocked 2:25 to take home the gold. On the women’s side, Rozlyn Boutin of Vancouver took home the gold with a time of 2:46.

The half marathon was by far the most popular race with 2,664 runners completing it. First over the finish line for STARR was Claude Laforce with a time of 1:50:29.  Here is what Claude had to say about this year’s race:

“It has been a few years for me so it was good to do the RVM event again. Weather was great, no wind, starting temperature about 14 degrees, by the time I was done more like low 20s.  The 1/2 and full marathon all started together, so the first few kilometers where a little crowded.

“I didn’t want to zone out and miss the separation point or it would have been a long painful day. Beautiful course but it seems there is a lot more downhill on the first half so it’s easy to start a little too fast. Definitely slowed down a little in the last third of the race, but it’s good to do the event again.”

Steve Eriksen was also out on the half marathon race course that day and provided some comments on his experience. “The race was great although I did not take any photos. All of the pictures I took, were ‘mental ones.’ The weather was A+… what a glorious day for a race. I had originally planned on walking the whole half marathon, but ended up doing an on and off run/walk. It was hard to resist running once I was in the midst of all the RVM energy.  Doing the slower pace really allowed me to enjoy the beautiful scenery that Victoria has to offer… without sweat in my eyes. The volunteers did a great job ensuring that everyone stayed hydrated and the supporters were out in hoards cheering. Well done to all of the organizers, volunteers, supporters and participants. I love living in one of the most beautiful places in the world.”

I too participated in the race but had a less ambitious distance goal. The 8km race took the to the streets at 7:15am and it was hard to get a good rhythm going between the early hour and the crowd of runners for the first kilometer or so, typical of a large race.  The course changed from prior years (no Johnston Street hill). It was an out and back route along the water, primarily on Dallas Road.  This made it possible to see the lead runners and cheer them on which was a wonderful motivator in itself. I loved the vibe of racing live again with so many participants, the enthusiasm of the volunteers and the energy that comes with a large race. The scenery was also beautiful.  It was a great race, well organized and I’d highly recommend it for anyone wishing to race next fall.

STARR Results:

½ marathon

Claude Laforce (M 60-64)                           1:50:29

Bri Fitzgerald (F30-34)                                 2:18:07

Steve Eriksen (M45-49)                              2:43:56

8km

Leslie Ann Bent (F55-59)                            1:10

Congratulations to all of our runners.

By Greg Balchin

The Finlayson Double is a grueling ultra challenge involving two trail races at Goldstream Provincial Park – the 100k and the 28k. The 100km race which actually covers 105km, has 20,000 feet of climbing, and for their efforts, are rewarded with spectacular views. The race is a night one starting on Friday evening. The 28km race is an out and back course starting on Sunday.

Well, I’d like to start the report with a whole list of excuses why I came in dead last!. But, bruised ego aside, every run, especially competitive trail runs, always end in a coulda ,shoulda ,woulda , if I had only done this, or that, my time could have been  better! There is always next year if I want to attempt a faster run time.

This running event, is really a fun one. Yes we have a lot of hill climbing to do, and a lot of hard, rocky, rooty, tricky,  winding, uppy, downy, back and forthy, and I swear to god more up than down trail than most people are used to!. But, the scenery is spectacular and the volunteers (who really make this run so special), are absolutely awesome. (Watch the video on the Coastline web)

Pauline and I love the night run. For safety, we cut back on our pace and enjoy entering each aid station, set up at regular intervals. Headlights, burning a path ahead, bright stars across an inky black sky. A near full moon this year, glowing a very strange yellow brown colour, from the forest fire smoke drifting up from south of the border.  

This time however, we started at 26’C temperature, hoping it would cool down during the night loop. It didn’t happen that way. By the time we got to the Durrance aid station (Mt. Work), I had begun to feel quite sick, I thought that I had eaten some tainted food. I couldn’t run, just power hike the hills and try a light run on the downhills. By the time we returned to our starting point, (Goldstream), I had severe stomach cramps. We decided to press on to the next 52k lap, but by the time we entered Durrance again, I was ready to pull from the race. After a break , an ice pack cool down ,and “tissue for my issue” pep talk from the volunteers,  we ran over Mt work to the Munn Rd aid station, and then back to the Durrance A.S.

(At this point, it had become apparent, that I was not suffering alone. More than 30 runners had dropped out with the same stomach cramps. Apparently, we were suffering from heat stroke, caused by a combination of the high temperature, plus a relative humidity, that decreased the effective cooling of our sweat.) 

Since I didn’t know how much longer I could run feeling ill, Pauline and I decided that she should go ahead on her own in order to finish the race under the cut off times. Half way between McKenzie Bight and Jocelyn Hill , I got quite sick, and afterward felt good enough to actually start running  again. Some of the check point cut offs were close, by the time I hit the Roundtree aid station, I discovered that I had made the cut off by only 3 minutes! With only 72 minutes to go, I ran the last 5k in under 30 minutes.  I wish the rest of my run could have been like that!

The 28k run the next day was hot again, and I still felt queasy. Since the cut off time was a generous 7 hours, I decided to take my time. 

Pauline ran with me to Mt. Finlayson. Last year I ran out of steam half way up, but she revived me with some home made banana nut cake.  This year, half way up, I found her sitting on a rock, waiting for me, holding two pieces of chocolate cake. That little break, got me to Roundtree!. Thanks Pauline!

Unfortunately, the Jocelyn Hill aid station ran out of water, so I had a minimal amount to drink over 7k. By the time I reached Roundtree, I was overheating again, so the volunteers stuck me on a stretcher for 15 minutes and covered me in ice cubes. That gave me just enough energy to make it back to Goldstream in one piece and under the cut off.

Although this story sounds a bit grueling, normally, the run back from Jocelyn Hill, is like a really fun, flat out sleigh ride. The last 5k have some climbing to do, and a nasty detour piece, but overall, it’s quite a fun run. And really, so is the rest of the course. 

It took me about 32:17: to do the whole 128k. Some people managed to do it in less than 23 hours!

 Every aid station had great treats and drinks for us. At Goldstream there were three or four kinds of beer, coffee, pop, water, Gatorade, burgers, hot dogs, chips, fruit, etc. As much as you wanted, all free, even for family members, friends and spectators.

And just to make my day, we also had very kind massage therapists, and chiropractors on hand, giving the runners free tune-ups at the end of their runs!

Some lessons learned: 

• Every race, no matter how well you prepare for it, can go sideways on you. Analyze and make adjustments to your running strategies. 

• Don’t agonize over the last race, learn from the event and move on. Know that it will make you a wiser and hopefully, better runner .

• Two experiences that I have recently learned, is how to recognize the onset of both heat stroke, and hypothermia (that’s a Kludahk run story).

• No matter how nice the weather is, run with someone, and carry extra rations, batteries, clothing, and gear if the run is over 30k.

• Don’t be afraid to test your limits. How else will you find out what you are capable of doing?

• Running alone has its merits, but I have discovered that the best memories experienced when running are almost always ones shared with fellow runners.