STARR members and friends getting excited about their first race of 2025! What a great start to the year!

By Andy Smith

Starr members enjoyed a crisp sunny day at the Vancouver Island Race Series last Sunday in North Saanich. The 2025 VIRA season kicked off at the Pioneer 8k road race hosted by The Prairie Inn Harriers running club. This event makes a great entry to the race season as the 8k distance, and flat(ish) course are great for blowing off Christmas calories. 11 STARR club members and friends represented 7 different age categories at this popular event (667 participants). Conditions were excellent with sunny conditions and comfortable temperatures.

This out and back course attracts some elite runners, and this year was no exception. It was fun to cheer the elites as well as STARR teammates as we passed each other on out/return legs between start/finish. The Prairie Inn Harriers did a great job with volunteers and food. Hot coffee, pizza and door prizes at the awards ceremony were much appreciated.

This year the overall race winner was Russell Pennock from Kelowna (M30-34) who ran a very fast time of 24:01. He competed collegiately at the University of Calgary. Top female finisher was Jaime Hennessey from Maple Ridge with an equally impressive time of 27:48. Our top finishers were Andy Smith and Barb Cina. Kudos to STARR members who showed up for the race despite nursing some injuries!

There were a few glitches with timing equipment this year which delayed medal and ribbon presentation. However, STARR participants seemed pleased with their performances on the day with 2 top-ten performances earned for age group results. It was great to see another impressive turnout for the race with 100 more competitors than last year. Congratulations to all our finishers!