Relaxing after a hike up to Peden Lake and a swim.
Hike, swim, and potluck with friends ... what else could be better?
The Sooke Trail and Road Runners held their second Tom Burgess Memorial event on July 8 in honour of their late former president and founding member. Almost 30 people hiked up to Peden Lake. A number of hikers took to the lake to cool off. After the hike home, the group headed to a great potluck social. Thank you to Jackie and Danny for hosting!
Cabin at Peden Lake
STARR had a good showing at the 2018 Bazan Bay 5K. Check out the results!
Claude races strong at the 2018 Bazan Bay 5K. Photo courtesy of Lois DeEll.
Way to go David! Photo courtesy of Dan Clayton
The 18th Annual Sooke River 10K along Sooke River Road was held 25 Mar. and hosted for the 1st time by Victoria TriStars. The weather was race ready with partly sunny skies, a light ocean breeze and a 7 degree temperature. There were 271 finishers (2017 262) covering the out and back hilly course. The OA winner was John Vanderveen (30-34) in a time of 34:54. The overall woman and with her 3rd win of the Series was Erin Burrett (35-39) from Nanaimo’s Bastion RC. She hit the mat with a 37:06 and was 7th OA. The top Master Male was TriStars John Greaves (45-49) in a time of 38:17 and 9th OA. The top Female Master was Marion Bryan (40-44) from the Comox Valley RR (CVRR) in a time of 44:20 and 56th OA.
STARR had eight runners in the field capturing 1 bronze medal and 7 ribbons in various divisions. Awesome run for everyone. First in was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) with a 43:35. He was 4th in a field of 11 and 45th OA. Another fine run. Next in was David White (45-49) edging out Claude LaForce. White hit the mat with a 46:46 bettering his 2017 time of 53:36. He finished with an 8th in a field 13 and 79 OA. Well done. LaForce was in with a 46:47 and was also 8th in a field 17 and 81st OA. With some gas left in the tank, it was a good strong sprint finish to the line by both.
Our 1st woman in was Stephanie Croft (40-44) with a 47:49 and was 4th in a field of 13 and 92nd OA. Well done. Our next STARR in was Jason Seysener (30-34) with a time 48:20. He finished with an 8th in a field of 10 and 99th OA. Good job.
Next in was Mark Ziegler (65-69) who came in with a 51:36 and was 3rd in a field 9 and 135th OA. Next to cross the line was Bruce Hawkes (75-79) who has never missed a Sooke River 10K since it’s inception. Bruce was in with a strong finish of 1:00:18 and 4th in a field of 6 and 217th OA. Closing out our STARR field was Teresa Lennox (45-49). Bettering her 2017 time of 1:02:40, she was in with a strong 1:01:13. She was 7th in a field of of 8 and 223rd OA.
Congratulations to all our finishers. Our next race and the last of the Series will be the Bazan Bay 5K in Sidney on 8 Apr. The Series Awards will also be presented at this time. Congratulations to all our STARR’s who gave their all at every race in the Series to fly the STARR flag. You guys were awesome. Hope to see you all in 2019.
The 6th race of the Island Series, the Comox Valley Half Marathon, was held 18 Mar. The weather was perfect for a half. It started cool …6 deg. and overcast but quickly warmed up to a balmy 12 degrees. There were 370 runners crossing the line after covering the gently rolling course.
The overall winner was Ian Searle (25-29) in a time of 1:14:14. Our top woman and with her 2nd win of the series was Bastion’s Erin Burrett (35-39) in a time of 1:21:10 and 13th OA which bettered her 2009 time of 1:26:15. The top Male Master was Morten Nielsen (40-44). Nielsen crossed the line with a 1:22:13 and was 16th OA. He bettered his 2015 time of 1:24:34. With her 4th win of the series, the top Female Master was Carolyn Coffin (40-44) from the CVRR with a time of 1:38:19 and 90th OA.
STARR had a small field of three covering the event. Our 1st runner in was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) in a time of 1:38:02. He was 8th in a field 19 and 88th OA. Good job Jonathan. Our only lady in the field was Stephanie Croft (40-44) with a time of 1:45:01. She was 5th in a field 25 and 135th OA. Another strong finish. Closing out our field was Bruce Hawkes (75-79). Hawkes hit the mat with a 2:43:55 and was 2nd in a small field of 3 and 351st OA. Well done Bruce.
Congratulations to all our runners. Our next race is the Sooke River 10K on 25 Mar. See you at the Edward Milne school start line.
The 2nd Annual Port Alberni Paper Chase 15K was held on 4 Mar. The cold and sunny conditions were ideal for a 15K through the rolling rural Alberni countryside. The original Paper Chase was a 10K from 1986 to 2002. The 15K Paper Chase was reinstituted in 2017 when the Merville 15K was dropped from the Series.
The overall winner was Dusty Spiller (30-34) in a time of 52:04. The top Female was Bastion’s Erin Burrett (35-39) with a time of 57:50 and 13th OA. The top Male Master was Mark Cryderman (45-49) in a time of 54:05 and 3rd OA. Our top Female Master and with her 3rd win was Carolynn Coffin (40-44). She hit the mat with 1:05:05 and 37th OA.
STARR had three of our senior runners competing and also earning three ribbons. Well done guys. Our 1st runner in was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44). He clocked in with a 1:09:19 and was 5th in a field 9 and 59th OA. Next to cross the line was Mark Ziegler (65-69) with a 1:25:09 and was 7th in a field of 9 and 149th OA. Closing our small field was Bruce Hawkes (65-69). Bruce closed with a 1:45:43 and was 3rd in a field of 4 and 210th OA. The next Series race will be the Comox Valley Half Marathon on 18 Mar in Courtenay. Good luck to all runners.
Stephanie had a strong showing at the 2018 Hatley Castle 8K. Photo courtesy of official race photographer Brian Domney.
The 17th Annual Hatley Castle 8K was held on 18 Feb. under clear, cold…1 deg. and blustery conditions. There were 321 runners ( 2017 369) winding their way through the roads and trails in Hatley Castle Historic Park. The overall winner and his 3rd win of the series was Bastion’s Shelby Drope (30-34) in a time of 27:08.
The OA female winner, also from Nanaimo’s Bastion club, was Melissa Ross. She crossed the line in 31:08 and 16th OA. The Male Master with his 2nd win of the series was Jerry Loeb (40-44) with a time of 29:49 and 9th OA. In a time of 34:53 and 45th OA, the top Female Master was CVRR Carolyn Coffin (40-44). Well done to the winners.
The course record was set by Steve Osaduik in 2006 in a time of 24:52 and top female was Kirsty Smith in 2008 with a time of 28:40.
STARR had six master runners in the field picking up five top ten ribbons in various categories. Leading the field was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) with a time of 36:53. He finished 6th in a field 12 and was 71st OA. Good job. Next to hit the line was Claude LaForce (55-59) with a time of 38:55. He was 9th in a field 15 and 97th OA. Well done Claude. Stephanie Croft (40-44) was our first woman in. She finished with a 40:43 and was 4th in a field of 17 and 123rd OA.
Next to complete the course was Bruce Hawkes (75-79). Hawkes came in with a 49:46. He was 5th out of a field of 7 and 255th OA. In her first Hatley, Jenny Adams came in with a 52:15. She placed 16th in a field 20 and 273rd OA. Well done Jenny. Closing out our STARR field was Ken Pungente (75-79). He came in with a 54:54 and was 7th in the division and 282nd OA.
All the STARRs did an awesome job on a challenging course and in tough conditions. Congratulations to you all. The next race wil be the Port Alberni Paper Chase 15K on 4 Mar. Thanks to all for flying the STARR flag at Hatley Castle.
The 3rd race of the eight race Vancouver Island Race Series, the 18th Annual Cedar 12K was hosted by Nanaimo’s Bastion Running Club on 4 Feb. The weather gods were again in our corner today. Under partly sunny skies with a temp of 8 degrees and calm conditions, 280 runners crossed the line. Due to a unforeseen hydro pole incident early Sunday morning at the top of the first climb, the course had to be rerouted taking out the 2 big hills. No one shed any tears over the broken pole withe exception of the home owners in the area with no power.The new course was through a gently rolling countryside. There were many good comments about the new course.
There would be 280 runners ( 2017 262) crossing the finish line. With his 2nd win of the series, the overall winner (OA) was Shelby Drope (30-34) from Nanaimo’s Bastion Club in a time of 40:05. The top woman was Catrin Jones (35-39) in a time of 44:42 and 17th OA. The course record for men was set in 2011 by Jim Finlayson in a time of 37:11 and the woman’s was set in 2008 by Sheryl Murphy with a time of 34:44. The top Male Master was James Richardson (40-44) in a time of 40:13 and 2nd OA. The top Female Master was Sheryl Davies (40-44) in a time of 51:13 and 49th OA.
STARRs had 4 runners in the field capturing 3 top 10 finishes in various age groups from 40-44 to 75-79. The first to cross the line was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) with an excellent 53:35 and was 6th in a field 14 and 69th OA. Well done for sure. Next to cross the line was Claude LaForce (50-59) with a 56:32. He was 11th in a field of 17 and 96th OA. Good run as always Claude. Our only lady STARR was Stephanie Croft (40-44). She had an excellent 57:40 and was 2nd in a field of 14 and 222nd OA. Another fine run Steph. Next was the series ironman Bruce Hawkes (75-79). Bruce was in his 189th consecutive Island Race Series race. Bruce covered the course in 1:13:25. He was 4th in a field of 5 and 222nd OA.
Congratulations to all our STARR's and other club runners for supporting the series. Kudos to you all. The 4th race of the series will be the challenging Hatley 8K on 18 Feb. See you all there. May the running gods be with you as you climb the hills.
Carol is focused on the finish line at the 2018 Cobble Hill 10K. Photo courtesy of Lois DeEll
The 2nd race of the eight-race Vancouver Island Race Series, the 11th Annual Cobble Hill 10K was hosted by the CEEVACS on 21 Jan. The weather gods were definitely in our corner today. The clouds parted, the rain stopped and the sun appeared somehow under calm conditions.
There would be 382 runners ( 2017 424) to cross the finish line. They would head out onto the Cowichan Valley country roads to complete the mildly undulating run. The overall winner (OA) was Shelby Drope (30-34) from Nanaimo’s Bastion Club in a time of 33 flat. The top woman was Alison Hooper (25-29) in a time of 35:37 and 16th OA. The course record for men was set in 2013 by Geoff Martinson in a time of 30:46 and the woman’s was set in 2008 by Sheryl Murphy with a time of 34:44. The top Male Master was Jerry Loeb (40-44) from Campbell River in a time of 36:05 and 22nd OA. The top Female Master was Carolyn Coffin (40-44) in a time of 42:42 and 87th OA.
STARR had 8 runners in the field capturing 3 top 10 finishes in various age groups from 40-44 to 75-79. The first to cross the line was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) with an excellent 44:52 and was 8th in a field 20 and 125th OA. Nice work. Next to cross the line was Claude LaForce (50-59) with a 47:27. He was 13th in a field of 19 and 156st OA. Well done. Our 1st lady in was Stephanie Croft (40-44). She had a 48:22 and was 11th in a field 28 and 173rd OA. Another fine run Steph. Next to cross the line and in her 1st Cobble Hill race was Carol Spychka (55-59). She was in with a 58:41 and was 13th in a field of 20 and 288th OA…my best guess due to a bib shuffle.
Our next STARR was Jenny Adams (55-59) also in her first Cobble run. She covered the course in 1:03:04 and was 16th in a field of 20 and 323rd OA. Good job Jen. Next was the series ironman Bruce Hawkes (75-79). Bruce was in his 188th consecutive Island Race Series race. Bruce covered the course in 1:03:48. He was 4th in a field of 4 and 326th OA. Closing out the STARR field and In her first Cobble Hill was Teresa Lennox (45-49). She crossed the line with a 1:04:02 and was 10th in a field of 12 and 328th OA. Well done Teresa under the circumstances. Mark Ziegler had a DNF due to a non running injury.
STARR is presently in 14th place out of 43 teams. We are tied with Island Striders with 117 points. Congratulations to all our STARR's and other club runners for supporting the series. Kudos to you all. The 3rd race of the series will be the Cedar 12K on 4th Feb. See you all there. May the running gods be with you.
The 1st race of the eight-race Vancouver Island Race Series, the 39th Annual Harriers Pioneer 8K, was held 7 Jan. The weather gods were definitely not in our corner. Under ominous conditions, 479 runners ( 2017 492) were lined up for the start. They would head out on the race course which was an and out and back covering some gently rolling quiet country roads. The windy, cold and rainy weather Brrrrrr made the course challenging whether you were running or cheering.
The overall winner (OA) was Lucas Bruchet (25-29) from Vancouver in a time of 24.06. Bruchet was also the OA winner in 2017. The top woman, also from Vancouver, was Rachel Cliff (30-34) in a time of 26:23 and 9th OA.
STARR had 8 runners in the field capturing 4 top 10 finishes in various age groups form 40-44 to 75-79. The first to cross the line was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) with an excellent 35:40 and was 8th in a field 17 and 156th OA. Good job. Not far behind was Claude Laforce (50-59) with another sub 40. He was in with a 36:59 and was 14th in a large field of 27 and 181st OA. Well done. Our 1st lady in was Stephanie Croft (40-44) with another su 40. She was in with a 38:29 and was 12th in a field 24 and 212th OA. Welcome back. Hot on her heels was the Pres Mark Ziegler (65-69). Mark was in with a 38:47 and was 4th in a field 15 and 223rd OA. Next was the series ironman Bruce Hawkes (75-79). Bruce covered the course in 47:29. He was 6th in a field of 11 and 374th OA.
Again not far behind was our new newest STARR Teresa Lennox (45-49). She crossed the line with a 48 flat and was 10th in a field of 15 and 380th OA. You looked strong down the homestretch. Next to hit the mat was Jenny Adams (55-59) with a sub 50. She was rewarded with a 49:30 and was 20th in a field of 25 and 400th OA. Closing out our STARR field and under the hour was another new STARR Megen Seysener (40-44) with a 55:43. She was 23rd in a field of 24 and 447th OA.
Congratulations to all our STARR and other club runners for supporting the series and also conquering the weather conditions today. Kudos to you all. The 2nd race of the series will be the Cobble Hill 10k on 21st Jan. Let’s all hope the weather gods help us out. May the running gods be with you.
The Series Awards were handed out on completion of the Cedar 12K awards. There were 220 runners who ran the required races to qualify for rankings. With 811.2 pts, Nick Walker (30-34) from the FR Athletics Club was crowned OA winner. This was Nick’s 1st OA series win. Congratulations. The top Female was Oceanside’s Melissa Ross (30-34) with 794.2 pts and 3rd OA. STARR had 3 runners who qualified. With 635.4 pts (7 races) Jonathan Dvorak came in 63rd place. Next to qualify was Mark Ziegler (60-64). Mark placed 130th with 553.4 pts (5 races). Completing our qualifiers is OA Series Ironman Bruce Hawkes (75-79) finishing win 191st and 463.2 pts (8 races). Bruce has completed 187 series races since the inception of the series in 1987. Congratulations to all the qualifiers for competing in the various age groups and committing to the series. STARR finished in 12th place with 28 finishers capturing 350 pts. See you all next year to keep our STARR shining.
The last race of the Island Series, the Cedar 12K was held in the Cowichan Valley on 9 Apr. There were 262 runners ( 373 2016) crossing the finishing line under calm, cool and partly cloudy conditions.
The weather gods (no rain) were with them to finish the series. Our overall (OA) winner and with his 3rd series win was Nick Walker (30-34) in a blistering time of 40:24. The top Female and also her 2nd series win was Melissa Ross (30-34) in a time of 48:08 and 21st OA. The top Male Master and with his 3rd series win was Mark Cryderman (40-44) with another fast time of 41:18 and 3rd OA. The top Female Master and with her 3rd win of the series was Yanna Debelic (45-49) clocking a 50:53 and 31st OA. Well done to all winners. There were 8 Sooke regional runners covering the undulating course. STARR had 3 runners competing. First through the school yard and hitting the mat was Jonathan Dvorak (40-44) in a time of 53:03. He was 7th in a field of 11 and 38th OA. Next to cross the line was Mark Ziegler (60-64) with a net time of 1:00:00 and was 10th in a field of 18 and 114th OA. He sneaked by Michael Gergel’s gun time of 1:00:10 vice Ziegler’s gun time of 1:00:07. Both had 1:00:00 net times but the quickest gun time gave the edge and win to Ziegler. It doesn’t get any closer than that. Closing out our STARR’s was Bruce Hawkes (75-79). Bruce clocked a 1:12:33. He was 5th is a field of 6 and 205th OA. Congratulations to all our finishers. This a wrap for the 2017 Island Series. Hope all runners had a good and safe series. Hopefully we will see more competitors for the 2018 series.
MAY THE RUNNING GODS BE WITH YOU.
The 7th race of the Island Series, the Port Alberni Paper Chase 10K was held on 2 Apr under sunny skies, light breeze and 8 degrees. The race was very well hosted by the Port Alberni Chamber of Commerce. The race returned after a 15 year absence in the series. There were 243 finishers crossing the mat. The top overall finisher and his 2nd Series win was Dusty Spiller (25-29) in a time of 33:17 and inching out Nick Walker by 6 seconds. The top Female and also top Female Master was Yanna Debelic (45-49) in a time of 41:42 and 20th OA. The top Male Master was Mark Cryderman (40-44) with a time of 34:08 and 3rd OA. There were 4 Sooke area runners making the long drive up the valley to compete. Bruce Hawkes was the only STARR in the group. Bruce (75-79) crossed the line with a 59:54. He was 6th in a field of 6 and 183rd OA. Well done to all runners. The last race of the series is the Cedar 12K on 9 Apr. The race will be followed by the awards ceremony. See you all there.