For The Record

by Myron Neville

             This year’s Abbotsford Canada Day Parade featured a new event to start off the city’s July 1^st celebrations. With spectators lining both sides of South Fraser Way, all the entrants in the Deerfoot Athletic Club sponsored Country Mile Foot Race got to strut their stuff in front of a cheering crowd .  Upwards of 20,000 people made this country mile the most watched race of the season in BC!!

Despite the added challenge of a strong head wind a good-sized pack of eager runners from all over the lower mainland charged down the course in full flight to begin the Abbotsford Canada Day Parade.

Abbotsford’s Matt Cobb who recently finished fourth in the BC High School Track & Field Championships bolted to the early lead with a determined chase group right on his heels.

Cobb - playing the part of a rabbit - was able to hold this position for nearly three quarters of the race before being chased down by Langley ‘s Phil Ellis and his winning time of 4:36 for this year’s mile. Ellis who is a former Vancouver Sun Run and Stanley Park Seawall race winner had his hands full though, as Cobb did not willingly let go of the lead. Cobb would eventually finish second with a creditable 4:43 effort.

As the debate for first was taking place in front of him Abbotsford’s National age group masters champion and BC 1500m master co-record holder Paul Reimer was still not convinced to give up the chase and ended up being pulled along into fourth with a solid 4:48 road mile performance.

Just behind all the action at the front national age group masters champions David Huxley and Malcolm Smillie, along with 2005 Daffodil Dash winner Ken Williams were shuffling positions back and forth faster than a bunch of Mississippi riverboat gamblers, before they finally settled down. When the smoke cleared Williams had overtaken Reimer and moved into third with a 4:46 surge, followed by Smillie (5:07) and Huxley (5:17) in that order.

Among the women, Surrey’s Maureen St Croix – a master’s world record holder for the mile and 1500m - got down to business and gave her own workshop on how to run the mile. Gone like she was shot out of a cannon at the start St Croix gave most of the men’s field something to think about as she left them in her wake powering to an impressive 5:30 first place and tenth overall.

Following St Croix’s lead with their own excellent times and places were Langley’s Hanna Santamaria - quickly realizing today was not the day to go with the kamikaze assault by St Croix, and taking measure of the women around her - ran to a fine 6:12 conclusion for her road mile.

Working her way through the pack Abbotsford’s Sonya Gronberg managed to keep her wits about her and stay out of trouble. With Santamaria in sight and her spirits being buoyed up by the cheering spectators, Gronberg ran to an encouraging 6:20 for third place. The next three positions were hotly contested as several Deerfoot runners went gunning for the coveted Top Five in the race with under-twenty winner Sarah Reimer (6:29), BC Masters short distance sprint medallist Judy Summers (6:30), and former BC silver medal Collegiate Cross-Country team member Lynn Udy (6:31) finishing up in that order.

The honor for being the oldest runner of the day and possibly the most fearless went to Abbotsford’s Jack Harris - who got the brakes off, all cylinders firing, and wheels turning – while rumbling to a determined and well-earned 8:34 finish.  His second mile of the day was a return 'cool down' run to the parade start where he hopped into one of his collectible vintage automobiles to drive the route again!!

When asked about the event the organizers of this year’s Canada Day Country Mile Foot Race predicted a bigger field next year and the definite possibility of a sub-four minute mile on the right day.

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