For The Record

RUNNERS ROUND-UP

Steveston Ice-Breaker 8km -Jan 30^th 2005

            Coquitlam’s world ranked and world-class masters distance runner Leah Pells scared the boys in this one finishing a not too distance second outright to former Canadian World Cup marathon team member Oliver Utting. Pells who continues to amaze everyone clocked a 26:47 to Utting’s winning 25:35.

            A tight knit group of athletes rounded out the Top Five as Warren Miller (27:08), Roy Millen (27:12), and Ryan Bremner (27:14) paced each other around the Richmond course. Fernie’s Derek Vinge’s 27:15 just fell short of nabbing a “big five” spot.

            Perennial challenger in any women’s race and in second place was Nancy Tinari. The one-time winner of the famous island of Bali 10K road race ran a well placed 28:07 overall. New West’s Suzanne Evans (30:03), Leslie Black (30:17), and Kamloops’ Yvonne Timewell (30:24) made up the first five women – with Timewell’s time just squeezing out Vancouver’s Meaghan McCollum (30:26) out of the ranking.

            Among the big guns in the men’s masters race was Victoria’s Phil Nichols who laid waste to everyone with his 27:25 'smack-down' of Guy Smith (27:54), Dave Reed (28:01), Mike Moon (28:22), and Wayne Guest who kept Moon guessing until the end with his, “Hey, wait up!” 28:23.

            Best under 15 of the day performance came in with Alexander Gibson’s 30:55 and Top 60+ effort went to Vancouver's Hamani Ali’s 31:11.

  “First Half” Half Marathon -Feb 13^th 2005

            Calgary’s Jeremy Deere won this year’s edition of the annual Pacific Road Runners race in 1:07:08. Deere, a many time Canadian World Cross Country Team member, set the standard for the day with local athlete Jerry Ziak giving a good account of himself by going 1:07:29. Winnipeg’s Michael Booth hung in to record a 1:08:04, while Deerfoot Athletic Club’s Kenyan prospect and NAIA All-American cross-country honors runner David Wambui battled with another Calgary challenger Ken Myers as the two of them finished up 1:09:21 to 1:09:22 in that order to make the big five club.

            Showing tremendous versatility, Leah Pells ran away to another commanding win in 1:15:25 for “the half”. Lisa Harvey – who makes frequent trips from Alberta to compete in many local events - had her hands full for second place against a younger Lauren Groves from Victoria. Harvey needed half a marathon to take the silver in 1:16:51 while Groves’ 1:17:03 gave her the bronze. Behind them, seemingly ageless veteran Nancy Tinari turned in a 1:18:55 and Penticton’s Jill Savege clipped off a 1:19:15 as all five of the age group leading women broke the 1:20 barrier.

            Other top age group finishers in the “First 50” were lower mainlanders Oliver Utting (1:09:49), Norman Tinkham (1:12:43), Luis Estrada (1:16:06), David A. Taylor (1:19:42), Cache Creeks Jack Miller (1:20:57), and Victoria’s Carolyn Murray (1:21:09).

 North Shore Credit Union Spring Forward 5K - April 2^nd 2005

            Burnaby’s Oliver Utting and David Wambui of the Abbotsford Deerfoot Athletic Club had a humdinger of a run to the wire with Utting getting the nod over Wambui 15:25 to 15:26 in this year’s Stanley Park Spring Forward 5K. Jamie Epp (15:45), Byron Wood (15:49), and Norman Tinkham (15:50) broke their mini-pack apart toward the end of the race finishing in that order for the first five.

            Leah Pells, as one of BC’s greatest distance runners ever, continued her winning ways in the park with a 16:37 power run over top of the highly rated Emilie Mondor (16:49). West Van’s Cindy O’Krane (18:04) and a fine runner in her right, led home the remaining top women’s finishers with Sheila Mullins (18:23) ahead of Darcy Montgomery (18:26).

            Vancouver’s Kenvin O’Connor (16:07), Kelowna’s Brendan Rosser (17:14), and former Los Angeles marathon winner Art Boileau (17:30) also produced winning age group efforts.

  Yaletown Mile - April 23^rd 2005

            More than one runner described this year’s Yaletown Mile as being a tough course to run. Despite the degree of difficulty it did make for some spirited efforts. In the women’s race Garibaldi Heights' Nicola Everton outlasted the field to post an overall 5:35 masters victory. Jeaie Bezdan and Lara Scott finished close by with their 5:37 and 5:38 performances. Tucked in behind them for fourth and fifth places were Cheryl Stevenson (5:43) and Adele Wilson (5:47).

            Among the men Jamie Epp’s 4:36 was good for first with Nate Wood (4:40), David Polisi (4:42) Shane Bilodeau (4:43) whacking away at each other and last year’s Ambleside Mile winner Larry Nightingale (4:58) hanging on for dear life ahead of the rest of the field to finish fifth.

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