A loud cheer erupted from the gathered runners when public-address announcer Rod McCrimmon counted down the start: 鈥淭hree, two, one and they鈥檙e off.鈥�
It was the pent-up joy after too long away. The Royal Victoria half-marathon and 8K Sunday were the first large-scale road races in more than 18 months on the Island.
鈥淚t was my first race in 20 months and it felt so good,鈥� said women鈥檚 half-marathon champion Leanne Klassen of Calgary, after crossing in one hour, 17 minutes, 15 seconds.
鈥淚鈥檝e been training a lot by myself. This was very emotional. My family even came out to watch me.鈥�
The men鈥檚 half-marathon champion was also from Calgary; Matthew Travaglini was across in 1:06:44.
The headwinds along Dallas Road on the stretch back to the finish line were too strong to challenge for the course records. Those are held by Natasha Wodak, a two-time Olympian at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, on the women鈥檚 side with a 1:11:45 clocking in 2018. The men鈥檚 half-marathon standard for Victoria was set by Jon Brown in 2002 when the marathoner, fourth place in both the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics, ran 1:02:32.
The helpful tailwind on the way out turned into a menacing headwind on the way back.
鈥淚t was a beautiful course but challenging, especially with the headwind on the back stretch,鈥� said Klassen, a former basketball player with SAIT, who didn鈥檛 take up running until 2016, after becoming a mother of two.
鈥淏ut there were so many people along the course cheering you on and that really helped,鈥� added the 34-year-old.
Maria Zambrano was second in the women鈥檚 half-marathon in 1:18:16 and Chloe Hegland third in 1:18:40.
The men鈥檚 champion, Travaglini, battled second-place Brendan Wong of Coquitlam (1:06:53) down the Belleville Street home stretch to the finish line. Logan Roots of Courtenay was third in 1:10:00.
鈥淚t was gorgeous along the ocean and through the neighbourhoods but there was a headwind in the later going,鈥� said Travaglini, who ran in U Sports for the University of Windsor Lancers and University of Calgary Dinos.
鈥淭hat was tough. It was a very hard course with so many hills. But Brendan [Wong] kept the pace honest for me.鈥�
Scotland-native Sarah Inglis of Surrey, who runs for Great Britain, won the women鈥檚 8K race in a course record 25:35 to breach her own former standard of 25:43 set in 2019. Mariah Kelly of Victoria was second in 27:06 and Rebecca Bassett of Coquitlam third in 27:30.
Reid Muller of Langley won the men鈥檚 8K in 24:01 but was off Justin Kent鈥檚 record 23:14. Kevin Friesen of Nanaimo was second in 24:11 and Theo Hunt of Vancouver third in 24:22.
The pandemic-reduced field featured 2,715 people who signed up for the half-marathon and 1,704 for the 8K. The Royal Victoria Marathon, a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, was not conducted Sunday due to lingering effects of the pandemic. The total number of runners, walkers and rollers usually numbers about 9,000 in a normal year.
But all that really mattered was that there was finally mass racing again.
鈥淭he sun is shining and we didn鈥檛 run out of toilet paper in the Porta-Potties,鈥� said race director and event manager Cathy Noel. 鈥淚t was a super positive vibe out there with no hiccups.鈥� Not that it was easy getting to that point in a pandemic. 鈥淚t was very much like an ever-changing puzzle to put this on,鈥� said Noel.
Even if the pandemic abbreviated the event to the 4,419 runners who signed up, this year鈥檚 races came after a dark 2020 in which all road races were cancelled. So Sunday鈥檚 event stood as another milestone in the re-opening of sports.
A full event, including Royal Victoria Marathon, is planned for 2022. Noel said she is confident of a return to more normal times: 鈥淚鈥檓 not just hoping we are going to stage the full Royal Victoria Marathon next year, I know we will.鈥�
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Earlier story:
Runners will be chasing some heady times today in the Royal Victoria Half-Marathon and 8K races along the streets of the capital.
Two-time Olympian Natasha Wodak, who contested the 10,000 metres at Rio 2016 and marathon in Tokyo 2020, set the Victoria women鈥檚 half-marathon record in 2018 of one hour, 11 minutes, 45 seconds. The men鈥檚 half- marathon standard for Victoria was set by Jon Brown in 2002, when the noted marathoner, fourth place in both the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens Olympics, ran 1:02:32. The 8K course records were both established in 2019 by Justin Kent on the men鈥檚 side in 23:14 and Sarah Inglis on the women鈥檚 side in 25:43.
Inglis returns to race today as part of the pandemic-reduced event that will feature 2,715 participants in the half-marathon and 1,704 in the 8K.
The Royal Victoria Marathon, a qualifier for the iconic Boston Marathon, will not be conducted today due to lingering effects of the pandemic. The total number of runners, walkers and rollers usually numbers about 9,000 in a normal year.
Participants and organizers are just glad some racing is happening at all in the first live road race on the Island in more than 18 months.
Race director and event-manager Cathy Noel described organizing this year鈥檚 races as 鈥渧ery much like an ever- changing puzzle.鈥�
All participants had to show proof of double vaccination, and one piece of government-issued photo identification, during the race package pick-up this weekend at the Crystal Gardens. Race staff and volunteers also have to be double vaccinated.
Masks will be required at the start line, but once participants begin running, they can take them off.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to space at these events at the start line. We want to make sure it鈥檚 safe as possible,鈥� said Noel.
Medals will not be placed around the necks of runners after they cross the finish line, as normal, but will instead be handed to the participants.
The 8K begins at 7:30 a.m. and half-marathon at 9:30 a.m. with both start and finish lines on Belleville between Oswego and Menzies streets. The races will involve rolling road closures and will affect traffic downtown through James Bay, Cook Street, Beacon Hill Park and the Fairfield and Gonzales areas. All participants must be off the roads by 1 p.m.
Defending-champion Inglis and four-time champion Lindsay Carson of Burnaby will feature in the women鈥檚 8K. Thomas Broatch of the UBC Thunderbirds and Kevin Friesen from Nanaimo are ranked 1-2 for the men鈥檚 8K.
The golden oldies will also provide a highlight with former champions Hilary Stellingwerf, a two-time Olympian, fellow Canadian international Lucy Smith, and Marilyn Arsenault contesting the women鈥檚 8K masters division. All three are now well-regarded running coaches.
Defending 2019 Royal Victoria women鈥檚 marathon champion Andrea Lee of North Vancouver will be running the half-marathon.
Matt Travaglini of Calgary, Brendan Wong of Coquitlam and Logan Roots of Courtenay are the top-ranked trio for the men鈥檚 half-marathon.
鈥淭he quality of our field shows how excited runners of all levels are to be back and competing,鈥� Victoria Marathon Society president Jonathan Foweraker said in a statement.
鈥淭here is no prize money on the line this year, just bragging rights and the joy of testing yourself against other runners and your own personal bests,鈥�
Even if pandemic abbreviated to 4,419 runners, this year鈥檚 races come after a dark 2020 in which participation in the cancelled event was of course zero, and is another milestone in the re-opening of sports.
The full event, including the Royal Victoria Marathon, is planned for 2022.
