Bruce Deacon, general manager of the 2020 Pan American cross-country championships taking place Saturday, said he had to 鈥減inch himself鈥� when the Brazilian team became the first to arrive Thursday on Bear Mountain. They were soon followed by the Mexicans, Colombians and Costa Ricans.
鈥淚n two years of preparation, you get so buried in the details, that it kind of sneaks up on you. But you can really start feeling the buzz now,鈥� he said.
Not that any outdoor sporting event in sa国际传媒 in winter doesn鈥檛 have its hitches. The only places to host the Pan Ams in sa国际传媒 in February are the Island or Lower Mainland. The worst it will get this weekend on the Bear is wet.
鈥淏ut snow in Toronto [Pearson Airport] affected air travel and delayed several of the teams getting here,鈥� said Deacon.
However, what is sa国际传媒 without a winter weather story, he said.
The calibre of racing Saturday will be outstanding.
鈥淪everal of the runners here for the Pan Am cross-country championships will be competing for their nations this summer at the Tokyo Olympics in events such as the steeplechase and 10,000 metres,鈥� said Deacon, a two-time Olympian in the marathon.
They can expect a challenging route Saturday over Bear Mountain鈥檚 Valley golf course. It is a two-kilometre loop and the elite hemispheric men and women will traverse it five times in the 10K championship races. The start and finish line will be at the driving range.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough course that will take you out of your rhythm, with a hard hill the [elite] runners will have to attack five times,鈥� noted Deacon.
鈥淭his course will really take it out of your legs.鈥�
The 10K women鈥檚 elite championship race begins at noon and the men鈥檚 at 12:45 p.m. There are several other races, as well, beginning with the 5K community run at 9 a.m., 6K women鈥檚 and 8K men鈥檚 U-20 Pan Am championship races at 10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., respectively, 1.6K Nations Cup team race at 11:30 a.m., 5K Pacific Northwest youth championship at 1:40 p.m. and 5K Can-Am Masters Challenge at 2:15 p.m.
Admission is free and fans are advised to park on the outer gravel lots.
鈥淭here is no charge. Just come out and bring your cowbells, and spoons and pots and pans to bang on, to make noise to cheer on the runners,鈥� said Deacon.
Hosting the top harriers in the hemisphere continues unabated the Island鈥檚 recent run of international sporting events which began with the 2019 IIHF world junior hockey championship and continued this month with the sa国际传媒-U.S. Rivalry series women鈥檚 hockey game at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. It rolls on with the Pan Am cross-country championships this weekend on the Bear, sa国际传媒-Trinidad 2022 World Cup qualifying men鈥檚 soccer match March 27 and sa国际传媒 Sevens women鈥檚 rugby tournament May 2-3, both at Westhills Stadium, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics men鈥檚 FIBA basketball qualifying tournament June 23-28 at the Memorial Centre.
There is a longer Island play in mind for cross-country, too. The local organizing committee wants to put on a good show this weekend at Bear Mountain with the ultimate goal of hosting the 2023 IAAF world cross-country championships.
鈥淭he worlds are a much more expensive proposition,鈥� Deacon said.
鈥淲e have to prove we can host successfully at the Pan American level and then our community next has to show it wants the worlds to be held here.鈥�
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