Of all the music pouring out of those individual ear buds, as thousands pounded the streets in the 24th sa国际传媒 10K Sunday, there should have been one tune in particular.
Bob Seger鈥檚 Against the Wind could have been proclaimed the unofficial anthem of the 2013 race as strong headwinds buffeted the runners along Dallas Road.
But that didn鈥檛 stop Paul Kimugul of Kenya from winning in 29 minutes, 44 seconds. He won the Vancouver Sun Run last week in 29:04. Kimugul liked it so much in sa国际传媒 that he made it a back-to-back sweep of the two major British Columbia 10K runs, which between them comprise two of the three largest 10K races in sa国际传媒.
鈥淭his is fine. I鈥檓 very happy,鈥� said Kimugul, who fought off the wind and his main opponents.
Past two-time each TC 10K champions Kip Kangogo, a landed Canadian immigrant, and fellow Lethbridge-based Kenyan Willy Kimosop, were second and third in 29:48 and 30:02, respectively. Geoff Martinson of Victoria was fourth in 30:17.
鈥淎fter nine kilometres, it was tough and I knew I needed to be kicking [to shake off Kangogo, Kimosop and Martinson],鈥� said Kimugul, the 33-year-old veteran runner from Nairobi.
Jane Murage of Kenya, based in Philadelphia, won the women鈥檚 race in 34:28 ahead of podium-finishing Victorians Catrin Jones (second in 35:21) and Jen Millar (third in 35:46).
鈥淭here was too much wind, but I did it. I鈥檓 happy because I won,鈥� said Murage.
She was simply too much for the field.
鈥淚t was really brutal headwind along the water and there was no one to hide behind,鈥� said runner-up Jones.
鈥淚 was hoping to beat my time from last week [Jones was 10th in the Sun Run in 34:50]. But I can鈥檛 complain about coming second.鈥�
Although blustery along Dallas Road, the sun was out against all the dire pre-race weather forecasts, making for a breathtaking background as the peaks of the appropriately-named Olympic Range in Washington state peeked out above the low-hanging clouds across the strait.
Olympic triathlon champion Simon Whitfield of Victoria, who finished ninth overall in 31:16, summed up the reaction of both locals and off-Island runners.
鈥淭he headwind was truly hard, but it was still spectacular . . . Victoria at its finest,鈥� said Whitfield, gold medallist in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and silver medallist in the 2008 Beijing Summer Games.
鈥淚 ran right by my home. My little girls were out to cheer me on. And other fans were out in their yards cheering, there was music along the course . . . I love racing in Victoria.鈥�
The winners couldn鈥檛 agree more.
鈥淭he water鈥� the city 鈥� was very nice. And the people along the course were cheering and so welcoming,鈥� said Kimugul.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to stay,鈥� he quipped.
Murage said she wants to return, even though she didn鈥檛 feel pushed Sunday in winning the women鈥檚 race.
鈥淭here was no woman out there who could keep my pace,鈥� she said.
鈥淢aybe next time. I want to come back next year. I was so happy with the crowd 鈥� they cheered and that keeps you moving on.鈥�
It was good day for fourth-overall men鈥檚 finisher Martinson, the former multiple CIS national champion with the UVic Vikes, who is a 1,500-metre runner who fell just short of joining the nearly 50 fellow Islanders in the 2012 London Olympics. His transition to the longer road races continues at breakthrough pace, as evidenced by his 2013 Island Race Series championship. But he realized Sunday how much further he needs to improve to challenge the top-end 10K road racers such as Kimugul, Kangogo and Kimosop.
鈥淚 was good until 8K and then I just couldn鈥檛 keep up [with the top-three finishers],鈥� said Martinson.
鈥淭hey have that finishing [kick] and they ran hard today. I ran as hard as I could, but came up a little bit short.鈥�
It was a Victoria sweep in the men鈥檚 masters category with veteran international Jim Finlayson winning in 32:48. Bruce Deacon, the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games marathoner, and Craig Odermatt were second and third, respectively, both in 33:01.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 two weeks in a row,鈥� said Deacon, the 46-year-old, who, like Finlayson and Odermatt, also placed highly in last week鈥檚 Vancouver Sun Run.
鈥淎t this age, that鈥檚 victory.鈥�
Catharine Watkins of Vancouver won the women鈥檚 masters race in 35.49 with Olympians Lisa Harvey of Calgary and Carol Montgomery of North Vancouver second and third in 35:57 and 36:24, respectively.
The official registration count for the 2013 TC 10K was 12,288. Organizers had erroneously informed the media of a 13,288 total Saturday night because of a counting error, but issued the corrected figure Sunday.
Of that total, 11,326 registered for the 10K and 962 for the Thrifty Foods 1.5K Family Run. The total number of finishers was 10,743, the second highest total in the 24-year history of the event.
There was a festive vibe to the day.
鈥淭his is a celebration of fitness,鈥� said Rob Reid, race director of the autumn鈥檚 GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon, which annually bookends the spring鈥檚 TC 10K.
鈥淰ictoria, per capita, has the most active lifestyle of any city in sa国际传媒,鈥� added Reid, who is a sponsor of the TC 10K.
鈥淭hese events are also economic drivers. I鈥檇 like to see this city taken over by all kinds of festivals.鈥�
In Tuesday's print edition of the sa国际传媒: a special supplement about the TC 10K, with results for every runner who finished, top runner rankings, stories and photos.
