On Sunday, March 10, a strong contingent of Comox Valley runners participated in the Westcoast Sooke 10K, the fifth of eight stops in the Vancouver Island Race Series.

Runners were relieved when the skies cleared, and the temperature hovered around 7 C with no wind. Conditions were perfect for racing the challenging out-and-back course that followed the undulating road to Sooke Potholes Provincial Park.

Brandon Vail, running for Speedfarm, had an incredible day coming in first overall in a time of 32:14. The first woman across the line was another Speedfarm runner, Jennifer Erickson, in an amazing time of 36:20.

Logan Roots (Esprit Running Club,) completed the course in fourth place overall with a blistering time of 33:05.

Rob Kelly (Comox Valley Road Runners - CVRR) and Chris Macintyre (Run to Beer Comox Valley) soon followed, pushing each other to the finish in matching times of 39:13. They finished in first and third places in their M60-64 and M50-54 age categories, respectively. Andrea Wilson (CVRR) was the first local woman to finish in a time of 39:59 which placed her second in the F45-49 age category.

Derek Brenchley (CVRR) was on her heels, winning the M65-69 category in 40:28. Kieran Waterous (Run to Beer Comox Valley) matched his time, also finishing in 40:28. Kim Coscia (Run to Beer Comox Valley) won the F25-29 age category with a speedy time of 40:41. Adam Commandeur (Run to Beer Comox Valley) could not quite match her pace, finishing in a respectable 41:49. Simon Jean (Run to Beer Comox Valley) completed the course in 44:13, placing him ninth in the M45-49 category. Paresa McQueen finished with a solid time of 45:54, good for eighth place in the F3034 age group.

Ken Manning (CVRR) placed fourth in the M70-74 age group with a time of 53:03. Cindy Blackmore (CVRR) earned ninth place in the F65-69 category with a time of 1:01:31. Sheila van Gisbergen (CVRR) placed fifth in the F70-74 division with a time of 1:05:39. Other CVRR runners included Brenda Norn (1:05:22) and Leah Vecchione (1:17:49).

Laine Bergen finished the race in 51:47, earning her ninth place in the F40-44 division. Candice Wheeldon finished in sixth place in the F50-54 age group with a time of 54:47. Ryan Tutte finished tenth in the M55-59 division with a time of 56:58.

Quillan Graham finished first in the M-U16 category with a time of 52:04. Kaiden Howells finished second in the same category with a time of 54:18. Other Run to Beer runners included Steven Fournier (47:46); Amanda Bento (49:59); Mark Crisp (54:27).

For more information about upcoming local runs and running events, go to cvrr.ca