The skies were balmy. The road was fast and dry. The temperature was running-perfect. Nearly 200 runners streamed down Fifth Street ahead of the parade in their reds and whites as part of the annual Canada Day 5th Street Mile road race, organized by the Comox Valley Road Runners.
Scott Commandeur led the pack in the one-mile-long course to finish in 4:20. Close behind was Robin Poirier who ran barefoot, Andrew Howard, Steven Griffith-Cochrane, Vince Brotherston, Connor Buchanan, Noah Lewis, Torin Halverson, Paul Forgues, and Patrick Montgomery, all finishing under five minutes. Leading the women, Joanna Williams finished 16th overall in a time of 5:27.
Top three age category finishers were:
Over 20 males: Robin Poirier 4:24; Andrew Howard 4:27; Steven Griffith-Cochrane 4:30
Over 20 females: Marion Bryan 5:47; Cheryl Glennie 6:51; Audrey Causse 7:26
15-19 males: Scott Commandeur 4:20; Connor Buchanan 4:49; Noah Lewis 4:52
15-19 females: Savannah Glennie 6:46; Frances Theron 7:16; Jill Lambeth 7:41
10-14 males: Torin Halverson 4:54; Cole Moore 5:34; Matthew Salmon 5:43
10-14 females: Joanna Williams 5:27; Chloe Gummer 5:45; Emily Keyes 5:47
0-9 males: Coady Frisch 5:59; Joshua Kalhous 6:14; Luke Yeo 6:39
0-9 females: Molly Keyes 6:03; Jamie Grinder 6:52; Kassandra Dishlevoy 7:01
"The Comox Valley Road Runners wishes to thank event sponsors including the City of Courtenay and the July 1st Committee, the Comox Valley Cycling Club, Extreme Runners , Jim Smiley at ReMax/Ocean Pacific Realty, Quality Foods, and Thrifty Foods," a CVRR spokesperson said.
The next local road race is the Nautical Days 4-Miler on BC Day (Aug. 1) in Comox. Go to cvrr.ca for more info. A list of all runners who completed the 5th Street Mile, in the order they finished, can be seen on the CVRR website.
– Comox Valley Road Runners