The longest running foot race in B.C. was held in Comox on BC Day prior to the Nautical Days parade.
The four-mile distance attracted young and old for this fun race in downtown Comox. One hundred and eleven racers completed the course in well under an hour. Victoria racer Craig Odermatt had the fastest time of the day in 21 minutes flat followed quickly in second place by Comox Valley Road Runner Neil Holm (21:27) and barefoot runner Robin Poirier in 3rd place (21:36).
Melissa Ross of Parksville had an excellent race in 22:44 with CVRR runner Andrea Prager 27:17 and coach Kathy Rung 27:32 in 2nd and 3rd place women overall. The 13-19 year old category in both male and females were well represented with Dominic Nadeau (22:11) leading the M13-19 followed by Scott Commander (22:43) close on his heels and Connor Buchanan in 3rd place (23:55).
Emily Keyes (30:56) lead the F13-19 category with Kylie Adebar (31:04) closely behind and Claudia De Muylder (32:58) in 3rd place. For full results of the 43rd running of the Nautical Days 4-Miler see the Comox Valley Road Runners website at www.cvrr.ca.
The next race of interest to young runners and new young runners is the Comox Valley Exhibition Track and Trail Kids Fun Run on Saturday, Aug. 25 at the Exhibition Grounds.
This one of a kind, running event is a great way to introduce young runner to the adventure of trail running. Catering to kids of all ages, this run has three different age categories and three different distances. The Marshmallows (0-5) run on the Exhibition’s 500m horse track. The Chicklets (6-9) run a 1km loop through the nearby wooded trails and the Truffles (10 and up) run a 1.5km loop also in the trails and along the river.
Day-of registration is from 9 to 9:45 a.m. at the Dove Creek entrance to the fairgrounds. Race start is 10 a.m. and awards are at 11 a,m.
– Comox Valley Road Runners