The Comox Valley Road Runners started 2012 the way they left off 2011. Twenty four racers travelled to West Saanich for the first race of the Vancouver Island Race Series, the Pioneer 8K.
Strong peformances by the entire team has CVRR already entrenched in second place for the overall team competition. Neil Holm (Extreme Runners/Adidas) was the first Road Runner to cross the line, 14th overall and first in the M4549 age group in a time of 27:02. First CVRR female was Shauna Connaughton in her very first race under the CVRR banner. She had an excellent race, finishing seventh in the F2529 group in a time of 33:59.
Wayne Crowe (Extreme Runners/Asics) first M5559 in 30:16 and Diane Palmason first F7074 in 47:16 also won their age groups. Other medalists included Vince Brotherston second M4549, Angela Plamondon third F4549, Roz Smith second F6064, and Emily Keyes third F015.
The next race in the Island Series is the Cobble Hill 10K on Jan. 22. There will be a race every two weeks including the Comox Valley Half Marathon, the highlight of the series, on March 22. For a full list of Pioneer 8K finishers go to the CVRR website at www.cvrr.ca.
– Comox Valley Road Runners