Comox Valley Road Runners flew the Canadian flag with pride at the recent Big Sur International Marathon in California.
Described by organizers as "a race on the ragged edge of the western world," this is one of the most difficult marathons that exist. The Big Sur Marathon is 26.2 miles of some of the most beautiful coastline in the world, and, for runners, the most challenging. The athletes who participate in the Big Sur International Marathon may draw inspiration from the spectacular views, but it takes major discipline to conquer the hills of Highway One on the way to the finish line.
To add to the difficulty, this year, the racers were faced with gale force headwinds for a large part of the course. There are so many highlights including the beat of the Taiko Drums energizing runners for the two-mile climb to the summit of Hurricane Ridge.
As they race down the steep slopes on the other side of the ridge the participants are greeted by beautiful and mystical notes from young virtuoso Michael Martinez playing a grand piano while they traverse the famous Bixby bridge crossing the deep chasm below. The course continues to wind its way up and down the the relentless hills of the rugged California coastline before finishing in the tiny, magical, artists' village of Carmel.
Remarkably, two CVRR runners finished on the podium at Big Sur this year, showing the strength of the local running scene. Local champion Roz Smith continued her winning ways coming home the winner of the W60-64 division in a time of 3:49:34.
Wayne Crowe (Extreme Runners/Asics) finished second in the M55-59 age group and an impressive 40th overall out of almost 3,400 finishers, with a time of 3:04:56. "Also impressive was the fact that in the age graded rankings, where finishing times are prorated according to age, Roz placed an amazing third overall and Wayne was eighth," a CVRR spokesperson said.
This past weekend, a number of Comox Valley Road Runners ran the new course for the BMO Vancouver Marathon. Veteran Janet Green said that she really liked the new point-to-point course, having recently run two other "Big City" point-to-point marathons, Boston and London. The course is flatter and faster, it runs through neighbourhoods and along the seawall.
Andrea Praeger had a great day in Vancouver and also loved the new course, especially in the sunny spring weather. At least three Comox Valley Road Runners members joined the 5,251 other marathoners for the "iconic" 42.2 km race to the finish:
Danny Keyes (M50-54) 3:19:38; Andrea Praeger (F35-39) 3:26:57; Angelica Lauzon (F20- 24) 4:18:10.
Watch for more upcoming CVRR news as the race season gets into full gear.
– Comox Valley Road Runners