The Comox Valley Road Runners were well represented by a small but elite contingent at the Scotiabank Half Marathon last month in Vancouver. Beautiful weather made fast times possible, but this is always a challenging course and requires runners to bring their best. The race starts at UBC, and follows Marine Drive to Spanish Banks and along the beaches before crossing the Burrard Street Bridge and finishing at Stanley Park. This makes for a rolling course with a surprising amount of climbing.
The locals were led by Rob Kelly, who finished in 1:28 to place third in his category. Next up was Danny Keyes, who finished in 1:29 to earn a fifth-place finish in his category. Wayne Crowe also ran well to finish in 1:30, winning his age group. For full results, visit sportstats.ca
Summer also means that trail running season is here. The Island Trail Running Series is in full swing. The Westwood Lake trail race in Nanaimo took place recently, with a number of locals competing. The race included a 17k Gutbuster course and a 10k Sport course.
In the Gutbuster event, Sarah Seads led the local runners. She finished in 1:41 to win her age group and placed second among all women. Next was Bruce Grant, who also won his age group in 1:45. John Wall also ran well to finish in 2:04. He was followed by Steve Blacklock in 2:13.
In the Sport course, local runners also fared well. Ron Crowther placed third in his category, as did Andrea Gilfillan and Jennifer Gibson. Patti Wells placed second. And Tara Sedar won her category. Full results are available at racedaytiming.ca
The next local running event is the Nautical Days 4 Miler. The run takes place Aug. 6. This will be the 49th consecutive year of the event. The route is slightly modified from past years, but the start is still at the Comox Town Hall. Registration opens at 8 a.m. The run begins at 9 a.m. For more information, visit cvrr.ca