Gord Kurenoff: Speed thrills in record Steveston Icebreaker with 370 crushing 8K race
Credit to Author: Gord Kurenoff| Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2020 23:03:13 +0000
STEVESTON — Before we offer cong-rats to 8K speed demons Malcolm Hodge and Andrea Lee, and an early Happy Chinese New Year to the other 368 finishers, we need to clarify one thing about Sunday’s Steveston Icebreaker: the stunning lady who thanked me post-race for “breaking wind” was not talking about fartleks, if you know what I mean!
The breeze in the Steveston home stretch, not to be confused with the gales whipped up by the elite 135 racers who crushed the annual 8K in under 40 minutes, was a little bit tricky for the first-time racer so she stayed a few seconds behind my wide carcass, that served both as a windbreaker and proof there is life after endless servings of Christmas turkey, graving and chocolate-coated desserts!
“You are the best for keeping me warm and going,” she said, making it obvious she really is a first-timer!
A record turnout, including many from Surrey and points east who haven’t seen roads without deep snow in more than a week, took part in the Kajaks’ Track and Field Club-hosted event, and nobody went home disappointed (or hungry).
Drew Nicholson of Surrey, a member of the Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club, finished 10th overall on Sunday with an 8K time of 27:52. He was also first overall in the men’s 35-39 age group. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
For that you can thank the 11th-hour scrambling by race director Jared Hulme and his terrific volunteers who shoveled snow, salted roads and changed the championship course for safety reasons all day Saturday, making it even better in the process.
“Pretty stoked about the turnout and how things went today,” said Hulme inside the Steveston Community Centre, where runners filled up on soup, pizza, cookies, cake and beverages during a post-race celebration. “The kids had a blast (in the 8:30 a.m. New Balance 1K Kidsrun) and the weather cooperated for the main event, so it’s all good. Great and fast way to start the year.”
• FOR SUNDAY’S STARTLINE TIMING RESULTS, click HERE
Speaking of great and fast, Malcom Hodge of Richmond won the 8K in a blazing 24:45, five seconds ahead of Vancouver’s Joshua Potvin. Chris Taylor of Vancouver was third in 25:16. Andrea Lee of North Vancouver was the top woman in an impressive 28:34, edging Sidney Swierenga of Vancouver by two seconds. Sabrina Wilkie of Surrey was third in 28:38.
The Steveston Icebreaker 8K and New Balance Kidsrun 1K had a record turnout and a few photo finishes — before and after Sunday’s race! (Gord Kurenoff photo)
If you’re a non-runner, trust me when I say “wow!” is a huge understatement for these finishing times given the weather challenges for training outside this month. It seemed every age division, including 75-79, had a speed demon. And this is January when times are usually a bit slower.
The Icebreaker is the first event of the 2020 10-leg Lifestages Lower Mainland Road Race Series, and second event of the 12-race B.C. Super Series, which includes the Vancouver Sun Run 10K, scheduled this year for Sunday, April 19.
A few other fun notes from Sunday and some upcoming runs:
Debra Kato was passing out delicious cookies and Year of the Rat wishes to this blogger before Sunday’s Steveston Icebreaker 8K.
Camera-totting Debra Kato started the fun morning by offering this scribe a happy Year of the Rat! Because I was coffee-free and working on three hour’s sleep, it took me much longer than usual to put Chinese New Year and Year of the Rat together. Duh!
She also handed over a big box of cookies to mark the occasion. Like to say she shouldn’t have, but I’d be lying. And some of the cookies made the trip home, where their chances of survival past tomorrow aren’t very good.
What’s funny is that my awesome running coach, Sandra Jongs Sayer, is a baker and has done a super job dragging my butt out for cold and wet training runs this month — and keeping my focus on LSD conditioning and off cookies.
Sayer, who will be running the Everett Half-Marathon on Sunday, March 29, has been helping yours truly get ready for the Rock ‘N’ Roll New Orleans Half Marathon (Sunday, Feb. 9 in the Big Easy) and except for the Icebreaker we have not had a warm or dry day to train in snow-covered Langley.
Fun on the Run blogger Gord Kurenoff, left, with Forever Young Club members Grace and John Moran, and Joan Young, right.
The Richmond-based Forever Young Club, which hosts its annual 8K every September for those 55 and older, had a number of participants and volunteers in the Icebreaker.
Akram Khan, who took most of the year off in 2019 after putting together an impressive undefeated streak in his over 70 age group, was back racing on Sunday and ran the 8K in 48:44, good enough for third place in the 75-79 age group.
FYC co-founder Joan Young was third in her 70-74 age class in 54:51, while John and Grace Moran both finished in 50:38. Grace was second in her 70-74 age group, while John was fourth in the men’s 75-79 group.
The Resolution Race, held on New Year’s Day in Surrey’s sunny Crescent Park, was the first of three races in PEN RUN’s popular Fraser Valley Trail Rune Series. Next up is Aldergrove. (PEN RUN photo)
While last week’s snowfall in Aldergrove was nothing compared to eastern Newfoundland, the small Fraser Valley community was still a major dumping ground for the winter white stuff.
That fact should make this Sunday’s Aldergrove Ramble 4.8K and 8K trail races “extra fun” as Phil Ellis would say.
The second leg of PEN RUN’s three-event Fraser Valley Trail Run Series is scheduled for Aldergrove Regional Park on a course more challenging than the series-opening Resolution Race held on New Year’s Day in Surrey’s sunny Crescent Park.
According to event organizers Paul Williams and Phil Ellis, the Aldergrove trek this weekend features “lots of rolling hills and great scenery to get you tuned up for the 2020 Vancouver Sun Run!”
Both Williams and Ellis, past winners of the 10K Sun Run before they became embellishers of weather conditions (smile), are known to use the word “scenery” instead of “nearly impossible uphill monster climbs!”
To register for this Sunday’s fun Ramble, or the Fort-2-Fort 5- and 10-Miler on Sunday, Feb. 23 in Fort Langley, click HERE.
Gord Kurenoff, right, is signed up for the Hypo Half 10-miler on Feb. 1, and began training for that on Sunday with his 8K friends, from the left, Sandra Jongs Sayer, Glenn Rideout, Soraya Spier and Jim Hinze. (Lisa Kurenoff photo)
Steve Mattina, the busy B.C. Regional Manager for Running Room Canada, had me at “delicious brunch.”
Mattina, who plays a big role in pumping the tires for such epic events as the St. Patrick’s Day 5K in Stanley Park (this year on Saturday, March 14) and the Run for Women at UBC (this year on Saturday, May 9), asked if I wanted a neat medal and tasty meal to begin the month of February.
The catch? This scribe just has to run either the 10-mile event or the half marathon in the Vancouver Hypo Half on Feb. 1. So, a sucker for punishment I agreed to the 10-miler. Did I mention the post-race brunch?
The runs start at Mahoney and Sons Restaurant (601 Stamps Landing). The new course follows the False Creek Seawall to Stanley Park with a loop of Lost Lagoon, Devonian Harbour Park and then returning on the seawall the same way back to the finish.
For more information and to enter, click HERE.
By the way, the Abbotsford Hypo Half goes Sunday, Jan. 26; the Victoria Hypo Half is Feb. 16, and the Kelowna Hypo Half is Feb. 22.
Margaret Buttner of the Lions Gate Road Runners had a personal best 1:03:47 in Sunday’s Icebreaker 8K, while blogger and road warrior Bradley Cuzen of North Van ran a comfortable 42:34. (Gord Kurenoff photo)
TRY EVENTS will launch its 10-race 2020 season this Sunday, Jan. 26 with the popular Lookout Society Chilly Chase starting behind Creekside Community Centre in False Creek.
There will be a half marathon, 15K, 10K and 5K races, with the half starting at 9 a.m., followed by the other three events.
Runners will receive finisher’s medals, souvenir socks and post-race snacks.
The second event in the series is the popular Langley Hospice Society Fort Langley Historic Half, set for Sunday, Feb. 16. Events offered there include a kids’ run, half marathon, 10K and 5K.
For more information on the series and to enter events click HERE.
The Lululemon SeaWheeze half marathon will be held in Vancouver on Saturday, Aug. 15 and will attract more than 10,000 runners for the 21.1K race. (SeaWheeze photo)
The Lululemon SeaWheeze half marathon is returning to Vancouver in August and registration for the popular race opens this Wednesday (Jan. 22).
Viviana Varela, the Canadian PR manager for Lululemon and the 21.1K race, says this year’s SeaWheeze will be held Saturday, Aug. 15.
“SeaWheeze isn’t your average half marathon. In fact, it may just be the most breathtakingly beautiful and ridiculously fun half marathon in the world. More than 10,000 runners descend on Vancouver to sweat it out over a weekend of running, yoga and, of course, one hell of an awesome party,” said Varela.
Entry opens on Wednesday at 10 a.m. for the group random non-guaranteed draw, and Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. for the single random non-guaranteed draw.
Stay tuned for more details later in the week!
Gotta run …