Parkrun celebrates its 100th run
Two years ago, local runner Bill Justus brought Parkrun to Kelowna. Parkrun is an organization that puts on 5K runs every Saturday morning in cities all over the world. Because of Justus’s efforts, Kelowna became one of the first cities in Canada to join the Parkrun movement.
These free 5K runs have been a great success and Justus gets dozens of runners out every Saturday at the Rec Center.
Last Saturday was a special day for the Kelowna event as it celebrated its 100th run. Since that first Kelowna run two years ago, Parkrun has expanded to many more cities in B.C. and the rest of Canada.
Justus deserves a lot of credit for all the work he has done, and continues to do with Parkrun. I know he gets a lot of pleasure out of seeing the amazing changes that running has brought to many of his participants’ lives. They lose weight, become healthier and find a new zest for life.
For more information on Parkrun, go to parkrun.ca.
The Wine Country Half Marathon was held in Kelowna on June 23. I consider this run a fun event, rather than a pure race.
It attracts people from all over B.C. and even from the USA as it is the only Wine Country Half Marathon run that is held in Canada. Other Wine Country Runs are the Santa Barbara Wine Country Half, Virginia Wine Country Half, Napa To Sonoma Wine Country Half, Oregon Wine Country Half, and Healdsburg Wine Country Half.
The philosophy of these events is summed up on their info page as follows: “We pride ourselves in designing some of the most scenic 13.1-mile point-to-point road courses in the world. Each is unique in its characteristics but all wind through the back roads of popular wine regions and finish with our trademark Wine & Music Festival.”
Although most of the serious racers in the Valley do not run in this event, some of Kelowna’s best runners do enter as it is convenient, and always fun, to run in your own hometown.
I am constantly amazed with these types of events, that so many people who pay the entry fee (which is not cheap!) do not show up on race day. This year, there were 300 paid entries but only 140 ran the race!
First across the finish line was Kelowna’s Zach Jackman (M20-24), while Vernon’s Sally Stewart (F50-54) was second overall among the women. Local runners who ran well include: Cory Krist (M35-39, 2nd overall), Chuck Abney (1st M60-64), Eric Harden (1st M65-69), Garry Bell (2nd M70+), Carolyn Hawes (1st F55-59) and David Russell (1st M45-49).
The Boucherie Grind, a short-but-tough trail race to the top of Boucherie Mountain, was held on June 24. There were three distances for runners to choose from — 3.42K, 6.5K and 9.2K. The 6.5K distance was the most popular with only a very few runners challenging the 9.2K course. Results at zone4.ca/race/2018-06-24/a6d8cd24/results.
The annual Peachland Beach Run was held on Canada Day and attracted a total of 88 runners — 55 women and 33 men.
Peachland’s Cameron Berlie (M20-29) was the men’s winner.
CYCLING
The Ron Hayman Classic bike race for junior cyclists was recently held in Penticton. This event was one of several races in deciding which riders would represent B.C. at the National Road Race Championships in Quebec.
Kelowna’s Jacob Rubuliak dominated the event with first-place finishes in the time trial, the road race and the criterium, and a second place in the hill climb.
Kelowna rider Baili Guidi also had an impressive event, coming fifth overall in the GC (the General Category is the combined result of all four races).
Four Kelowna junior riders were chosen to represent B.C. at nationals, with Conor Martin and Jaxon Slaney joining Rubuliak and Guidi.
They all did well in Quebec, with Martin and Rubuliak finishing second and third in the time trial, and Guidi finishing 10th. In the road race, Martin took fourth place and Rubuliak was 10th.
In the senior division at nationals, Jordan Cheyne represented B.C. and Kelowna. Cheyne’s best event was the time trial where he finished in sixth place out of 65 of the best riders in Canada.
Cheyne has been very busy recently. After pulling his Elevate-KHS teammate to a sprint-finish win at the Armed Forces Cycling Classic in Washington, D.C., Cheyne went on to join the Canadian team in the Tour de Beauce and was a major force in propelling an overall victory in the most important UCI bike race in Canada!
Cheyne is also a gifted writer and his columns are a must-read for any cycling enthusiast. His column can be found at zwiftinsider.com/june-racing-1/ for the first part and change the 1 to a 2 to read the second part. Here is a taste: “This year, however, featured another unusual addition as I found myself on the Elevate-KHS roster for the National Criterium Calendar’s Armed Forces Cycling Classic in Washington, featuring a pair of the year’s most hard-fought criterium races. The combination of these events made for a heavy and diverse slate of racing that would turn out to be the most successful two-week period in my cycling career.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Fresh Air Mid-Summer 8K running race, the seventh race in the Canadian Tire Road Race Series will take place in Kelowna on July 8. Immediately following the 8K, the first YMCA-Fresh Air Strong Kids Race will be held. Be sure to bring your kids or grandkids, from 2-12 years old, to this popular and fun event. You can sign them up on race day. The 8K begins at 8 a.m. at Gyro park, and the Strong Kids run will start about 45 minutes later.
I am a glutton for punishment I guess, as I just signed up again for the L’Alp de Grand Blanc on July 22. This is the bike race that goes from East Kelowna to the top of Big White. It is, in my opinion, the hardest ride of the year! Only 60 kilometres but most of those are uphill.
For a slightly easier ride, the Rotary Ride will take place in Vernon that same day with all proceeds to the Okanagan Rail trail.