Baby power drives Balogh to Labour Day glory
Years from now, when 20-monthold Olivia Balogh is old enough to run the Labour Day Classic by herself, she’ll be able to tell her friends about the times she beat her fleet-footed mother Shar across the finish line. It happened again Sunday at Canada Games Plaza, where Olivia sat in the comfort of her baby stroller while Shar did all the work, running the 8.5-mile course fast enough to win the women’s race in 58 minutes 56 seconds. They were a minute faster than last year, when they also romped into the winner’s circle.
“Olivia’s been training hard,” quipped Shar. “I kept trying to catch her but she kept being about a foot ahead of me. These strollers are amazing, they really don’t slow you down much. The wind was a little tough with the chariot but other than that it was great.”
Carley Billups (1:05:22) and Jessica Seely of Vanderhoof (1:07:38) were second and third respectively in the women’s 8.5-mile event
Overnight rain left the course cool but it was dry, with a start temperature of 10 C on a sunny, but breezy, morning. The 45th annual event drew 77 adult runners and about 35 kids, who raced the one km course at Canada Games Plaza.
Shar is a two-time winner of the 17-mile Labour Day race but says she prefers the one-lap 8.5-mile course.
“I really like the 8.5-mile, it’s easier to train for and you can push really hard,” she said.
Shar’s husband Dennis Balogh also raced Sunday in the five km event, finishing fourth overall in 20:53. Shar and Dennis are both entered in the Victoria Half-Marathon in October. Olivia will be on the sidelines cheering them on in that race.
Jim Van Bakel, won the men’s 17-mile race, his fourth Labour Day win in seven years. Van Bakel, 44, crossed the line two minutes ahead of Andy Wan, who just moved to Prince George in July from Vancouver to take a position as a UNBC math professor.
“It was good, I thought it was going to be rainy the whole day by the way the forecast looked so it was nice seeing some sunshine,” said Van Bakel. “(Wan) and I ran together most of the first lap and he kept the pressure on the entire second lap, which I wasn’t expecting, and that forced me to push a little harder.
“It’s fun, it’s such a cool event, it’s got so much history and this is the one I always like to make if I can,” he said.
Richard Harrison, 61, of Smithers who started racing the Labour Day run in 1981 and has won the 17-mile distance nine times, cruised to a third-place overall finish in 2:11:38.
Matija Tiani took top honours in the women’s 17-mile race in 2:25:27. Robin Levant (2:34:3) was second and Sarah Gagnon (2:37:08) was third.
Zach Matyas, 21, was the male 8.5-mile winner, stopping the clock in 48:30, five minutes ahead of 50-59-yearold masters runner Brian Nemethy of Vanderhoof (53:23) and third-place Dale Huzar (57:22).
Matyas had never run the 8.5 mile (13.7 kilometre) course, having most recently raced the five km event in 2016.
He’s following a trail set by his father Steve, who posted several podium finishes in the Labour Day run and is a previous winner of the 17-mile event. Zach started with the kids race when he was seven and kept up the family tradition, finishing the five km course several times.
“This is my first year stepping up to the 8.5 (mile race) and I was hoping for under 50 (minutes),” said Matyas, who runs about 120 km per week in training.
The Duchess Park secondary school graduate and Prince George Track and Field Club member had success at the provincial level and was an 800-metre national qualifier for the 2016 Olympic trials.
He works with Shar Balogh and Van Bakel at Stride & Glide Sports and a visit to the store by a sales rep from Brooks Running led to a sponsorship that keeps Matyas running in new shoes. He goes through a new pair every three months.
“That (sponsorship) gave me a kick in the butt, it’s awesome,” he said.
In the five km category, Brynn Witwicki captured the women’s title in 24:01, followed by Madison Seely (25:00) and Alexis Seely (26:19), both of Vanderhoof. Nolan Williamson won the men’s race in 19:29, ahead of Martin Williamson of Vanderhoof (19:56) and Mike Webber (20:33).
The 8.5-mile race ended with an ambulance ride for 17-year-old Jordan Bax.
He had the finish line in site, about 50 metres away when he collapsed on the concrete, having suffered lightheadedness and confusion over the last couple of kilometres.
Observers saw him running in a zig-zag motion before he went down and he was rushed to hospital.
These strollers are amazing, they really don’t slow you down much. The wind was a little tough with the chariot but other than that it was great.
— Shar Balogh