Dramatic Finish at BMO Vancouver Marathon
This year’s bmo Vancouver Marathon on May 5 was an organizer’s dream: a fantastic turnout, extraordinary weather and an exciting finish. The 42nd running of the event saw close to 5,000 run the marathon along one of the most beautiful courses in the country. Another 10,000 participated in the half-marathon, which also features nearly constant views of the mountains, beachfront or the parkland, for which Vancouver is so well known. Runners were treated with unseasonably warm and sunny weather for the entire marathon weekend. A quality field in both of the races produced thrilling finishes.
Kenyan Thomas Omwenga became a four-time winner of the event, outsprinting fellow countryman Bernard Onsare after a pensive race under demanding sunny and warm conditions. “We were working as a team, back and forth,” Onsare says of the group that consisted of himself, Omwenga, Gilbert Kiptoo and defending champ Gazahgn Eshetu of Ethiopia. Onsare was resilient, falling off the pace several times and fighting back throughout the hilly mid-section of the course that runs around Pacific Spirit Park and then down along the beach communities.
“The weather was really nice,” Omwenga says as he grinned at the finish line. “I didn’t expect to win. I had some ups and downs in training. My aim was to finish and maybe come in the top three,” the humble Kenyan admits. “This is the most special and surprising win for me.” The top Canadian was Jason Loutitt of Squamish, B.C., in 2:38:32. “Being a local guy, it feels amazing,” the pro ultrarunner said of his finish. Toronto-based Kenyan Lucy Njeri took the women’s race. She seemed impervious to the heat, winning in a solid 2:40:34. “I’m really happy,” she says. “I had planned to run Boston, but had to cancel. Training in Toronto in February was the worst month for me. This course is not forgiving, but it has a lot of beauty.”
Tom Howard, who won the inaugural Vancouver Marathon back in 1972, ran the half-marathon and echoed Njeri’s sentiment. “It’s a course you need to learn to run well.” Howard came down from his home on the North Shore and cruised through a 1:30:02 in a vintage Adidas mesh singlet for first in his age category.
The half-marathon was highly competitive. Kenyan Paul Kimugul edged returning champ Kip Kangogo for the win in 1:04:18, breaking the course record. Geoff Martinson of Prince George, B.C., was the top Canadian, running 1:07:07 for seventh overall. Port Moody, B.C.’s Natasha Fraser (on this month’s cover) won the women’s race in 1:15:17. Fraser created a gap over Dayna Pidhoresky and cruised home to victory.
Olympian Dylan Wykes, the second fastest Canadian all-time at the marathon, had planned on running the half-marathon in Vancouver, but was unable to due to a nagging stress fracture. He told Canadian Running that he hopes to challenge for the Canadian marathon record in the fall, but that his number one priority is getting healthy first.– MD