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Peach City Marathon
May 22, 2005
Race Report by Bob Dolphin
It is always a treat to run the Peach City Marathon at Penticton, BC. Usually the event is scheduled on the same weekend as the Capital City Marathon at Olympia, WA, where I have a 20 year string going. However, this year, as in 2004, the two marathons were a week apart with Capital City on May 15, 2005, and Peach City on May 22nd.
Lenore and I were privileged to have two friends, Roger Biggs and Jack Brooks from the United Kingdom, as traveling companions to Penticton, followed by a trip to Craig, Alaska, for the Prince of Wales Marathon the next weekend.
At packet pickup we saw volunteer Jean King from Penticton. On race day she's the spotter for her husband Steve King, a renowned announcer for this marathon and the Victoria and Vancouver Marathons. He's known as "The Voice of the Ironman, " the Canada Ironman competition that is held in Penticton each year.
We spotted someone wearing a 2006 Yakima River Canyon Marathon volunteer T-shirt. It was Ed Ridenour from Spokane who had accompanied his megamarathoner wife Connie. Because she needed to fulfill a requirement for her Western States 100 Mile Endurance participation, they had been volunteers at our YRCM on April 2nd.
As we arrived at Penticton the day before the race, it was windy. Surely, the wind would calm down before the next day! (It did not.)
After a restful night at the Empire Motel, our favorite place to stay on the marathon circuit, we found a parking spot near the starting line in downtown Penticton. In the hour before the 7:15 a.m. start, we visited with American and Canadian friends. These runners are listed in the partial results.
The race started on Main Street after Steve King made some announcements and provided the countdown. We ran south toward Skaha Lake and then ran beside it into a 10-20 mph headwind. I ran conservatively, walking the hills and through the aid stations knowing that the turnaround to exchange a headwind for a tailwind wouldn't be reached until the halfway mark. I made it to that point and enjoyed running with the wind on a few downhills.
At the 16-18 mile hill there was a surprise waiting, the 20 mph headwind had returned! From mile 18-21 there was a gentle downhill through forest and farmland that was pleasant, especially because there was only a minor tailwind. I was on the lakeshore again and could see Skaha Lake Park five miles away where the finish line was located. Because my running legs quit working then, I had to switch to walking.
In the second half of the race I didn't see another runner in front of me or behind me for miles. However, in the 23rd mile my good friend Al Homenchuk, 73, of Burnaby, BC, and Philippa Keys, 45-49, of Vancouver, BC, passed me as they ran together. They finished in a time of 5:44:57, and I came in next with a 5:46:44. I was the 143rd finisher out of 144 and the third male in the 70+ division. In my age group Lorne Smith of Okanagan Falls, BC, was first with a 4:13:43, and Al was second.
Congratulations to Mae Palm, 65, of Garibaldi Highlands, BC, for establishing a new course record for the 65-69F division with a 4:13:54. And congratulations to Mike Bertacco, 40+, of Penticton for completing his first marathon in a time of 5:05:31.
Sergio Pio, 40+, of Penticton won a close race with a 2:45:40. Doug Alward, 45+, of Port Coquitlam, BC, was only six seconds behind him with a 2:45:46. There were no newspaper reports on how their race played out.
Roger Biggs, 56, and Jack Brooks, 53, from the U.K. came from the farthest distance to run the Peach City Marathon. Roger (from Stevenage) ran his 337th marathon at Penticton, his 8th in that many weeks. He has a previous streak of 33 consecutive weekend marathons.
He's working at completing a marathon in all 50 states and DC, with a total of 32 so far.
He also has run a marathon in 32 countries and plans to run one on all seven continents in 2005. So far, his total is four, including Antarctica. In the past 12 months he has run a total of 43 marathons! He's a true Marathon Maniac, the only European member of the notorious Marathon Maniac Club.
When I first met Jack Brooks of St. Albans on November 17, 2001, at Tulsa, Oklahoma, he had run 80+ marathons and had a desire to become a member of the 100 Marathon Club soon. It didn't take him long to reach this goal. The Peach City Marathon was his 131st.
He belongs to two 100 Marathon Clubs, UK and North America. Like Roger, he would add British Columbia and Alaska to his Canadian province and U.S. state lists while on their 11-day visit to North America. In 14 years he has run a marathon in 22 countries, 24 states and two provinces.
Our thanks go to the race director, his staff and the volunteers for putting on a quality marathon. Nice finishing medals were given to all finishers, and similar colored medals went to the top three age division finishers. Brooks Shoes Canada, the principal sponsor, provided large, red, well-constructed athletic bags to all marathon and half marathon participants. As the oldest runner in the race, I was given a classy Peach City Marathon jacket at the awards ceremony.
It had been another great marathon weekend at one of our very favorite places in the world!
Written by Bob Dolphin
Partial Results - Peach City Marathon, May 22, 2005
2:45:40 Sergio Pio, 40-44, Penticton, BC, 1st in Age Group
2:45:46 Doug Alward, 45-49, Port Coquitlam, BC, 1st
2:50:58 Jeremy Peressini, 25-29, Calgary, AB, 1st
3:23:01 Danita Schreiber, 40-44, Kelowna. BC. 1st
3:24:40 Jordan McAmmand, 25-29, Seattle, WA, 1st
3:30:04 Colleen Stasiuk, 40-44, St. Albert, AB, 2nd
3:38:39 Connie Ridenour, 45-49, Spokane, WA, 2nd
3:48:49 Arthur (Jack) Brooks, 53, St. Albans, UK,
3:52:24 Bill Voiland, 55-59, Spokane, WA, 3rd
3:52:58 Roger Biggs, 56, Stevenage, UK
3:53:31 Janet Green, 50-54, Courtenay, BC, 2nd
4:06:53 Jon Mahoney, 50-54, Vernon, BC
4:13:43 Lorne Smith, 70+, Okanagan Falls, BC, 1st
4:13:54 Mae Palm, 65, Garibaldi Highlands, BC, 1st
4:43:41 Steven Yee, 45-49, Renton, WA
4:56:05 Sue Fauerbach, 55-59, Renton, WA, 1st
5:05:31 Michael Bertacco, 40-44, Penticton, BC
5:44:57 Albert Homenchuk, 73, Burnaby, BC, 2nd
5:44:57 Philippa Keys, Vancouver, BC
5:46:44 Bob Dolphin, 75, Renton, WA, 3rd
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