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Royal Victoria Marathon
October 13, 2002
Race Report by Bob Dolphin
As far as I know, the only runners who count their completed racing events
are marathoners and ultramarathoners. At least, I have never heard anyone
tell how many 10K's they have run in their careers. I suppose it is due
to the mystique adventure and difficulty of the long distance endurance
races that accounts for this. At any rate, I have always counted
mine....lumping marathons and ultramarathons together.
My first marathon was at a former hometown, Columbia, Missouri. It was
the Heart of America Marathon on September 1, 1981. Ten years later
almost to the day on September 2, 1991, I returned to Columbia to run my
first century run. The second hundred came at London, England, on April
13, 1997, as Mike Dutton and I ran the London Marathon side by side. As
special as these were, they did not measure up to my 300th marathon run at
the Royal Victoria Marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, on October 13,
2002. This is a favorite race of mine where the runners truly receive
royal treatment as they run in a beautiful city.
Race director, Rob Reid, and his committee knew of this special milestone
and made the weekend the highlight of my running career. When Lenore and
I saw Rob at the West Coast Expo in the Victoria Conference Centre, he
immediately announced that I had arrived and would be running my 300th
marathon. He invited runners to speak to me, and a number of them did so.
A staff member then brought me my bib #300 from the race packet pickup
area.
Next we stopped at Richard Hunt's booth to visit with his wife Sandra and
to admire the design that Richard portrayed for the official shirts,
sweatshirts, finisher's medals and awards. The design was of a kingfisher
diving vertically and capturing a fish. As usual, the official
sweatshirts for the marathoners are unique and classy.
Before we left the Centre, we listened to Joe Henderson's informative and
stimulating presentatin on the marathon experience. Joe is the West Coast
editor of Runner's World Magazine, has authored 22 books on
running.....including a Running Encyclopedia that he co-authored with
Marathon and Beyond editor, Richard Benyo. He also teaches a "Running"
class at the University of Oregon at Eugene. Some of his students
completed their first marathon the previous week at the Portland
Marathon.....to Joe's credit. At the conclusion of the seminar, I was
pleased that Joe introduced me to the audience with a positive commentary
about my marathoning. He also introduced Diane Palmeson of Blaine, WA.
This remarkable person is in her 60's and has a great athletic record in
track and distances up to the marathon length.
Steve King, the start/finish line announcer for the Sunday events, was the
emcee for the superb Carbo Gala dinner at the Harbour Towers Hotel.
Because of his introduction and comments about my marathoning, I had some
interesting conversations about running afterwards.
The marathon, half marathon, 8K run and lK Kids' Fun Run all went well.
The skies were clear, the winds were light, and the air temperature was in
the 50's and 60's. Of the 8,000 participants, there were about 3,000 in
the marathon. With two out-and-back sections on the course, runners were
able to see most of the field.....including the fast moving front-runners.
Trevor Jordan, 35+, won with a time of 2:35:07....followed closely by Jay
Barberie, 30+, with a 2:35:36. We were pleased to see that Tom St. Clair,
35+, of Yakima, WA, finished third in 2:36:50. Past winner, Kelvin Broad,
40+, was fourth overall and the first in the master division with a time
of 2:37:43.
The women's race was won by Krystyna Pieczulis, 35+, in a time of 2:47:11.
Not far behind was Joan Grath, 40+, who ran a 2:48:15. She was followed
by Cindy Rhodes, 45+, who had a 2:56:51. Congratulations to Marlene
Farrell, 25+, of Snoqualmie Pass, WA, who ran a personal record of
3:00:24. Marlene had broken the course record for women at the YAKIMA
RIVER CANYON MARATHON on April 6, 2002.
My race went well. I enjoyed the cool temperatures and the maritime views
of a lighthouse on a distant island, tankers and smaller boats, gulls
crowded on an islet coloring it white, bull kelp buds, and rocky reefs.
At 10 miles, I was on a nine minute pace. At the halfway point, I was
just under two hours, so I assumed that I might run a 4:10 marathon.
However, I finished with a 4:05:31 (1,298th of 2,583)....my best time in a
year and a half. I felt fine!
Steve King announced my name and my 300 marathon count. Race director Rob
Reid placed the finisher's medal around my neck as a committee member
unplugged the champagne they had provided for this special occasion. What
royal treatment!
At the awards ceremony I was called to the stage by emcee Rod McCrimmon.
His introduction resulted in a standing ovation. Then the race director
presented me with a New Balance backpack, an official sweatshirt, and a
waiver of entry fees for future marathons and associated races. This was
great....but it wasn't over yet!
In the 70+ male division I was given a nice, blue glass award with the
kingfisher logo and a floral bouquet for finishing first of five in my
group. Then I was presented my "300" pin from the 100 Marathon Club North
America.
MANY THANKS to Rob Reid, Evan Fagan, Rod McCrimmon, Bryan Schurbach, Mia
Crouch, Joe Henderson, Steve King, Jim Campbell, and others who made this
weekend so memorable. Special thanks go to Lenore Dolphin and Jim
Alexander for providing the T-shirts celebrating the running of my 300th
marathon.....and to all of my running buddies who came to Victoria to be
on hand for this occasion.
Written by Bob Dolphin
Partial Race Results
2:36:50 Tom St. Clair, 35-39, Yakima, WA, 2nd in division
3:00:24 Marlene Farrell, 25-29, Snoqualmie Pass, WA, 1st
3:01:06 Jeff Giesbrecht, 30-34, Vancouver, BC
3:15:46 Michael Wakabayashi, 50-54, Spokane, WA
3:16:28 Kevin Farrell, 25-29, Snoqualmie Pass, WA
3:27:06 Michael Dutton, 30-34, Bellingham, WA
3:27:23 Pete Hansen, 45-49 Blaine, WA
3:30:30 Herb Allen, 60-64, Bainbridge Island, WA, 4th
3:35:13 Greg Judge, 50-54, Des Moines, WA
3:41:48 Bill Schnitzler, 55-59, Calgary, Alberta
3:52:24 Davey Jones, 55-59, Seattle, WA
3:54:25 Jim Scheer, 60-64, Vancouver, WA
4:01:23 Jon Nevitt, 60-64, Burlington, WA
4:01:39 Mel Preedy, 65-69, Ravensdale, WA, 3rd
4:05:31 Bob Dolphin, 70+, Renton/Yakima, WA 1st
4:07:47 Evan Fagan, 65-69, Victoria, BC, 5th
4:09:12 Nester Slywka, 65-69, Burnaby, BC
4:12:12 Ken Bonner, 60-64, Victoria, BC
4:16:58 Andrew Dunn, 40-45, Normandy Park, WA
4:27:14 Arthur Toomes, 70+, Canada, 2nd
4:37:39 Richard Andrew, 55-59, Mukilteo, WA
4:42:26 Jack Rosevear, 70+, Canada, 3rd
4:45:03 Ultra Al Miller, 45-49, Deer Island, OR
4:55:41 Fenny Roberts, 50-54, Salem OR
5:01:28 Al Homenchuck, 70+, Burnaby, BC, 4th
5:11:21 Clive Heatherington, 65-69, Port Alberni, BC
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