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Royal Victoria Marathon
October 10, 1999
Race Report by Bob Dolphin
It is always a pleasure to run in the Royal Victoria Marathon,
and this
year was no exception. At 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 10, 1999,
over
2,000 runners left the Parliament Building area in Victoria,
B.C., under
overcast skies and with the temperature in the 50's (F), a good
running
day. There are two out-and-back sections so one can see the
field as
a spectator while being a participant. At 4 miles I saw the lead
group
of three runners go by. They were followed by other fast runners,
including friends and acquaintances. In mid-race there were two
leaders
running side by side. They were Bruce Deacon, 30+, of Victoria,
B.C.,
who won the race with a time of 2:26:23 and Kelvin Broad, 35+, of
Calgary, AB, who ran a 2:27:09. Kelvin had been the winner in
1998
and in several other years as well. Brandon Brazier, 20+, of
North
Vancouver, B.C., ran a PR 2:29:35 as he finished in third place.
In the women's race Cindy Rhodes, 40+, of Kelowna, B.C., was 38th
overall to win with a time of 2:52:49. Julie Heidt, 35+, of
Calgary,
AB, was second with a 2:58:17 PR, and Stephanie Owen, 35+, of
North
Vancouver, B.C., was third (2:59:07 PR.)
At the out-and-back stretch most of my running buddies were in
front of
me, and we exchanged greetings as they passed in this approximate
finish order:
|
146 |
3:06:33 |
- Rob Grant, 50+, Victoria, B.C., 8th |
|
172 |
3:09:49 |
- Eb Engelmann, Marathon Achiever, 55+, Salem, OR, 3rd |
|
215 |
3:13:15 |
- Chuck Bodeen, 45+, Yakima, WA |
|
322 |
3:21:23 |
- Doug Beyerlein, 45+, Everett, WA |
|
348 |
3:23:34 |
- Bill Schnitzler, 50+, Calgary, AB |
|
390 |
3:25:45 |
- David Olsho, 45+, Seattle, WA |
|
418 |
3:27:40 |
- Ken Bonner, 55+, Victoria, B.C. |
|
527 |
3:33:37 |
- Ron Nicholl, MA, 55+, Gig Harbor, WA |
|
541 |
3:34:24 |
- Mel Preedy, MA, 66, Ravensdale, WA, 1st |
|
618 |
3:38:27 |
- Bobbie Busch, 45, Gig Harbor, WA, 8th and a PR |
|
658 |
3:40:04 |
- Mae Palm, 55+, Whistler, B.C., 1st |
|
1025 |
3:55:46 |
- Ron Levangie, 50+, Calgary, AB |
|
1133 |
3:59:40 |
- Carl Davison, 35+, Seattle |
|
1318 |
4:04:34 |
- Phil Weiser, 40+, Federal Way, WA |
|
1861 |
4:47:12 |
- Valerie Power, 35+, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
|
1887 |
4:51:27 |
- Ed Galiger, 60+, Lynnwood, WA |
My race went well, and I almost ran even halves (which I never
do).
Although my pace was slow at the beginning, I apparently held to
a 9+
minute mile, and it didn't slack off much. I ran a 4:02:45 (9:15)
finish subdivided into a 2:00:30 (9:12) first half and a 2:01:45
(9:18)
second half. I gained 13 minutes over the Portland Marathon one
week
earlier and ran five minutes faster than my 1998 Victoria
Marathon. My
overall position was 1188 of 2093 finishers.
With mixed emotions I ran my first race as a 70 year old, and I
wanted
to run well. On the race course I saw only one runner in my new
age
group. From other Canadian marathons I recognized Don Thomson,
75, of
Edmonton, AB. I passed him at 5K in Beacon Hill Park thinking
that I
wouldn't see him again. Wrong!! With only four miles left in
the race,
I passed him again and then ran on hoping that he wouldn't
overtake me
again. I felt fortunate to have placed first in the 70+M category
with a time of 4:02:45. Don Thomson was second with a time of
4:09:52.
In third place was Dick Cotsford from Vancouver, B.C., in 4:10:48.
All three award winners had faster times than the second place
65-69M
runner. At the conclusion of the awards ceremony I realized that
I had
joined a tough, new age class---and that's great!
In the 1999 Portland Marathon official souvenir program there was
a
reprint of the article, "The Running Battle with Cheats," written
by
Les Smith, the race director. He brought to our attention the
cheating
that happens during races and what they're doing about it in
Portland.
A local newspaper in our area has a "JEERS" and "CHEERS" section
for
call-in criticisms and commendations. From the Victoria Marathon
I'd
like to give the following:
JEERS: to the runner who sat behind us at the awards ceremony,
admitted that she had run with another person's number,
and then had the audacity to accept a pair of Asics
shoes when that person's name was called during the
drawing of prizes!!
CHEERS: to Richard Hunt, the artist whose unique designs for the
Victoria Marathon logo make the medals and shirts the
best of all of the marathons I've run. (They're great
advertising for the race, too.)
CHEERS: to Rob Reid, the race director, and to all of the volun-
teers who make the Royal Victoria Marathon so special.
It's still my favorite race!!!
Written by Bob Dolphin
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