The Comox Valley Road Runners dominated the 55-59 age group at the Cedar 12k Feb. 4 in Nanaimo — the third race in the Vancouver Island Race Series.
The top local male was Danny Keyes, finishing second in the division in 46:30. Brian Stewart was third, Rob Kelly fourth, and Roger Plamondon sixth. Stewart and Kelly had an epic dual throughout the race, with Stewart finally pulling ahead in a sprint finish.
“We left it all on the course,” Stewart said.
Top local female was Angela Plamondon, winning her division handily in 56:10. Keith Wakelin — one of the most prolific racers in the history of the series —also won his category. And Les Disher ‘dished it out,’ taking down the win in his category.
Hudson Webster continued his dominance amongst juniors with another win. His mother, Deb Webster, finished fourth. Peter Ashmore also had a strong run, finishing second in his category. Tom Munro finished fifth in his category.
The overall winner of the race was once again Shelby Drope of Nanaimo’s Bastion Run Club, who narrowly took the win in 40:05. In an amazing finish, second-place James Richardson and third-place Nick Walker both finished within 10 seconds of Drope. The women’s race was also close, with Catrin Jones edging Melissa Ross at the line to win with a time of 44:42.
The course had to be changed at the last minute due to a power pole that came down, but the change in course turned out to be popular with participants. It also meant the course was slightly flatter and faster, which produced great results and close finishes all around.
For full results, visit racedaytiming.ca
Don’t forget to sign up for local races on the Comox Valley race weekend, March 17 and 18. The Saturday is the CVRR 5k Fun Run — the culmination of the 5km running clinic. It’s open to the public. The Comox Valley RV Half Marathon is on the Sunday.
FMI: cvrr.ca
