The wet rainy bleak season is upon us. What is one to do? Why, think of the pending sunny days on the other side of course! And if you’re a runner, you’ll probably start jogging in that general direction.
Triathlons
Triathlons, for those not in know, are athletic events that involve three components: cycling, swimming, and running.
Over the past year, the Sooke News Mirror covered the successes of our Triathlon racers. Owen Stampflee, Melanie Cunningham, Daralee Hanton, Danny Eddy, Natacha Lemire, Brigitte Church, Wyatt Church, and Len Church were just a few of the Sooke athletes whose successes we tracked over the past sunny season.
The call just came out from the Subaru Western Triathlon coordinators that the series is ready to launch and early birds are welcome to register. And these early birds will get a big fat tasty worm. Otherwise known as a “Special Price.”
Subaru Triathlons to be held this year include Shawnigan Lake (May 25), Victoria (June 15), Saskatoon (June 29), Vancouver (July 3), and Banff (Sep. 6).
All registrants that sign up by November 30 are entered into a draw for an Aqua Sphere wetsuit and weekend for two at the Oceanfront Suites in Cowichan Bay.
According to their press release, there will be a few new features, including a new Trestle Challenge in Shawnigan and an expected music festival in Victoria. “Vancouver will once again be Long Distance National Championships and also add a Half Iron distance Aqua Bike course – perfect preparation for Whistler.”
Marathons and just plain running
If getting wet and cycling are not your thing, and you’d rather stick with just running, there are a few runs you might want to start training for. Some 2014 local running dates include:
The 10th Annual Stewart Mountain 10 or Five Mile X-Country Challenge around Thetis Lake, Dec. 14, 2013
The ominous-sounding MEC Hypothermic Half Marathon in Victoria, Feb. 17, 2014
The MEC Sooke River 10K, on April 13, 2014,
The Goose 50K (five runner) relay (http://www.gooserelay.ca/), May 10, 2014, and
The TC10K, April 27, 2014
The Victoria Goddess Run in Langford, June 1, 2014
Sooke’s STARRs
Sooke does have a self-started running group called Sooke Trail and Road Runners (STARR), and we’ve also periodically featured their athletes from time to time. While STARR is not a starr-ting group, they do open up their runs to anyone comfortable running a good solid base of five kilometres. According to Jackie Eddy, one of the founders, group members have done well with their sport.
“Several STARRs completed the Goodlife Marathon, half-marathon and the 8K this October,” said Eddy. “One favourite of mine is the Kusam Klimb held in June each year. This is a 23k trail event in Sayward. Very gruelling and so rewarding. Danny, Vince and I have been going every year only missing the inaugural event. We have introduced several more STARRs to this challenging event. And our cabins are already booked for 2014.”
Mostly, though, STARR runners excel in having fun and benefiting from shared knowledge.
“We have fun exploring trails and our expanding neighborhood,” says Eddy. “We share information as it pertains to various running events as well as general trends and tips to improve our skills and minimize injury.”
You can find this group through their Facebook fan page, at facebook.com/SookeTrailandRoadRunners
