Hundreds of runners took part in a fall tradition at the Cowichan Autumn Classic on Oct. 23.
Organized by the CeeVacs Roadrunners, the event attracted 64 participants for the half marathon distance and 209 for the 10K on the roads and trails of Glenora.
Chad Johnston of Victoria finished first in the half marathon with a time of one hour, 26 minutes and 23 seconds, edging out Jude Farmer of Pender Island at 1:28:50 and Roger Plamondon of Chemainus at 1:29:15.
The top female finisher was Kaley Strachan of Malahat, who placed seventh overall with a time of 1:35:39. Rounding out the top three among female runners were Janelle Williamson of Nanaimo (10th overall) at 1:39:18, and Lisanne Naeth of Victoria (11th overall) at 1:39:32.
One other local runner ranked in the top 10 overall: Pete Langelo of Duncan, who was ninth overall with a time of 1:39:08.
The top time in the 10K belonged to Matthew Winkler of Victoria, who finished in 36:23, beating out Richard Light of Duncan at 37:34 and Jerek Postuk of Shawnigan Lake at 42:01.
Amanda Johnston of Victoria was the top female runner at the 10K distance with a time of 46:00 flat, good for ninth overall. Duncan’s Amanda Stevenson was the second female runner at 47:22, followed by Lake Cowichan’s Michelle Stroulger at 47:51.
The top 10 was full of local runners, including three more from Shawnigan Lake: fifth-place Jonah Regan at 42:55, sixth-place Frank Galindo at 43:28, and eighth-place Oliver Gould at 45:54. Caleb Retzlaff of Duncan was 10th overall with a time of 46:01.
