Les Formidables may be 641 years old. But it still has a spring in its step.
The team of ten local athletes combined to win the great grand masters division title in the annual Royal
LePage Snow to Surf Relay from Mount Washington to the Comox Marina April 24.
Snow to Surf combines alpine and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, canoeing, cycling and running in one of the nation’s most popular multi-discipline adventure relay races. This was the 34th running of the event, which offers competition across a range of age groups from juniors to great grand masters (55+).
The mixed group of six men and four women from Parksville, Qualicum Beach and Lasqueti Island was the only entry in its category for competitors 55 and older. But Les Formidables finished ahead of the top three men-only teams in the age group and placed 57th overall in a competition that drew 109 teams from across Canada.
The team included Don Barber of Parksville (downhill ski), Judy Kemp of Qualicum Beach (snowshoe), Sharon Chesham of Lasqueti (cross country ski), Sheri Plummer and Faye Amos of Parksville (running), Roy Kregosky of Qualicum Beach (mountain bike), Bill Vinton of Parksville (kayak), Gary Kulmoss of Lasqueti (road bike) and Reg Martin and Bertrand Girard of Qualicum Beach (tandem canoe).
The team finished 20 seconds ahead of the men’s great grand masters winner, The Old Spokes of Quadra Island. Paddlers, Peddlers and Piddlers of Courtenay were second and the Comox Valley Adventurers placed third.
— NEWS Staff and Les Formidables submission
