The view along the Fort Langley 5K and Half Marathon may be pretty, but the terrain is as tough as it gets, runners maintain.
David Palmer, one of the volunteers who help organize the annual event, describes it as “scenic but challenging.”
An online account calls the course “the most scenic half marathon in the country” beginning and ending at the historic fort in Fort Langley.
Runners take a short tour through the townsite before heading out into the surrounding countryside to retrace the historic Hudson’s Bay Co. “Telegraph Trail” and pass by Thunderbird Show Park, as well as the Driediger Farms strawberry fields.
Roger Antoniazzi, who has competed in every Fort Langley run since the event began 16 years ago, said the challenge is the hills.
There are lots of them.
“This is one of the toughest, if not the toughest half marathons that I ever ran,” Antoniazzi related.
“It’s beautiful but it’s very difficult.”
That happens to be the opinion of a runner with 93 half-marathons and 17 full marathons under his belt.
This year’s run was no easier.
Antoniazzi, who is diabetic, suffered a blood sugar drop around the 15 kilometre mark, and while he came prepared with the necessary sweets, it still slowed him down.
At 59, his goal is to compete in at least 20 of the annual runs presented by Peninsula Runners and Garrison Running Co.
READ ALSO: Barth wins Fort to Fort race
Four hundred runners took to the streets of Fort Langley for the 16th annual PR Fort Langley 5K and Half Marathon early Sunday morning (July 14).
Weather conditions were ideal, warm but cloudy, noted organizer Alex Taylor.
“This is a perfect day for running,” Taylor enthused.
First across the line was Victoria resident Samson Haire, who finished in a time of one hour, 20 minutes and seven seconds.
Walter Block came all the way from New Orleans to take part in his second Fort Langley race, competing in the 77-79 age division.
A persistent, but not especially fast runner, Block was given a head-start, plugging away at the route a half hour before the official start.
He finished second last overall, edging out a woman from Chilliwack.
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Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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