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Runners flock to Whistler 5 Peaks

458 athletes compete on Enduro and Sport courses
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Take 5 Runners sprint out to the start at the 5 Peaks race in Whistler this past weekend. A record field of more than 450 athletes takng part. Photo by Ian Robertson, www.coastphoto.com.

The annual Whistler 5 Peaks race was held Saturday, Aug. 25, with a record number of participants following a selection of trails in the upper alpine of Whistler Mountain.

There were two courses available, a 10.8 km Enduro course with roughly 730 metres of climbing, and a 5.6 km Sport Course with 355 metres of vertical. Both courses started and finished outside the Roundhouse Lodge.

The Enduro route started with a downhill run to the Peak Chair and then back up to the Roundhouse area, where runners were sent around Harmony Lake and back up to the peak of Whistler around Symphony Bowl. Following the climb, runners headed down to the top of Harmony before descending all the way back to the Roundhouse.

The Sport course also included a round-trip to the Peak Chair from the Roundhouse, followed by a lap of Harmony Lake.

Whistler’s Morgan Titus placed first overall in the Enduro race and won the men’s 20 to 29 category with a time of 53 minutes and 56 seconds, nearly three minutes faster than the next runner. Ryan Bremner of Coquitlam was second overall in 56:51, and second in the 20 to 29 group, while Vancouver’s Mark Bennett placed third overall and first in the Men’s 40 to 49 category.

The top spot for the women also went to a Whistler runner, with Venetia McHugh crossing the line in 1:10:52. She also won the women’s 30 to 39 age category. Victoria’s Carolyn Goluza was second in 1:12:08, and second in the 30 to 39 category, while Mirabelle Tinio of Vancouver placed third overall in 1:13:02, as well as first in the 20 to 29 age group.

Also from Whistler:

Walter Walgram placed 36 th overall and third in the men’s 50 to 59 race in 1:13:13.

Graeme Fitch was 37 th , and eighth in men’s 40 to 49 in 1:13:14.

Dusan Kafka placed 43 rd overall and 18 th in men’s 30 to 39 in 1:14:43.

Ehren Hess was 47 th overall and 10 th in men’s 20 to 29 in 1:16:42.

Hamish Yoshida was 61 st and 25 th in men’s 30 to 39 in 1:18:49.

Caroline L’Heureux was 86 th and eighth in women’s 20 to 29 in 1:21:47.

Noah Beauchamp was 92 nd and 13 th in men’s 20 to 29 in 1:22:37.

Tony Kargl was 114 th and 11 th in men’s 20 to 29 in 1:25:08.

Craig Power was 122 nd overall and 15 th in men’s 20 to 29 in 1:26:36.

Helen Wojcik was 126 th overall and 13 th in women’s 20 to 29 in 1:27:23.

John Chalk was 133 rd and 42 nd in men’s 30 to 39 in 1:28:09.

Robert Tan was 143 rd overall and 31 st in men’s 40 to 49 in 1:31:21.

Craig Mackenzie was 149 th and 12 th in men’s 50 to 59 in 1:32:06.

Michele Marsh was 150 th and 12 th in women’s 40 to 49 in 1:32:07.

Shane Gleeson was 170 th and 17 th in men’s 20 to 29 in 1:36:49.

Shannon Susko was 203 rd and 25 th in women’s 30 to 39 in 1:42:22.

Shari Kelly was 238 th and 32 nd in women’s 40 to 49 in 1:54:01.

In the Sport race, which had close to 190 participants, the three fastest runners were from Vancouver. Sturla Lie, who was competing in the Men’s 10 to 14 age group, placed first overall in 27:13. Jeremy Peters, racing in men’s 30 to 39, was second in 27:34, while Ray Barrett — also 30 to 39 — placed third overall in 28:26.

Luke Gjerdalen, another 10 to 14 runner, placed fourth overall in 28:48.

On the women’s side, Joanna Quarry of Bowen Island was the top runner in 32:09, also winning the 30 to 39 age category.

Jessica Heyes of Vancouver was second in 32:59, winning the 50 to 59 category. Victoria Frost, racing in the 15 to 19 age group, was the third-fastest woman in 34:34.

From Whistler, Melanie Day was 35 th overall, eighth among women, and second in the women’s 20 to 29 age category in 35:20 — just three seconds back of first.

Kevin Creery was 42 nd overall and 10 th in men’s 30 to 39 in 36:36.

Esther Lavtard was 72 nd overall and sixth in women’s 30 to 39 in 39:48.

Tracy Jackson was 77 th and fourth in women’s 40 to 49 in 40:01.

Anik Champoux was 87 th and eighth in women’s 20 to 29 in 41:57.

Maridee Fitch was 168 th and 21 st in women’s 40 to 49 in 53:28.

There is only one event remaining in the 5 Peaks Trail Running Series, which takes place at Buntzen Lake on Sept. 15. More information and registration is available online at www.5peaks.com.