More than 10,000 runners took to the streets of Vancouver last Sunday for the 33 rd annual Adidas Vancouver International Marathon and Half-Marathon, with 4,400 people going for the full 26 miles (42.2km) and another 6,244 going half the distance.
As always a number of athletes from the Whistler area took part in both races, many of them posting exceptional times and results.
Local chef Ian Goard was the biggest local story in the event, finishing 39 th overall with a blistering time of two hours, 55 minutes and 57 seconds. He was 36 th among men and 12 th in the mens 30 to 34 age group.
Pembertons Chris Jensen was 84 th overall, 77 th among men, and 18 in the mens 35 to 39 category with a time of 3:04:41.
Squamishs Shane Robilliard, a chef at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, completed the course in 3:36:38 to finish 387 th overall and 75th in the mens 30 to 34 group.
Whistlers Marla Zucht finished with a solid time of 3:35:15, placing 604th overall, 87 th among women and 18 th in the womens 30 to 34 group.
Sato Hiromasa of Whistler finished 905 th overall in 3:44:24 while racing in the mens 40 to 44 age group.
Robert Tan was 1,044 th overall, crossing the line in 3:48:12. He was 96th in the mens 45 to 49 group.
Tim Elford finished in 3:50:47 in the mens 30 to 34 group, finishing 1,146 th overall.
Shizuo Kashino was 1,261 st overall in 3:53:32, the last local to break the four-hour mark.
Jim Kunz came close, finishing in 4:09:10 while racing in the mens 55 to 59 group.
Squamish Iron Woman Mae Palm also raced, finishing in 4:06:31, second overall in the womens 60 to 64 division. With that last finish Palm is now over the 100 race mark.
Leonard Spierings of Pemberton was a finisher, coming in at 4:44:17 in the mens 30 to 34 group.
In the half-marathon, Whistlers Kristina Rody was the top racer, finishing 22 nd overall with a time of 1:20:08 second among 4,014 women and first out of 675 racers in the 25 to 29 age category.
Walter Wallgram was 170 th overall and 14 th in the mens 45 to 49 group in 1:32:43.
Jennifer Walker finished a second behind in 1:32:44, 12 th out of 802 racers in the womens 30 to 34 group.
Greg Sandkuhl was seventh out of 152 runners in the mens 55 to 59 group with a time of 1:38:13.
Eric Kutter finished in 1:40:02 in 411 th overall, 60 th out of 377 in the mens 35 to 39 race.
Christine Cogger was 323 rd among women and 65 th out of 675 in the womens 25 to 29 category with her time of 1:49:32.
Tracy Silvester finished 614 th among women and 122 nd in the same age group with her time of 1:55:54.
Gardner Betteridge was 1,621 st overall with a time of 1:55:56 in the 30 to 34 category.
Sarah OBrien also cracked the two-hour mark with her time of 1:57:13.
Christine Eldridge finished 29 th out of 289 in the womens 50 to 54 group in 2:00:15.
Corrie Wilson finished in 2:01:28; Dave Keeler in 2:02:20; Tom Barrett in 2:04:25; Micah Koroll in 2:07:19; Todd Pretty in 2:07:21; Bronwyn Crowder in 2:07:24; Diane Wieczorek in 2:14:40; Lisa Baadsvik in 2:16:40; Christa Vandeberg in 2:17:45; and Jennifer Kristianson-H. in 2:25:18.
Complete results can be found online at www.adidasvanmarathon.ca.