The Peak to Valley race is
hard enough without limited visibility and fresh snow on Friday, and soft
course conditions for the Saturday group, but that didn’t stop 400 racers from
dropping in at the top of the Saddle and carving 180 giant slalom gates on
their way to Creekside. The total distance was more than five kilometres, with
a vertical drop of just over 1,440 metres.
Teams were put in age groups
based on their combined ages. Each team required one female racer, and they
were ranked according to their combined time on the course. Two members of each
team would race on each of the two days.
This year the winning team
was the Mild Millies, with a combined time of 24 minutes, 38.73 seconds. The
Millies were in 175-199 age group, and included Liz Thompson, Tom Prochazka,
Steve Fleckenstein, and Kent Wills.
In second, in the same age
category, was team Swiss Movement in 25:02.16. The team included Janine Linder
Joris, Stanislas Rey, Eric Rey and Roger Joris.
In third were the Crested
Beauts in 25:08.51, also winning the 149 and under age category. The Beauts
were Jon Johnston, Charlotte Whitney, Joe Hertz and Bill Buchbauer.
In the age categories, there
were five teams in the 250 and Up category this year, which is an average age
of 62.5 for participants. The winner in this category was Babes with Age in
28:30.76, featuring Grace Oaks, Andrée Janyk, Bob Kerschbaumer and Bob Switzer.
In second was Fifi in
29:18.09, with Owen Owens, Helen Bertrand, Rod McNeil and Peter Finley. Third
belonged to Going Slowly Downhill in 36:51.89, with teammates John Rollett,
Bridget Duckworth, Albert Vancitters and Jim Quan.
In 225 to 249, the top team
was Jules’ Jewels in 26:37.01. Racers were Terry Daly, July Lajoie, Bernhard
Kahlert, and Butch White.
Second were the Eastern
Flyers in 26:50.64 — Lou Fenniger, Valerie Gillies, Bill Furse, and Lloyd
Henderson.
Third were the Fabrictime
Cruisers in 26:55.94 — Neil Baker, Joy Fera, Ted Astells, and Chris Vajda.
In 200 to 224, Team Spirit
came out on top with a time of 25:14.04. The team included Kary Firstbrook,
Geordie Trusler, Philip Beauregard, and John Townsend.
Next up was Team Morgold in
28:28.71 — Peter Dey, Joan Wilson, Paul Venner and John Wadsworth.
In third place was Aging Fast
in 29:00.75 — Dave Mackinlay, Christian Piersanti, Darryl Clarke, and
Catherine Sloan.
Behind the Mild Millies and
Swiss Movement in the 175 to 199 age group was Raven Madness, with a time of
25:13.76 — Denis Ebacher, Ken Chaddock, Wendy Harrison, and Jamie Edwards.
In 150 to 174, the Subprimers
were the top team in 25:32.75. The racers were Marcus Waring, Veronica Vackova,
Stewart Smith and Paul Rattenbury.
Close behind were the Willies
Fischermen in 25:42.89 — Chris Kent, Jordan Williams, Alex Kolier, and Tom
Tompson.
In third were Lady and Her
Tramps in 26:05.78 — Hilary Hendriks, Michael Peier, Tom Jackson and Roger
Zogg.
Behind the Crested Beauts in
149 and Under were Hoopla in 25:38.67, with Spencer Hoopes, Sead Causevic, Tove
Pashkowski, and Jeff Hume.
In third were The Super
Roosters in 26:04.64 — Eric Rousseau, Sarah Hornes, Shawn Fleming and Peter
Smart.
Awards were also given to the
top individual racers.
On Friday, the top three men
were Marcus Waring in 5:41.56, Sead Causevic in 5:44.73, and Chris Kent in
6:04.17. The top three females were Hilardy Lindh in 6:14.58, Alex Kolier in
6:23.86, and Janine Linder Joris in 6:39.63.
On Saturday the top men were
Stanislas Rey in 5:21.73, Dana Williams in 5:24.59, and Philip Beauregard in
5:34.39. The top women were Charlotte Whitney in 5:59.70, Tove Pashkowski in
6:01.22, and Liz Thompson in 6:01.54.
Tickets for the 2009 Peak to
Valley race will go on sale in June, and as usual are expected to sell out
quickly. For more information visit www.whistlerblackcomb.com.