By Andrew Mitchell
Whistler’s Kristina Rody would have left the competition in the dust on Sunday, if there was any dust to kick up after a day of rain.
After starting slow, giving her legs a chance to warm up, Rody caught the second and third place runners, Duncan Munro and Greg McDonnell, by the time the race had rounded Lost Lake, then passed local triathlete David Higgins by the first water station at the 2.5 km mark. She was the first runner onto the Tommy Moore trail, leading to Tin Pants, and never looked back.
“I knew the course would be hilly so I didn’t want to go out too hard,” she said. “I’m also really used to running those trails, and I knew that whoever got there first would be really hard to catch.
“I could tell that the (other runners) went off too fast, and could see their legs slow down just when I was starting to feel warmed up.”
Rody finished the 10 km race in 38 minutes, 55 seconds, more than two minutes faster than David Higgins’s time of 41:10. Munro was third in 41:27.
A competitive marathoner, Rody took most of the winter off to heal a joint in her heel that had seized up in the fall. She got back into training a few months ago with no concrete plans for the season past the Valley Trail Run.
In the 5 km run the top time belonged to Sean McCreanor of Squamish in 21:30, followed by Whistler’s Phil Pyatt in 22:17 and Craig Hill in 24:17. The fastest female was Juniper Buller in 28:12, followed by Char Riess in 28:43 and Karen Blaylock in 28:43.
This is the 16 th year for the Valley Trail Run, and the first time the course has been based entirely in Lost Lake Park. The organizers decided to change the course this year to take place entirely in the park on a mix of roads and trails, bypassing the busy village and using Rebagliati Park as the start and finish line.
The difficulty level went up as well as the overall hilliness of the course, but that didn’t seem to affect the number of participants. Even with the rain the race had 142 registered participants — down from last year’s record, but with far fewer last minute entries because of the weather.
Dozens of prizes were handed out by the organizers to the winners in each category and by a random prize draw, while Dubh Linn Gate provided food specials for participants and volunteers. All proceeds from the race will go to the Community Foundation of Whistler.
Complete results are available online at www.whistlervalleytrailrun.org.
Age category results
10K Course
Men 19 and Under
1. Jake Taber — 59:08
Men 20 to 29
1. Sandy Norval — 45:13
2. Basil Veerman — 46:40
3. Sean Mallion — 48:15
Men 30 to 39
1. Dave Higgins — 41:10
2. Duncan Munro — 41:27
3. Greg McDonnell — 42:49
Men 40 to 49
1. Mick Peatfield — 44:20
2. Bob Deeks — 45:02
3. Dave Brownlie — 46:02
Men 50 and Over
1. Dan Stewart — 47:15
2. Jeff Heintzman — 48:09
3. Wayne Macdougall — 54:26
Women 20 to 29
1. Carolyn Wakley — 42:55
2. Sarah O’Byrne — 45:07
3. Val Burke — 45:38
Women 30 to 39
1. Kristina Rody — 38:55
2. Ondrea Zugloff — 44:38
3. Marie-Anne Prevost — 45:02
Women 40 to 49
1. Diana Thaxter — 49:48
2. Lois Lemieux — 55:30
3. Tracey Menchions — 55:35
Women 50 and Over
1. Martha Heintzman — 53:07
2. Michelle Crowe — 58:25
3. Jinny Ladner — 59:36
5K Course
Kids 15 and Under
1. Kyle McCreanor — 28:04
2. Jack Lamming — 33:46
3. Cassidy Luteijn — 37:49
Women 16 to 19
1. Fabia Palmer — 37:09
Men 20 to 39
1. Sean McCreanor — 21:30
2. Craig Hill — 24:17
3. Ralph Forsyth — 25:55
Men 40-Plus
1. Phil Pyatt — 22:17
2. Greg Eymundson — 28:18
3. Don Brett — 31:31
Women 20 to 39
1. Juniper Buller — 28:12
2. Ali Richmond — 29:20
3. Kasi Lubin — 39:34
Women 40-Plus
1. Char Riess — 28:43
2. Karen Blaylock — 28:43
3. Paula Lamming — 33:47
