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Warm Woppet draws a crowd

Whistler Olympic Park closes for season after race

Competitors in the fourth Annual Woppet at Whistler Olympic Park had sunshine and warm temperatures on Saturday, but times were fast even if the course was less than hardpacked by the end of the event.

In the 30km Quest category, Kent Murdoch was the racer to beat with a time of one hour, 15 minutes and 16 seconds, averaging almost 24km/h from start to finish. He was followed by Vesa Suommalainen in 1:20:10 and Stuart Hamilton in 1:20:55. All three were racing in Masters Men 45-Plus.

Martin Utley won the Open Men's race in 1:23:10, followed by David Penel in 1:23:40 and Adam Woods in 1:26:57.

Heather Adamson placed first among women and first in Masters Women 40-Plus in 1:41:32, followed by Cheryl Morningstar in 1:44:33 and Vicki Haberl in 1:47:14.

In the 15km Challenge category, the top racer was Gary di Silvestri in 41:36 — also winning Masters Men 45-Plus. Kayden Sim was second in 45:20, winning Junior Men 15 to 19, followed by Quinn Wildi in third, while placing second in Junior Men 15 to 19.

Second and third in Masters were Owen Davis in 52:53 and Tom Ballhausen in 52:55. Third in Junior Men was Rowan Morris in 47:46.

Alain Prat was fourth overall, winning Open Men in 46:55; second in the category was Cam Fitzmaurice in 50:15, followed by Graham Schulz in 50:25.

Nicki Murdoch from the Whistler Nordics was the fastest female, placing sixth overall and winning Junior Girls 15 to 19 in 48:28. Katie Weaver was second in 52:07 and Dot Forder third in 54:41.

In Open Women the top three were Angelica di Silvestri in 49:14, Heather Campbell in 52:11 and Catherine Haufschild in 1:05:37.

In Masters Women 40-plus the top three were Tammy Stothers in 52:33, Kate Drew in 54:25 and Gwendolyn Kennedy in 55:01.

In the 7.5km Cruiser category, Joe Davies was first to the finish line in 23:52, winning the Boys 14 and Under race. Toshi Kawano was second overall in 25:09, as well as first in Open Men. Kaede Kawano was third in 25:34 and first in Girls 14 and Under.

Second and third in Boys 14 and Under were Arley Morris in 27:25 and Sasha Bishop in 48:41.

In Open Men, Ian Leighton was second in 1:18:47.

In Girls 14 and Under it was Sakura Kawano in second in 27:03, followed by Kalya Holloway in 28:24.

Leslie Fierling topped Open Women in 28:04, followed by Cayley Dow in 30:20 and Sabina Wallace in 37:47.

Six parents with young children also turned out for the Chariot category. Nelson Dow was the fastest overall on the 7.5km course with a time of 26:48, followed by Lesley Clements in 27:38 and Sabina Foofat in 31:52.

Complete results are posted online at www.webscorer.com.

Lost Lake and Whistler Olympic Park are now closed for the season. Skiing is still available at Callaghan Country.

WORCA swap, first race confirmed

The first Toonie Ride of the 2012 season is scheduled for Thursday, May 3, and will likely take place in the Emerald area. Details will be posted at www.worca.com when they're available, but as always members are encourged to register for the season online to prevent lines at the opening race.

The annual bike swap is on Saturday, May 5.