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Sports Briefs: Sea to Sky athletes reach podium at Vancouver Triathlon

The Subaru Vancouver Triathlon took place on Sunday, July 14, with a sold-out field of athletes taking on the Half Iron, Olympic and Sprint distance courses. In the Half Iron — 1.
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The Subaru Vancouver Triathlon took place on Sunday, July 14, with a sold-out field of athletes taking on the Half Iron, Olympic and Sprint distance courses.

In the Half Iron — 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 20km run — Whistler's Ashleigh McMillan posted a total time of four hours, 48 minutes, while placing 11th in the male 40 to 44 category. His best leg was the run, with McMillan finishing the final leg is a speedy 1:23:41.

Colin Richardson placed 19th in the male 25 to 29 category in 5:08:12.

Steve Wheeler was 13th in male 45 to 49 in 5:09:08.

Greg Sandkuhl won the men's 65 to 69 category in 5:11:02.

Tyler Massey was 20th in male 25 to 29 in 5:14:27.

Sergio Tortajada was 32nd in male 30 to 34 in 5:21:28.

Christopher Den Tandt was 34th in male 30 to 34 in 5:24:57.

John Blok was seventh in male 55 to 59 in 5:31:50.

Sunghan Kim was 25th in 45 to 49 in 5:40:49.

From Squamish, Tim Moore placed third in male 50 to 54 in 4:39:58 — the fastest time for any Sea to Sky athlete, and good enough for 52nd overall. Julie Miller was third in female 35 to 39 in 4:56:39, as well as the 19th woman overall. Martin Riis was 27th in male 35 to 39 in 5:35:40.

In the Olympic distance race — 1,500-metre swim, 40km bike and 10km run — Squamish's Marko Toijanen was first in the male 35 to 39 category in 2:08:13.

Whistler's Scott Brammer placed 16th in male 40 to 44 in 2:41:16.

In the sprint race — 500-metre swim, 20km bike and 5km run — Whistler's Krista Oster Brammer was 56th in 30 to 39 in 1:45:58.

From Squamish, Andrew Clegg was sixth in male 40 to 49 in 1:06:46, while Leanne Wright was 19th in female 30 to 39 in 1:27:15. From Pemberton, Eduardo Aguirre was 18th in male 40 to 49 in 1:18:17.

Vancouver wasn't the only tri on the books this week, and a few Squamish locals also headed to the Desert Half Iron in Osoyoos.

Martin Caron placed eighth overall and was first in the male 35 to 39 race with a time of 4:58:12.

Zoe Dawson of Squamish was second in female 25 to 29 in 5:07:33.

Carlee Grant was fifth in female 35 to 39 in 5:50:56.

Results from both races are online at www.raceheadquarters.com.

Robbins just shy of Knacker record

The Knee Knakering North Shore Trail Run celebrated 25 years of kicking runner's asses on Saturday, with a sold-out field taking on the almost 50km course that follows the Baden Powell Trail from West Vancouver to Deep Cove.

The race goes over Black Mountain into the Cypress Bowl area and includes sections of Grouse and Seymour Mountains. In total, it boasts over 16,000 feet of vertical climbing — like running from the village to the top of the Whistler Village Gondola four times, and then climbing to the peak on the last trip up — as well as some very technical descents.

This year the overall winner was Gary Robbins, who used to live in Squamish and helps to organize the Squamish 50 race. He finished the course in 4:41:28, just shy of the record time of 4:39:52 set by Aaron Heidt in 2009. Mike Murphy of Maple Ridge was second in 4:42:32, while Squamish's Nick Elson placed third in 4:44:07.

Elson was just two seconds back of Robbins after the first split, and was actually two seconds faster on the second split. After that he pulled ahead and after the third split had a minute and nine seconds on Robbins. Murphy had the fastest final split by far, followed by Robbins two minutes later, while Elson was about four minutes back of Robbins in that stage.

The fastest Whistler runner in the mix was Alex Dunn, who finished ninth overall in 5:31:53. Duncan Munro finished in 6:35:00, taking it at a slower pace than his previous Knacker appearances a few years ago where he was finishing in the top 10.

The fastest female runner was Ann Lanari of North Vancouver in 5:29:13, placing eighth overall. Suzanne Evans of New Westminster was 13th overall and first in women's 40 to 49 in 5:40:58. Kim Magnus was third in 5:43:29.

Vicki Romanin finished in 7:36:59, and was fifth in women's 50 to 59.

Enzo Federico of Squamish was 24th in male 50 to 59 in 7:52:53.

Jeremy Clegg of Nanaimo, who won the Whistler 50 last year, also made the lottery and placed 11th overall in 5:38:57.

For complete results, visit www.raceheadquarters.com.

WYSC honours departing coach

After nine years as a volunteer coach for the Whistler Youth Soccer Club, Stefano Baradel is heading back to Australia at the end of the season. He has coached both girls and boys from the U11 to U18 level, following his own children, Alessandra and Antonie, through the system.

To recognize his contributions, the WYSC recently honoured Baradel at their annual Coach Appreciation Night where he was presented with a jersey by his senior girls team.

Black Diamond Betties lose final

The Squamish Sea to Sky Sirens paid Whistler's Black Diamond Betties back for April's loss at the Whistler Conference Centre. This time around it was the Sirens who were better in the second half, erasing the Betties' one-point lead at the half to win the bout 146-117 at Brennan Park Arena.

The Betties had a breakthrough season, posting the team's first ever win against the Sirens, then crushing the Haney Hooligans at home in June.

WOVA Open set for July 21

The Whistler Outdoor Volleyball Association is hosting its annual WOVA open on Sunday, July 21, hosting a four-on-four division and doubles division at Rainbow Park. The cost is $25 per player, and side events include bocce and watermelon eating. The after party is at Dubh Linn Gate with a silent auction.

The tournament starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m. All proceeds go towards the Whistler Community Services Society, which runs the Whistler Food Bank, services for women and seniors, the community greenhouse program, the Re-Use-It Centre and more.

You can register a team in advance by emailing scottinwhistler@gmail.com or by showing up at 9:30 a.m. on tournament day.

Toonie Ride goes north

Tonight's (July 18) WORCA Toonie Ride starts and finishes at Wedgemount Parking Lot, following the North Secret climb to Jeff's Trail and Sea to Sky Trail back to the start. The event is sponsored by Evolution, The Adventure Group, Pemberton Distillery, Alpine Café and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. The after party is at Cougar Mountain.

In other WORCA news, registration is still available for The Battle for Bond, the third annual women's race hosted by the association. The format is an enduro, with five timed sections of the course. Details at www.worca.com.