Hillcrest Elementary has been rewarded for registering the biggest school team at Sunday’s Times Colonist 10K event, with 146 students, staff and parents ready to take part.
Most will be in the Thrifty Foods 1.5K Family Run, with a few teachers lining up for the TC 10K.
Hillcrest, one of 44 school teams signed up, received $1,000 for its efforts. Bruce Deacon, an Olympic marathoner and three-time winner of the TC 10K, joined other race supporters at Hillcrest to present the school with its winnings Friday.
Overall school involvement has grown considerably through the years, said Deacon, who is in charge of the TC 10K’s school program. The program encourages children to be active, he said.
Hillcrest will be putting its $1,000 toward a new playground, said principal Elaine Dolan. The school unexpectedly lost its play equipment when a district inspector found parts were unsafe.
“It ended up being a really important thing, because we’re so anxiously trying to get money for the playground,” Dolan said.
The school is trying to raise between $60,000 and $70,000 to install a new, accessible structure, she said.
Kindergarten teacher Sarah Ball, who was a driving force behind the team, said the students are excited to be part of the fundraising effort.
“This was their opportunity to pitch in and try to raise money for the school,” Ball said. “They were able to secure that win. Now, when they see that piece of playground out there, they’ll know they contributed.”
A special part of the school program is the All Star Team Award, Deacon said. All school teams are invited to nominate an individual. The awards will be given out June 10 at the Victoria International Track Classic, he said.
“It could be somebody that’s one of the faster runners in your school. It could be awarded for somebody who tries hard or makes a lot of improvement, or is always positive or a good leader,” he said. “We want them to nominate kids they feel worthy of being called out and recognized a bit.”
Hear from the experts at Race Expo today
Anyone interested in hearing experts talk about different aspects of running and fitness can take in a series of panel presentations today at the Victoria Conference Centre. The hour-long sessions are part of the TC 10K Race Expo, and start at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Race-day road closings
Sunday’s Times Colonist 10K race starts and ends at Government and Belleville streets. The start/finish area will be closed from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
All intersections along the route will be closed. Roads inside the route will be open, but motorists should expect delays. All streets on the race course will be closed as of 7:45 a.m. on Sunday.
Reopening times will vary by location and depend on the pace of the runners. The following is a list of approximate opening times:
• Government at Humboldt — 8:36 a.m.
• Johnson/Douglas — 8:47 a.m.
• Johnson/Quadra — 8:55 a.m.
• Vancouver/Richardson — 9:06 a.m.
• Richardson/Moss — 9:14 a.m.
• Dallas/Memorial — 11:30 a.m.
• Dallas/Cook — 11:40 a.m.
• Dallas at Douglas — 11:50 a.m.
• Belleville/Oswego — noon
The TC Half Marathon starts at 9 a.m. from the University of Victoria’s Centennial Stadium. The route joins the 10K route at Dallas Road and Memorial Crescent. Road closings are estimated based on the expected pace of the runners:
• Centennial Stadium to Cedar Hill Cross — 8:50 to 9:20 a.m.
• Cedar Hill Cross — 8:55 to 9:30 a.m.
• Uplands — 9 to 9:45 a.m.
• Beach Drive: Midland to Rutland — 9:05 to 9:50 a.m.
• Beach Drive: Rutland to Windsor — 9:10 to 10:25 a.m.
• Beach Drive: Windsor to Victoria — 9:15 to 10:45 a.m.
• Victoria and Beach to Foul Bay and McNeil — 9:25 to 11 a.m.
• Foul Bay and Richardson to Fairfield and Irving — 9:30 to 11:10 a.m.
• Fairfield and Irving to Dallas and Memorial — 9:35 to 11:30 a.m.
