The 1960s instrumental group, the Ventures, were well before Evan Dunfee’s time. But if there is one song that should be in Dunfee’s earpod, it’s Walk Don’t Run.
That’s what Olympic fourth-place racewalker will be doing today in the 38th annual GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon. And he will do it faster than most of those who will run the course.
Dunfee, 27, walked the Vancouver Marathon in May in 3:10:34 to finish 133rd overall and best the vast majority of the field of nearly 5,000. Think about that. The 1,422 marathon runners registered today for Victoria certainly should.
“My main event [50K racewalk] is longer than a marathon [42.2K],” Dunfee said.
So, after the marathon runners heave and stumble across the finish line today, this guy could be good for nearly eight more kilometres if he wanted.
One runner Dunfee can’t beat, however, is the 2017 Vancouver Marathon champion Daniel Kipkoech, who goes after a fourth consecutive Victoria marathon title.
But unless you are an elite runner such as Kipkoech, watch out for that guy blazing by you while walking heel-to-toe with one foot always touching the pavement.
Preparing for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, Dunfee enters today’s race as a bit of a Canadian folkhero. That’s for not contesting the decision to take the bronze medal from him in the 50K racewalk at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It was given back to Hirooki Arai. The Japanese athlete originally had it taken away for bumping Dunfee on his way to passing the Canadian into third place.
“I made the right decision and do not waver on that,” Dunfee said. “It wouldn’t have been me earning a medal. It would have been me taking a medal away from somebody else. Neither of us were close to 100 per cent mental capacity that late in the race. I am hesitant to say who was at fault.”
Richmond’s Dunfee and Arai have become friends.
Dunfee, who has taken a strong stance against doping, is one story among 7,956 today. There are 1,327 participants registered for the marathon. The Victoria race is again a qualifier for the Boston Marathon. There are 3,131 registered for the half-marathon, 2,407 for the 8K, 71 for the relay and 1,020 for the kids’ run. The total is down from 8,448 last year.
Another Olympian in the field is Reid Coolsaet, whose 2:10:28 clocking in 2015 at Berlin is the second-fastest marathon time in Canadian history, behind Olympian Jerome Drayton’s stubbornly elusive 2:10:09 from 1975.
Coolsaet, who was 27th in the 2012 London Olympics and 23rd at Rio in 2016, was among the guest speakers Saturday in the Race Expo at the Victoria Conference Centre. The native of Hamilton, Ont., will run the half-marathon.
The pro runners are chasing a prize purse today of $32,800.
Top-ranked female marathoner for today’s event is Lissa Zimmer of Vancouver, the first Canadian woman across the line in Boston this year. The marathon and half-marathon begin at 8 a.m. from Menzies Street, and the 8K at Government and Wharf at 8:50 a.m. All the races end on Belleville in front of the legislature, with PA announcer Steven King calling out the finishers as they cross the line.
The route pushes deep into Oak Bay, a fact not lost on its mayor, Nils Jensen. “It’s the one day there is more spandex in our community than tweed . . . and when there are more people than deer running on our streets,” he quipped.
More than 60 per cent of the marathon and half-marathon participants are from off-Island. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase our community,” Jensen said.
Patti Hunter, president of the Victoria Marathon Society, touched on the festive nature of the event but also its economic impact. “It’s not all fun and games. It is serious business for this city.”
